Identifying the Components of Providing Health Information Services to Patients in Hospital Libraries in Health Disasters by Meta-Synthesis Method

Balaghi Inaloo, Roya, Noruzi, Alireza and Esmaeili Givi, Mohammadreza Identifying the Components of Providing Health Information Services to Patients in Hospital Libraries in Health Disasters by Meta-Synthesis Method. Providing health information services during health crises is not feasible without a comprehensive understanding of these services and the ways in which they are delivered. Accordingly, the present study aimed to obtain comprehensive insight into the comp, 2023, vol. 17, n. 3, pp. 245-257. [Journal article (Paginated)]

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English abstract

Providing health information services during health crises is not feasible without a comprehensive understanding of these services and the ways in which they are delivered. Accordingly, the present study aimed to obtain comprehensive insight into the components of health information service provision during health crises. This study employed a qualitative approach using a meta-synthesis method based on the seven-step framework of Sandelowski and Barroso. The statistical population comprised articles and theses published in Persian and international databases between 1991 and 2022 CE (1370–1400 SH). Of a total of 8,363 resources identified through the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP), 40 resources were approved. Extracted information was coded, and coding reliability was measured and confirmed using the Kappa coefficient. The analysis yielded 74 codes, organized into 21 concepts and 6 categories pertaining to the provision of health information services to patients. These categories and codes included: health information needs assessment (disease, health, health information sources, patients); accessibility and dissemination of health information (health information, access channels); awareness and notification of health information (information, tools); education (patients, managers and staff of hospital libraries, methods); planning (health crisis, resources, budget, infrastructure, patients, librarians, and medical information specialists); and obstacles and limitations (expert workforce, budget, facilities and infrastructure, and resources). Addressing the issue and components of health information service provision to patients in hospital libraries during health disasters can enable policymakers in this field to gain a deeper understanding of the dimensions, concepts, and consequences of delivering these services, with the goal of ensuring access to health information for all, particularly patients. Based on the identified components, efforts can be directed toward preparing the necessary infrastructure to plan for strengthening strengths, eliminating existing weaknesses, and formulating appropriate policies. Such efforts would support the role of health counseling and the establishment of health information service departments in hospital libraries.

Item type: Journal article (Paginated)
Keywords: health services, health information systems, information services, hospital libraries, disasters, patients
Subjects: D. Libraries as physical collections. > DK. Health libraries, Medical libraries.
H. Information sources, supports, channels.
H. Information sources, supports, channels. > HZ. None of these, but in this section.
Depositing user: Dr. Alireza Noruzi
Date deposited: 17 Oct 2026 19:23
Last modified: 17 Oct 2026 19:23
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10760/49065

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