• Valerie M Trinder, Geoffrey E Fleet, and Anne E Gray.
• Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority, Oxford, UK.
• Health Info Libr J. 2007 Mar 1; 24 (1): 34-40.

BackgroundThis study was undertaken to provide evidence that library outreach projects in the NHS in the Thames Valley Strategic Health Authority area were effective and could justify continued funding.ObjectivesThe object was to assess whether information literacy skills training taken up by health professionals impacts on their confidence and skills in using electronic sources of health information.MethodA total of 487 health professionals taking up training on a voluntary basis were assessed by completing a self-assessment questionnaire prior to and after training to establish their information literacy skills and confidence levels. Of these, 223 trainees (46%) also returned 6-week follow-up questionnaires.ResultsResults showed that 464 trainees (95%) intended to apply what they had learnt in a variety of ways; use of specific resources greatly increased after training and confidence in using them increased substantially. Use of search techniques increased considerably overall, whereas use of Google decreased.ConclusionsThe major findings of this research are that training health-care personnel in the use of electronic resources impacts positively on their information literacy skills and confidence, and that the information available to them is considered to have potential value across health-care practice.

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