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Abstract
Hospital librarians scrutinize databases on a regular basis. The most important feature of a database is that it delivers needed information to any health care professional for use in patient care. The delivery mode needs to be understandable and easily accessible. Between 2009 and 2011, the North East Consortium for Health Information (NECHI) found itself needing to make decisions about point-of-care databases, the two prominent ones being Up-To-Date and DynaMed. Consortium members were concerned that there was heavy reliance on Up-To-Date information without further inquiry into other sources. A comparison developed that looked at institutional level decisions, input from end users, types of information supplied, and financial considerations. It was concluded by NECHI librarians that the target audience needed to be administrators of libraries and library services and that financial consideration had to be one of the factors, but not the only factor.
Acknowledgments
The author acknowledges the Librarians of the North East Consortium for Health Information (NECHI) for their valuable and enthusiastic input into this project: Florence Mercer, Anna Jacques Hospital; Ann Tomes, Beverly Hospital; Jennifer Olsen, Cambridge Hospital–Health Alliance; Melinda Marchand, Emerson Hospital; Mel Gram, Lawrence General Hospital; Terri Niland, Lawrence Memorial Hospital; Donna Beales, Lowell General Hospital; William Meunier, North Shore Community College; Deborah Almquist, North Shore Medical Center (Salem Hospital and Union Hospital); Mimi Guessferd, Parkland Medical Center; Sheila Hayes, Portsmouth Regional Hospital; Nancy George, Salem State College; Patricia Redd, Whidden Hospital; and Mary Miller, Winchester Hospital.