Librarians' Instruction to Practicing Physicians: Results from a Canadian Survey [Poster]

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Continuing medical education (CME) is required for the maintenance of physician competencies, and in selecting learning opportunities physicians may choose activities that align with the CanMEDS framework. This framework outlines the roles that physicians should embody to remain effective within their profession, including ‘Scholar’. With their subject expertise and demonstrated ability to teach, health sciences librarians are poised to support physicians’ growth in this domain through instructional offerings. Yet there is a paucity of literature regarding how and what health sciences librarians in Canada are teaching practicing physicians.

Methods: A bilingual, electronic survey was distributed in May 2024 to gather data on the instructional activities of Canadian health sciences librarians who teach practicing physicians. Once the survey closed, data was cleaned and analyzed and answers to open-ended questions were reviewed for common themes.

Results: Twenty-one participants responded to the survey, with sixteen remaining for analysis after meeting the inclusion criteria. Findings revealed that most librarians have taught physicians in-hospital, instruction sessions were mostly online (and synchronous), a variety of topics have been taught to this group of learners, and more.

Discussion: While this study yielded a small sample, the results indicate that Canadian health sciences librarians are actively involved in supporting physicians in their pursuit of continuous learning. With the revised CanMEDS framework expected in 2026, these findings offer an opportunity for librarians and medical education units across Canada to reflect and collaborate as they plan their future instruction.