LATCH at the Washington Hospital Center, 1967-1975

Abstract

Immediate access to needed information is essential if medical personnel are to provide quality health care. At the Washington Hospital Center, Literature Attached to Charts, LATCH, was created in 1967 to provide the required information quickly. As a collection of a few relevant articles attached to the patient's chart, it supplies current literature on some aspect of the patient's illness. Following an account of the program's inception, an analysis of 1,935 LATCH requests for the years 1968--1975 reveals that new physicians, that is, interns and first-year residents, requested LATCHes most often. Requests in areas of internal medicine were the most common. The data also show that the program has been well received by its users. LATCH has affected the medical library in several ways. The program has been partially responsible for increases in staff, in the number of journal subscriptions, and in the number of literature searches requested. The program has also brought about greater access to the collection via the card catalog. An important effect has been the tremendous development of professional expertise in the staff preparing the LATCH.