Designing and Validating of the Proposed Basic Components for Standardization of Hospital Libraries

The standard libraries seems to be essential for the use of physicians and students to provide evidence-based and quality services to patients. This study endeavored to determine the proposed areas required for developing and localizing standard hospital libraries based on the texts and views of experts in the field of medical information.

This descriptive study was a survey and based on the literature review, the proposed areas for standardization and then the design of the primary extraction tool. The members of the community consisted of 8 information specialists who had expertise, background, and work experience in medical and hospital libraries. The validity of the instrument was authenticated through Content Validity Index (CVI) and Content Validity Ratio (CVR).

Given the findings, 6 areas (mission and goals, management, resources and facilities and services, librarians’ education, education to patients and their families, education of hospital and medical staff), 24 standards, and 89 initial indicators after validating were designed as a primary instrument for standardizing hospital libraries.

Hospital libraries in Iran can use standardization proposed in this study, including the indicators such as mission clarity and goals of hospital libraries, appropriate mechanisms for monitoring the organizational structure, appropriateness of the physical space for staffing hospital libraries, and other items addressed in the present study. The use of these standards seems to help improve the provision of evidence-based services by physicians and students to patients and enable them to be successful in diagnosing and treating emerging diseases such as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19).