Mining Data in Electronic Health Record Systems: Opportunities for Librarians

ABSTRACT

In the past decade, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NNLM) and the Medical Library Association recognized an important trend of health sciences librarian involvement in electronic health records (EHR). This trend continues as librarians seek to help solve information challenges in health care settings. In 2016, two regions of the NNLM sponsored a forum focusing on the use of EHR data. Attended by 77 librarians, clinicians and bioinformaticians, the forum confirmed that there are opportunities for librarians to develop roles related to use and analysis of EHR data as evidence for patient care, patient safety and quality improvement.

KEYWORDS:

• Data science
• electronic health record
• electronic health record data
• hospital librarians
• hospital libraries
• observational evidence
• professional role

Acknowledgments

The authors thank David Kaelber, MD, PhD, MPH, FAAP, FACP; Christopher A. Longhurst, MD, MS, Nicholas O. Meo, MD, and Sean Mooney, PhD for participating in the forum: Using Data to Improve Clinical Patient Outcomes. They also thank the staff from the NNLM MidContinental and Pacific Northwest Regions who organized the forum, Using Data to Improve Clinical Patient Outcomes.

Funding

This forum was supported in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Contract No. HHSN-276-2011-00006-C with the University of Utah and Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00008-C with the University of Washington.

Additional information

Funding

This forum was supported in whole or in part with Federal funds from the Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, under Contract No. HHSN-276-2011-00006-C with the University of Utah and Contract No. HHS-N-276-2011-00008-C with the University of Washington.