Australia's Health Libraries: A Research-directed Future

Health Libraries Australia, a group from the Australian Library and Information Association, is currently undertaking a research project to determine the future requirements for the health librarian workforce in Australia. The study has yielded an in-depth literature review exploring the Australian health care system and health library sector and international trends in health libraries that may impact Australian health librarian education. It has also produced surveys of Australian health librarians and health library managers. This article reviews the first stage of the project. The data will provide a solid foundation for development of the next phase of the project— scoping a structured, modular education framework for postgraduate qualifications in health librarianship and an ongoing continuing professional development structure. Introduction One of the major workforce issues that has emerged for health librarians in recent years is education and training, preparation for specialist practice, and ongoing professional development. The contemporary health sector is diverse, with endless structural and service delivery changes. The current and future roles of health librarians are changing and the profession must be well positioned to move into new areas of practice that require new skills. Health Libraries Australia (HLA) is a group within the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA). The overarching goals of HLA are to encourage communication and collaboration among Australian health library and information professionals. Specific area of interest 351 hallam et al./australia’s health libraries for HLA include the promotion of research initiatives and the organization of professional development activities, with the goal of encouraging and supporting members’ ongoing career development. In 2009, building on a growing awareness that developments in both the national and international health sectors would inevitably have a significant impact on Australian health library and information services, the HLA agreed that there was a need to undertake a formal investigation into the future skills requirements for the health library workforce. This article presents preliminary reporting on the first stage of a major national research project being conducted by HLA. Literature Review A search was conducted of the major specialist health library journals (Journal of the Medical Library Association (JMLA), Health Information & Libraries Journal), together with major Australian health management journals for the period of January 2002 to December 2009. The authors also drew on individual contacts and their existing knowledge of relevant gray literature to identify publications for review. The literature review explores two main areas: the Australian health care system and health library sector; and international trends in health libraries and their implications for Australian health librarianship education. The Australian Health Care System and Health Library Sector The Australian health library sector is diverse. In early 2010, the Australian Libraries Gateway (n.d.) listed 427 health/medical libraries across Australia. Individuals broadly defined as health librarians work in hospitals, research institutes, pharmaceutical companies, government departments, regional health services, professional colleges, universities, not-for-profit and community organizations, and parts of public library services. Entry to the profession is via completion of a course of study accredited by the Australian Library and Information Association (ALIA) (n.d.). Currently there is no Australian health library specialization and no mandatory requirement for professional registration or for the maintenance of professional skills. ALIA administers a voluntary Continuing Professional Scheme (n.d.), which is activity rather than skills/knowledge based. Thus health specific skills and knowledge are principally acquired informally in the workplace. For all of its strengths, the Australian health care system has been described as a complex, fragmented system that is under growing pressure. About 70 percent of health expenditure is in the public sector with the federal government providing the bulk of this funding and the states providing the balance (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008; Lewis & Leeder, 2009). The overall governance of the public health system is through the Australian Health Ministers Council (AHMC), which 352 library trends/summer & fall 2010 sets national policy and is advised by the Australian Health Ministers Advisory Council (AHMAC). Key drivers within the system include increases in demand for and expenditure on health care, inequities in health outcomes and access to services, growing concerns about safety and quality, improving clinical governance, workforce skills and shortages, and reducing inefficiency due to the complex division of funding responsibilities and performance accountabilities between different levels of government (Australian Institute of Health and Welfare, 2008; Braithwaite & Travaglia, 2008; National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, 2009). With the current Australian government review of the health care system, and the fact that the present “overdependence” on the hospital system is not sustainable, there is a strong possibility that models of care are likely to change, and that there is likely to be increasing emphasis on preventive health strategies and primary care (Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing, 2009a, 2009b). In June 2009, the Australian government released its blueprint for reform, A Healthier Future for All Australians (National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, 2009). As the final report of the National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission (NHHRC), it contains a series of wide-reaching recommendations to the Australian government whose response is likely to be announced by mid-2010. Several key recommendations contained in A Healthier Future for All Australians are areas of natural and ongoing engagement for health librarians: strengthened consumer engagement and voice, which includes building health literacy; a modern, learning, and supported workforce; and knowledge-led continuous improvement, innovation, and research (National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, 2009). The NHHRC also recommended significant changes to the education and training of health professionals. It advocates a flexible, multidisciplinary approach, incorporating an agreed competency-based framework as part of a broad teaching and learning curriculum for all health professionals (National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission, 2009). These changes are being facilitated via the National Health Workforce Taskforce (Australia’s Health Workforce, n.d.), an agency formed to advise on education and training requirements; purchase clinical education placements; promote innovation; foster local implementation models; and report regularly on the appropriateness of national professional accreditation standards. Commencing in July 2010, a single national compulsory registration body, the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency, will assume responsibility for the registration and regulation of ten health professions. In 2011, an additional group of health professions will be brought under the regulation of the agency. Eligibility for professional registration will be dependent upon ongoing skills maintenance