title: Providing patient information and education in practice: the role of the health librarian.
abstract: In this article, guest writer Ivana Truccolo presents an overview of her work at the Scientific and Patient Library of a Cancer Comprehensive Centre in Italy coordinating the patient education process. She discusses the historical evolution of the concept of patient education and how this has run alongside the role of the health librarian in the provision of consumer health information. Details are provided about various patient education programmes in place at the Centre. In particular, various activities are discussed including patient education classes, the development of patient education handouts and a narrative medicine programme which includes a literary competition. The article concludes with a specific outline of the role the health librarian can play in the provision of consumer health information and patient education. H.S.
authors.affiliation: CRO Centro di Riferimento Oncologico IRCCS - Cancer Comprehensive Centre, I-33081, Aviano, Italy. itruccolo@cro.it.
authors.forename: Ivana
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Truccolo
mesh_terms: D002173:Cancer Care Facilities; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D057220:Health Literacy; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy; D016245:Librarians; D007993:Libraries, Medical / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000379:methods*; D010358:Patient Participation
keywords: consumer health information; education and training; health information needs; information literacy; patient education; patient information; patient participation; patient support groups