Demonstrating the value and impact
of literature searches conducted for
Public Health England (PHE):
collecting Impact Stories
Nicola Pearce-Smith
Senior Information Scientist
Steph,
Guide
leader &
fireman?
Nicola,
Hollywood
actress?
Real world
librarianship
It’s not rocket science!
It’s real world
librarianship!
2nd November 20182 2nd November 2018
Our Knowledge and
Evidence Services team
3 2nd November 2018
We completed 250
searches last year....but what
did people
do with the
results?We don’t
know!!
Why am I in
this hedge?
In the beginning……
4 2nd November 2018
Water-cooler moment
“Stories are used to provide insights into programme
processes, to show impact, to demonstrate innovation
and to support numerical data”
Stories. Better Evaluation. https://www.betterevaluation.org/evaluation-options/stories
“Whoever you’re writing for, case studies are a really
good way to present impact”
How to tell your Impact Story. London School of Economics (LSE). https://info.lse.ac.uk/staff/services/knowledge-exchange-
and-impact/Assets/Documents/PDF/Toolkit/7-How-to-Tell-Your-Impact-Story.pdf
“Case studies. They sound dull, don’t they?.... But here’s a
secret: case studies are really just stories, and if you use
them well, they are your key to raising [your] profile ….”
What’s your story? A guide to finding and using case studies. April 21st, 2017. Liz Bell, Birmingham Voluntary Service Council
(BVSC). https://bvscupdate.org/2017/04/21/whats-your-story-a-guide-to-finding-and-using-case-studies/
5 2nd November 2018
Impact StoriesA one page A4 template
was designed for use in
writing up a case study.
The template was
adapted from a case
study template used at
a CILIP workshop*.
We called our case
studies Impact
Stories.
6 2nd November 2018
7 2nd November 2018
We began by targeting
users that had already given
us feedback or indicated
that our search results had
had an effect on some
aspect of their work
8 2nd November 2018
We also used our
literature search statistics
to identify searches
completed >3 months ago.
9 2nd November 2018
Title: A statement outlining the key elements of the problem and
how the literature search affected the impact/outcome
User testimonial: How was the outcome of the search useful,
in your [the user’s] words?
Challenge: Be honest and factual about the challenge
Solution: What was interesting or innovative about the
solution? Was this something different from what other
organisations were doing?
Impact: What were the outcomes? How was this beneficial
to PHE; to other orgs; to the wider public? Can the
benefits be quantified? Did time saving translate into
cost saving?
Success factors: What helped the project to work? Is this
helpful for others to replicate? Share your learning.
Lessons: Will you take any actions or learning away from
this work?
10 2nd November 2018
15 Impact Stories have been completed since Oct 2017
11 2nd November 2018
Senior management team
12 2nd November 2018
So what can you tell us now about the
impact of our literature searches?
13 2nd November 2018
- a scientific risk assessment on folic acid
was updated rapidly
- evidence about child sexual abuse was used to inform the production of a
DoH report
- a systematic review on non-commercial assays for
TB drug susceptibility testing was published
- a search for CVD programmes led to
publication of a review of successfully implemented international programmes.
a guidance document on secondary exposure to new psychoactive substances in
a prison setting was produced, the first
document to address this
a rapid evidence assessment on modern
slavery and public health lead to an impactful
publication on an issue of contemporary urgency
Provided essential support for production of important
research publications
14 2nd November 2018
an interactive return on an investment tool was
produced, showing the health and financial
benefits of moving from unemployment to
employment
evidence about child sexual exploitation, violence and
trafficking was used to support ongoing work for local area prevention tools
a series of Employer toolkits with guidance on how best to improve the health and wellbeing of employees have been
developed
Contributed to the development of new
tools
15 2nd November 2018
solutions identified in peer challenge supported the
development of a Region to Region Peer Challenge
Process
regular updates of the evidence on the NHS Health Check programme allowed quality-assured decision-
making by an expert Advisory Panel
Contributed to quality assurance
mechanisms
16 2nd November 2018
a dearth of evidence relating to the effects of
secondary exposure to new psychoactive substances
was revealed
limited evidence around the impact of spending cuts on
public health outcomes was demonstrated
a gap in the evidence base for street begging was
highlighted in a review on rough sleeping and street
beggars
Identified gaps in research evidence
a business case was accepted by a CCG after evidence showed that active case finding using mobile chest x ray machine screening programmes for TB were cost effective for drug users and the homeless
Supported funding
applications
strategies and prevention plans to tackle rough sleeping and street begging in a more holistic way were developed by local authorities
Assisted in development of prevention
plans
17 2nd November 2018
successful mobile chest x ray tuberculosis screening event initiated in Bristol after active case-finding shown to be effective
Demonstrated the
effectiveness of
interventions evidence provided the framework for discussing the impact of spending cuts on public health outcomes for a CPD session for local authority stakeholders
Supported Continuing
Professional Development
18 2nd November 2018
19 2nd November 2018
“Your findings were the
basis for our business case
so without your help we
would have really struggled
to obtain the funding we
needed”
Health Protection Practitioner,
PHE South West
20 2nd November 2018
“It was clear [after sharing
our findings] that PHE is
ahead in not only
producing guidance but
also by having such a
valuable resource as the
Knowledge and Library
Services”
Criminal Justice
Programme Manager
Available on website https://phelibrary.koha-ptfs.co.uk/stories/
Screen pic
21 2nd November 2018
22 2nd November 2018
What have we learnt? Time is always against us!
People are keen to do an Impact Story, but you have to
keep reminding them!
Contacting users who have already provided some
feedback on a search has proved effective
People change roles or leave so you can’t always get an
Impact Story for a search conducted some time ago
Completing some of the template in advance for the
user speeds up the process
Having the Impact Stories available on our library
website means we can market Impact Stories to our
users as a way of showcasing their research
23 2nd November 2018
24 2nd November 2018
New study reveals drinking tea boosts creativity and
brainpower!Drinking tea improves the performance of divergent creativity.
Food Quality and Preference Volume 66, June 2018, Pages 29-35https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0950329317303051