Table 2 Themes and subcategories extracted for skills and trainings of clinical librarians
Theme | Category | Semantic unit |
|---|---|---|
The role of the clinical librarian | Information consultant of the clinical team | “I believe that medical librarians, along with physicians, can gather information and give information-related advice, because usually, we are good collectors, we find things that a normal person cannot find, and besides, we are also good information critics who can monitor which information is useful and which is not, which is valid and which is not..” |
|  | Information search specialist | “A librarian is successful who as a member of the team (along with assistants, physicians, and medical professionals), can teach the clinical team and meet their information needs by searching for articles, and teaching how to search |
|  | Health information and information literacy in the treatment department | “Librarians, along with the doctor, can prepare educational content by searching for appropriate and pure information. In this content and educational package, the patient should know about his disease, what treatment he has, and what nutrition he should have. And what are the side effects, etc.” |
Specialized and professional skills | Critical appraisal of various sources of information | “Well, the ability to critically appraise medical information from articles, evaluate medical texts, the ability to use evidence-based medicine along with specialized search skills and technology is necessary for a clinical librarian” |
|  | Familiarity with medical databases | “Complete familiarity with databases, reputable medical sites, especially sites that are related to associations and provide items such as medical guidelines, and how to search and access information that is an important part of information providing process” |
|  | Familiarity with search strategies | “Know how to work with databases so that you can achieve the best results in the shortest possible time. Databases such as Scopus, PubMed, mastering these training is of top priority, but before that mastery of terminology is critical, and if I know the basics well but do not know the terminology, I can not be very effective” |
|  | Familiarity with the new information technologies in the field of medicine | “I think a clinical librarian should be familiar with ICDL skills in such a way that if an online conference is offered to doctors if there is a problem in the network and internet in the middle of the conference, the librarian could quickly troubleshoot. Also, the librarian should be proficient in modern technologies in the profession and increase his knowledge in this field” |
|  | In-depth knowledge of clinical terminology and applied English related to the clinical environment | “In the first step, sufficient knowledge of English and possibly fluency in English, in my opinion, is an important step in this field, but in the meantime, sufficient knowledge and mastery of medical terms should not be neglected. When starting in a hospital environment most clients who were clinical staff used English words frequently in their conversations to express what they needed, and since I took English classes before college, this skill was very useful and helped me" |
Communication and interaction skills | Acquiring appropriate interaction and communication skills | "We have to be patient. Be nice to others. It was interesting one of the doctors said he would go to a librarian with a smile on her face more willingly than a librarian with a frown sitting on her back with no contact. It helps me to better trust and addresses the doctor’s need for information. In fact, the type of communication the librarian has encourages doctors to keep asking. |
| Â | Having motivation and confidence to work in a clinical setting | "I think personal characteristics are also important. If you have the motivation to work in the environment, that motivation will help you to survive the hardships of the clinical environment, and this is an intrinsic motivation in each person that makes a difference" |
Educational programs | Incorporating new courses into the curricula | “I think the biggest problem our librarians have is the courses that are taught at the university, they need to be revised. These courses do not teach students how to become clinical librarians, and should be replaced with courses that meet professional requirements” “The specialized Librarianship courses of the university should be fundamentally revised and the chapters should be revised according to the need for work" |
| Â | Passing an internship in the clinical team | "This should be practically so that it is done in the form of an internship in the hospital environment, which eliminates the students' fears and increases their self-confidence, and it is necessary for the professors who are fluent to do this along with students." |
| Â | Training of professional-communication skills for working in a clinical environment | "I think you need computer skills, intermediate to advanced English language skills, mastery of medical terminology, verbal skills, and psychology lessons to better understand people and how to approach and absorb them. Because of the diverse nature of referrals and search engines, search skills and access to information are required for training programs." |