The Canadian Medical Association recently announced that membership benefits will no longer include access to clinical information resources and that librarian services are now reserved for CMA administrative support. This is a loss for Canadian physicians especially those in provinces where access to high-quality clinical information and dedicated librarian-mediated literature searching services is uneven.
Physicians in British Columbia are well-served by libraries in health authorities, corporations such as WorkSafeBC, the BC Ministry of Health, universities, and the ºÚÁÏÉç. Of note, only the ºÚÁÏÉç library is dedicated to serving all BC physicians registered for independent practice. Through the ºÚÁÏÉç library, physicians in any location in BC enjoy a level playing field for access to current, reliable evidence to support their clinical work, research, teaching, and lifelong learning. Highlights of the resources and services physicians can explore are:
- Unlimited literature searches―receive a bibliography of current research and overviews with links to articles on any topic that arises in your practice. Request as often as needed.
- Article delivery―know of an article but do not have ready, free access to it? Request it from the library and receive a copy typically within 24 hours or sooner at no cost.
- Apps―quickly consult current evidence in DynaMed, BMJ Best Practice, CPS, and more.
- Medical book access―explore 900+ ebooks online and receive any of 1000s of physical books by mail at no cost.
- Learn from a librarian―build confidence in locating relevant information efficiently and effectively in a personalized 1:1 online session with a librarian.
For more library services, see the Guide to Services, which includes a virtual tour. Discover the ºÚÁÏÉç library.