Health Facilities

Definition

Institutions that provide medical or health-related services.

Discussion

This category includes not only hospitals and clinics, but also other facilities where health services are offered, such as imaging centers, long term care facilities, tissue and blood banks, and laboratories. Typical areas of research include performance measurement and accreditation, costs and utilization of services, infection control and other safety issues, staffing effectiveness, and disaster preparedness.

Scope and emphasis

The Library maintains an extensive international collection of works about health facilities, including organizational and financial management, design and construction, legal and ethical aspects, patient care management, and services such as pharmacy, rehabilitation, laboratories, records management, and libraries.

Special considerations

NLM acquires significant standards, guidelines and codes related to health facilities, with emphasis on issuances of major U.S. and international organizations and agencies.

The Library selectively acquires practical works regarding topics such as housekeeping, food service, and physical plant maintenance in health facilities, with emphasis on those likely to be of widespread interest in the U.S. health services community.