Health professional education, evidence‐based health care, and health sciences librarians

Evidence‐based medicine (EBM) evolved from an innovative method of teaching residents to use published literature for patient care. The missing piece to this critical appraisal approach was the skills needed to find the “best evidence” to use. Acknowledgment of this need provided many opportunities for librarians to become partners in the care process, including changes in provision of collections and services, modifications in searching skills (comprehensive vs clinical), and planning and educating undergraduates and graduates across the health disciplines. Librarians have increased their skills, made changes in practice, and become more important in educating and providing resources for practicing clinicians.