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Stanford library good for what ails community

HEALTH Stanford outreach's credible resources eliminate ambiguity of online searches
Published 4:00 am, Monday, June 28, 2010

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  • Chinese health reference books in the Stanford Health Library at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle
    Chinese health reference books in the Stanford Health Library at the Stanford Shopping Center in Palo Alto, Calif., on Tuesday, June 22, 2010, Photo: Liz Hafalia, The Chronicle

 

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Beneath a red awning tucked between Fleming's Prime Steakhouse and Wine Bar and a mere big brown bag's throw from Bloomingdale's in Palo Alto's Stanford Shopping Center is a small space filled with books and people eager to help those who step inside.

The walls are lined with literature, but this is no upscale boutique shop offering the latest popular titles. It is the Stanford Health Library, a vast collection of up-to-date resources and information that is free to the public and staffed with a team of almost 80 expert volunteers - including several retired doctors and nurses - offering research assistance.

The library staff does not offer medical advice of any kind but does encourage its patrons to share and discuss the information with their physicians.

Those who come to the library have often just learned that they or a loved one have a medical problem. The ailments may range from common to rare, but the majority of the questions concern chronic diseases related to aging, said head librarian Nancy Dickenson.

Searching the Internet can be overwhelming, and it can be difficult to gauge the accuracy of content. Therefore, having someone to help find specific information can be invaluable, as in the case of a mother who came several years ago after her 2-year-old son had sudden heart failure. At the library, she learned about a device that could keep him alive until a donor heart was available, but that hadn't been approved in the United States. As a result of the research, the boy was granted an exemption for emergency compassionate use. He subsequently received a donor heart in 2006 and is still alive, Dickenson said.

Community outreach

Another mother was concerned about the high-dose radiation recommended for her 3-year-old, who had lymphoma of the brain. Her research led to a Dutch doctor who was successfully using lower dosages, so she told her child's doctor. He in turn contacted his Dutch counterpart and changed the Stanford protocol.

"The mom was just so grateful," Dickenson said.

The library first opened its doors in 1989, after members of the Junior League of Palo Alto suggested it to Stanford Hospital as a community outreach project. The university, which owns the mall, agreed to provide the space free of charge. Junior League members Kristine Erving and Linda Romley-Irvine served as its first directors.

"Nobody was sure it would succeed," said library director Nora Cain, adding that at the time it was even a bit controversial because some medical professionals were worried about the quality of its information.

Today, an estimated 10,000 to 12,000 people a year contact the library from all around the world; about half of the inquiries come by phone or e-mail. The library has four other branches (see resources box) and has served as a model for other medical institutions that have opened similar centers. (At the Ravenswood Family Health Center in East Palo Alto, which opened in May, about half of the materials are in Spanish and the librarian speaks Spanish. The shopping center branch has about 500 Chinese medical books donated by a volunteer.)

Those who can't get to a branch in person can call or e-mail their questions and receive free, customized information usually within 24 hours by e-mail or slightly longer if by regular mail.

'A lot of junk out there'

The library also maintains a Web site, with more than 10,000 links - including one that allows users to select information in 59 foreign languages alphabetically arranged from Albanian to Vietnamese.

The site provides "trustworthy information that's organized," said Dickenson, who has a master's degree in library science and has been with the library for eight years. "We always provide quality information and weed out the detritus. There's a lot of junk out there."

Medical librarians help the staff review the source of the information, often choosing from peer-reviewed journals and reports from well-established research institutions. Users can check out some of the approximately 11,000 books available online in addition to the 10,000 books on the shelves. Videos can be downloaded, viewed online or purchased as well. There's also information about the library's free community lecture series, which features doctors from Stanford Hospitals and Clinics and professors from the Stanford School of Medicine. Most of the talks are presented at the Oshman Family Jewish Community Center, and some can be seen live via Webcam.

Benefits doctors also

Doctors say that they benefit from the library's services as well, because patients who have visited its site come in better educated and better able to ask precise questions, said Hayes Gladstone, director of the Division of Dermatologic Surgery at Stanford University.

"It's a good head start" for the doctor-patient relationship, he said.

Following the Stanford model, the UCSF Medical Center opened its Patient Health Library in December because "there was clearly a need for resources" for patients, said Gail Sorrough, director of medical library services at the Mount Zion campus.

"Just roaming around in Google is not very effective," Sorrough said, adding that the library plans to offer classes in finding reliable information online. The UCSF library also is free and open to the public, and its creation was influenced by the Stanford library.

"They're a model for us," she said, calling it "the finest community health library west of the Rockies."

Where to find health resources

Stanford Health Library, Main Branch: 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Mon.-Sat., until 9 p.m. Thurs. Stanford Shopping Center, Palo Alto. (650) 725-8400. (800) 295-5177. healthlibrary.stanford.edu. library@stanfordmed.org (for all branches).

Stanford Hospital Branch, LaVerne Wilson Health Library: 9 a.m.- 5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. Stanford Hospital, 300 Pasteur Drive, Stanford. (650) 725-8100.

Stanford Cancer Center, Liautaud Family Health Library: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 875 Blake Wilbur Drive, Stanford. (650) 736-1713.

South Palo Alto Branch, Oshman Family Jewish Community Center: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon., Wed.-Fri.; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tues. 3921 Fabian Way, Room G-106, Palo Alto. (650) 855-9396.

East Palo Alto Branch, Ravenswood Family Health Center: 9:15 a.m.-noon, 1-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 1807 Bay Road, East Palo Alto. (650) 289-7711.

Vista Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired: 9 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 2470 El Camino Real, Suite 107, Palo Alto. (650) 858-0202. (800) 660-2009. vistacenter.org. info@vistacenter.org.

UCSF Medical Center Patient Health Library: 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Fri. 1600 Divisadero St., 1st floor, San Francisco. (415) 885-7285. ucsfhealth.org/adult/health_library.

 
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