Situación Institucional de las Bibliotecas de Ciencias de la Salud en los hospitales públicos de la Comunidad de Madrid

A SWOT analysis on 54 health sciences libraries -related libraries from Community autonomous of Madrid (Community of Madrid) was presented at BiblioMadSalud 2016. Results revealed some internal weaknesses: lack of coordination, communication and institutional involvement with libraries, and lack of insight on them. In order to find solutions, BiblioEstructura was proposed as a work-group to develop a structure, organization and performance of health libraries to be acknowledged by Community of Madrid administration. Its main objective was to gain insight on health libraries at hospital settings. The first line of work was to review current documentation on hospital structure, organization and performance; the second line was to conduct a survey on libraries from national health system hospitals. Current regulatory documentation on internal organization of national-wide and Community of Madrid hospitals was revised. We were assessed by expert, hospital managers. Surveys were performed with phone interview on 25 health libraries, through 12 open-ended questions that answered anonymously. Legislative documentation, i.e., Royal Decree 521/1987 and Regional Law 11/2017 do not mention health libraries. Responses from phone interviews showed great heterogeneity in management of libraries. Some self-named terms was general-purpose library, medical library, health library or professional library. Also, libraries can belong to Management Board of the Health Service or share their affiliations. Although 44% of hospital have a Library Committee, sometimes they have unified commissions. Library staffs are sometimes members of other hospital committees. 72% of libraries deliver certified training and offer lectures. Research foundation is present in 19 hospitals, but just 10 are connected with it, 4 have it in their web page, and one of them mentions it in its annual report. Our current research shows how diversity of terms and affiliations, and lack of involvement in management boards allow the poor acknowledgement of health libraries within the hospitals. These circumstances call for the need for regulation that fix those drawbacks. The opportunity to build a single entity for all CAM health libraries and work-groups is the key to work in common lines that enable the achievement of a common goal