Patient Information Rounds in a Hospital System

Abstract

The Aurora Health Care Libraries wanted to reach out to patients in a new way. Inspiration regarding hospital librarians visiting patients on the floors was taken from a Planetree Librarian and from an article written by librarians at the Englewood Hospital and Medical Center. In the first six months of implementation at Aurora Health Care, November 2004 through April 2005, Patient Information Rounds were well received at the Aurora hospitals in which it was proposed. The Rounds remind patients, family members, and nursing floor staff that librarians are available and experienced at finding reliable, appropriate, and hard-tolocate information to supplement standard patient handouts and instructions.

Key Words:

• Hospital libraries
• rounds
• consumer health