About WOHKN

The WOHKN Portal

The Western Ontario Health Knowledge Network (WOHKN) portal gives health care and administrative professionals from the participating WOHKN partners, access to electronic health resources from their desktop or networked workstation in whichever hospital they are working in, within the region.

These resources include:

• databases
• electronic journals
• e-books
• clinical decision making tools (e.g. eCPS)

WOHKN is a not-for-profit, voluntary cooperative between the University of Western Ontario and several of the Hospitals that participate in an Affiliation Agreement with the University.

The basis for the WOHKN partnership is the mutual care, teaching, and research goals of the University of Western Ontario and its Affiliated Hospitals.

WOHKN recognizes that collaboration between the libraries is mutually beneficial and will allow for excellence in service for hospital and professional staff, faculty and students.  Equal access to quality knowledge-based information is required for enhanced patient care and patient safety, and for the provision of best practice.

WOHKN’s objectives include:

• To share resources
• To foster the implementation of electronic access to health information
• To negotiate favorable pricing with vendors for shared resources
• To establish common standards of library and information service
• To collaborate in service delivery

WOHKN membership includes:

• Western Libraries, The University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario;
• Health Sciences Library, Grey Bruce Health Services, Owen Sound, Ontario;
• Health Sciences Library, London Health Sciences Centre, London, Ontario;
• Library Services, St. Joseph’s Health Care, London, Ontario;
• Shared Library Services, South Huron Hospital Association, Exeter, Ontario.
• Library Services, Chatham-Kent Health Alliance, Chatham, Ontario
• Library Services, Bluewater Health, Sarnia, Ontario

The parties recognize that health information needs are acknowledged in the standards of such accrediting organizations as the Canadian Council on Health Services Accreditation (CCHSA), the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME), and the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada Accreditation of Residency Programs; and that within this context the Medical Library Association (MLA) and Canadian Health Libraries Association (CHLA) provide standards for structuring library services within a healthcare facility.

Background (pdf)

Facts & Stats (pdf)