OBJECTIVE
As librarians, we are often asked to deliver targeted information concerning topics solicited by patrons. In embedded librarianship, this information sometimes takes the form of point of care questions, often it is provided in the form of emails compiled after rounds as a result of more intensive research. Is the time invested in researching and composing these emails validated by presumed user consumption of this information? This paper will assess how often teams of medical students, residents, and faculty members open, review, and explore targeted resources sent by two embedded Clinical Medical Librarians after rounds.
METHODS
A targeted email is sent by two embedded librarians most days following rounds. Some of this content is generated via questions asked directly by the rounding team, other is determined at the discretion of the rounding librarian. We conducted a quantitative investigation to examine the number and frequency of email opens and clicks by medical students, physicians, and residents at a University-affiliated urban hospital using email data collected by MailChimp over the course of nine months.
RESULTS
This study will provide an analysis of sending targeted emails to rounding inpatient teams at an academic affiliated urban hospital as a means of informing the time spent researching intense reference questions.
CONCLUSIONS
Many factors influence the time spent by librarians on a variety of tasks. Email is a tool often used by librarians to deliver information to users. This study analyzes whether targeted email is an efficient means delivering information to inpatient rounding teams.
