OTseeker helps library and allied health professionals to find quality evidence efficiently

Background: Research is essential for evidence‐based practice yet many health professionals do not have enough time to find research. Studies relevant to occupational therapists can be particularly difficult to find. Most search engines are broad and return a large number of irrelevant articles. Occupational Therapy Systematic Evaluation of Evidence (OTseeker) is an occupational therapy database available at http://www.otseeker.com . Developed by Australian occupational therapists, the resource aims to increase access to research and support clinical decision making. This discipline‐specific database contains pre‐appraised information from a variety of sources and decreases the time required to locate best evidence. Objectives: The aims of this paper are to: (i) describe how health librarians can use OTseeker to help allied health students, researchers and practitioners, particularly in occupational therapy, to find quality evidence; (ii) provide a teaching resource for health librarians based around the OTseeker evidence database; and (iii) highlight new features contained on the OTseeker database. Methods: A case study is provided which focuses on searching for evidence on the effectiveness of upper limb rehabilitation after stroke using OTseeker. Conclusion: This paper may increase the knowledge, skills and competencies of health librarians, helping them to access evidence‐based databases, and educate other professionals.     

Developing a database of behavioural medicine interventions

OBJECTIVE: To describe the development of the Cochrane Behavioral Medicine Field database of interventions and its contribution to the knowledge base of this field. METHODS: A list of behavioural medicine interventions was solicited from content experts. The resulting list of index terms was used to generate a comprehensive search strategy to retrieve relevant records, and a thesaurus of terms with which to index them. The records are included in a register. A subset of records have been coded for study design, health condition, intervention, study participants, setting and provider and made available in a public online database. RESULTS: The Cochrane Behavioral Medicine Field database consists of over 3500 records of systematic reviews, meta-analyses and randomized controlled trials for public educational use. CONCLUSIONS: The register provides a comprehensive listing of studies relating to behavioural medicine interventions. The public online database enables easy access to the evidence base and provides enhanced details of the studies included on it. These databases are a valuable resource for the behavioural medicine community. Other fields are encouraged to duplicate these methods in the design of content-specific databases.     

公有知识数据库的公共获取策略研究

公有知识数据库的公共获取是信息资源传播、交流和获取的重要方式之一,是科学研究和创新的重要保障。通过分析目前公有知识数据库公共获取方面存在的障碍,提出适宜我国公有知识数据库的公共获取策略。     

Standardization of search methods for guideline development: an international survey of evidence-based guideline development groups

BACKGROUND: Effective literature searching is particularly important for clinical practice guideline development. Sophisticated searching and filtering mechanisms are needed to help ensure that all relevant research is reviewed. PURPOSE: To assess the methods used for the selection of evidence for guideline development by evidence-based guideline development organizations. METHODS: A semistructured questionnaire assessing the databases, search filters and evaluation methods used for literature retrieval was distributed to eight major organizations involved in evidence-based guideline development. RESULTS: All of the organizations used search filters as part of guideline development. The medline database was the primary source accessed for literature retrieval. The OVID or SilverPlatter interfaces were used in preference to the freely accessed PubMed interface. The Cochrane Library, embase, cinahl and psycinfo databases were also frequently used by the organizations. All organizations reported the intention to improve and validate their filters for finding literature specifically relevant for guidelines. DISCUSSION: In the first international survey of its kind, eight major guideline development organizations indicated a strong interest in identifying, improving and standardizing search filters to improve guideline development. It is to be hoped that this will result in the standardization of, and open access to, search filters, an improvement in literature searching outcomes and greater collaboration among guideline development organizations.     

Use of Mobile Devices to Access Resources Among Health Professions Students: A Systematic Review

ABSTRACT

This systematic review examines types of mobile devices used by health professions students, kinds of resources and tools accessed via mobile devices, and reasons for using the devices to access the resources and tools. The review included 20 studies selected from articles published in English between January 2010 and April 2015, retrieved from PubMed and other sources. Data extracted included participants, study designs, mobile devices used, mobile resources/apps accessed, outcome measures, and advantages of and barriers to using mobile devices. The review indicates significant variability across the studies in terms of research methods, types of mobile programs implemented, resources accessed, and outcomes. There were beneficial effects of using mobile devices to access resources as well as conspicuous challenges or barriers in using mobile devices.     

Academic authors,scholarly publishing,and open access in Australia

This paper briefly describes the rapidly changing research evaluation and funding landscape in Australian universities, specifically in relation to open access and institutional repositories. Recent announcements indicate that funding and evaluation bodies are becoming increasingly concerned that publicly funded research be made publicly available. The paper then reports a survey of all levels of academic staff plus research students at one Australian university, conducted in May 2006, prior to the introduction of an institutional repository. The survey, in line with previously reported surveys, found that while there was a high level of engagement with scholarly publishing, there was a low level of awareness of, or concern with, either open access (‘green’ or ‘gold’) or the roles repositories can play in increasing accessibility of research. Practically, this indicates that much work needs to be done within this university to increase knowledge of, and change behaviours with regard to, open access and repositories if the university and its academics are to make the most of new funding requirements and research evaluation processes.     

Use and perceptions of information among family physicians: sources considered accessible,relevant, and reliable

Objectives:

The research determined (1) the information sources that family physicians (FPs) most commonly use to update their general medical knowledge and to make specific clinical decisions, and (2) the information sources FPs found to be most physically accessible, intellectually accessible (easy to understand), reliable (trustworthy), and relevant to their needs.

Methods:

A cross-sectional postal survey of 792 FPs and locum tenens, in full-time or part-time medical practice, currently practicing or on leave of absence in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan was conducted during the period of January to April 2008.

Results:

Of 666 eligible physicians, 331 completed and returned surveys, resulting in a response rate of 49.7% (331/666). Medical textbooks and colleagues in the main patient care setting were the top 2 sources for the purpose of making specific clinical decisions. Medical textbooks were most frequently considered by FPs to be reliable (trustworthy), and colleagues in the main patient care setting were most physically accessible (easy to access).

Conclusions:

When making specific clinical decisions, FPs were most likely to use information from sources that they considered to be reliable and generally physically accessible, suggesting that FPs can best be supported by facilitating easy and convenient access to high-quality information.

Highlights

• Medical textbooks were the most popular information source for family physicians'' (FPs'') clinical decision-making purposes, and medical journals were the most popular information source for the purpose of updating FPs'' general medical knowledge.
• FPs considered medical textbooks to be the most reliable (trustworthy) source, colleagues the most physically accessible, and continuing medical education the most relevant and intellectually accessible.
• The lowest ranked information sources across all four attributes were personal digital assistants, mental health professionals, pharmaceutical sales representatives, and other decision aids.

Implications

• The most popular information sources for clinical decision-making purposes among FPs were sources characterized as reliable and generally physically accessible.
• This study suggests the need for further research into interventions that target information access barriers in FPs'' practice settings and the promotion of reliable evidence for FPs'' clinical decision-making purposes.

     

《国际口腔科学杂志》(英文版)的数字化出版实践

《国际口腔科学杂志》(英文版)一直坚持数字化出版,利用网络出版平台、采用网络编辑系统、实施DOI编码、实行开放获取和优先数字出版、与期刊数据库平台和国际大型出版集团合作、建立参考文献知识链接等方式进行数字化办刊,取得了很好的效果:刊物短期内被国际著名数据库SCI等收录,影响因子逐年提高,国际影响力迅速提升.实践表明,数字化出版对加快期刊的发展具有重要作用.     

Do digital devices enhance teenagers’ recreational reading engagement? Issues for library policy from a recent study in two Australian states

ABSTRACT

Digital platforms have become central to twenty-first century education, culture, and government, and libraries devote an increasing proportion of budgets to acquisitions of e-resources. This research reports on a recent project that investigated Australian teenagers’ use of traditional print and digital platforms for long-form recreational reading. Specifically, it investigates whether digital devices are a preferred modality for Australian adolescents’ recreational reading and if access to digital devices with e-reading capabilities, such as tablets, smartphones, e-readers, and laptop or desktop computers, is associated with more reading engagement by avid and reluctant readers. The research, based on a diverse sample of urban and regional participants from two states, suggests that Australian adolescents’ preferences for e-books have been largely overestimated. Issues of relevance to public libraries are discussed.     

社群信息学：一个值得关注的新兴领域

梳理和阐述社群信息学(CI)的内涵、研究领域和问题、研究方法、学科基础等。CI强调缩小数字鸿沟的实践,探索社群信息和知识形成与共享规律,关注信息通讯技术(ICT)与社群的互动和平衡,利用ICT实现公民权利,可以完善中国情报学体系,促进情报学在缩小数字鸿沟和建设信息社会中发挥作用。最后提供实践案例并预测发展趋势。     

Facilitating research amongst radiographers through information literacy workshops

Background:Despite a strong research presence in Lancashire Teaching Hospitals National Health Service (NHS) Foundation Trust (LTHTR), allied health professionals from the organization are underrepresented in developing and publicizing research that is inspired by day-to-day clinical practice and staff experiences. Two LTHTR departments, Library and Knowledge Services (LKS) and Research and Innovation (R&I), came together to enable a group of staff to develop the knowledge and skills that they needed to access information and create new “home grown” research.Case Presentation:A clinical librarian and an academic research nurse created a research engagement program in the diagnostic radiography department at LTHTR, which included the development, delivery, and evaluation of 6 workshops. Sixteen individuals took part in these workshops, and data were collected on library usage, self-efficacy in information literacy, and research output before and after their delivery. Library membership increased by 50% among diagnostic radiography staff, literature search requests from this department increased by 133%, and all participants who attended at least 1 workshop reported an increased Information Literacy Self Efficacy Scale (ILSES) score. An increase in research activity and outputs was also attributed to the program.Conclusions:This project has resulted in a set of freely available workshop plans and support resources that can be customized for other health care professionals and has won several awards for its innovative use of departmental collaboration. Through the evaluation of the program from workshop attendees and non-attenders, we have identified impacts, outputs, and barriers to engagement in order to continue to deliver this content to other departments and embed a home grown research culture at LTHTR.     

Principles for archival information services in the public domain

In 2010, in response to the Australian Government’s November 2009 apology to Forgotten Australians and former child migrants, a scoping study was undertaken by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs (FaHCSIA) to assess the options for a national ‘Find and Connect’ service to allow people to locate and access relevant records and have recourse to support services. The scoping study noted that Pathways, a web-based public knowledge space and a product of the Victorian ‘Who Am I?’ research project, was a community-based information resource without equal in the out-of-home care sector in Australia or indeed internationally. The scoping team made the observation that Pathways, due to its quality of content and coherent structure, appeared to be based on a set of principles and wondered what they were. In response the research team set about articulating the principles that underpinned their approach to archival documentation and the use of digital technologies – principles that had emerged through more than two decades of public domain, archive-focussed projects. This paper presents those ten principles and discusses them within the context of Pathways and the ‘Who Am I?’ project. The principles played a key role in FaCHSIA adopting Pathways as the model for the national Find and Connect database and web resource, launched on 15 November 2011. The principles underpin community knowledge building in the fourth or pluralised dimension of the Records Continuum. The paper ultimately argues that all stakeholders (all people and organisations connected with records) should have the ability to contribute to the utilisation of those records through the improvement of documentation and that some archival systems do have a duty of care to ensure they can inter-operate with community-generated knowledge.     

Infection control professionals' information‐seeking preferences

Objectives

The aims of this study were to: 1) establish whether infection control professionals (ICPs) who had access to and utilised medical librarian services for evidence‐based medicine (EBM) research perceived this assistance to be useful and 2) to establish whether ICPs who used electronic or hard copy resources for EBM research perceived that those resources had a significant impact on their work.

Methods

Convenience sampling was used to collect quantitative data via a questionnaire. Study participants were members of South‐west and Western chapters of the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology. There were 264 questionnaires distributed in this study; 179 participants completed the questionnaire. The response rate for eligible respondents was 59.5% (157).

Results

Results indicated 56.7% (51) of the ICPs with librarian access reported requesting assistance from their work facility librarian. In reference to locating infection control information, 77.9% (95), 87.3% (124) and 93.3% (138) of ICPs found textbooks, journals and the Internet ‘very useful’ or ‘useful’, respectively.

Conclusion

Study results indicated ICPs who used the assistance of medical librarians and/or hard copy or electronic resources for EBM research perceived such sources to be valuable for obtaining infection control information.     

Gaining access to everyday life information seeking

The discursive viewpoint adopted by many researchers who study everyday life information seeking allows for a shift in focus away from the individual as a unit of analysis toward a more general understanding of the broader cultural conditions within which individuals operate. However, the data employed by such researchers often consist of the testimony or observed actions of individuals. This paradox provides a point from which to reflect on the process of gaining access or entry to everyday life information seekers as research participants. This article presents the authors’ reflections on their experiences of conducting separate library and information science studies of three diverse populations: pregnant women, members of a self-help support group, and preschool children. The article’s premise is that theory and research practice are intertwined and that attending to issues of gaining access is essential for the development of both. Access is an emergent process dependent on the characteristics of the researcher, the participants, and the research context.     

澳大利亚大学开放获取政策调研与分析

[目的/意义]澳大利亚是开放获取（OA）运动的引领者和积极践行者,研究澳大利亚大学开放获取政策的现状和特点,对国内开放获取运动的顺利推进有积极借鉴意义。[方法/过程]搜集澳大利亚38所大学和2个官方资助机构的共计40份开放获取政策原文,以此为基础对原文进行统计分析和文本解读,从澳大利亚开放获取政策的发布时间、产生机制、实现途径、政策目的、实施范围、概念定义、存缴类型、开放要求、各方职责、版权声明这10个方面,较为全面地揭示澳大利亚大学开放获取政策的现状和特点。[结果/结论]澳大利亚大学开放获取政策有以下特点：澳大利亚的大部分大学都发布了开放获取政策,占比88.6%的高普及率归功于政府科研资助机构的政策示范和经费推动;各大学对开放获取政策持积极态度,自上而下推进政策发布与实施;各大学偏向于支持和鼓励绿色OA的发展之路,对科研成果的OA自存储规定偏强制性;对OA政策的相关概念给出了明确定义,内容完整规范清晰,可操作性强。以此为基础提出了推动我国开放获取运动的建议。     

国内用户对开放获取的认同度研究——以高校调查分析为例

开放获取(OA)为用户方便快捷地了解同行研究成果,清除知识传播壁垒提供了契机。根据样本数据分析当前国内对OA的认知度和认同度原因:科研管理部门对网络文献的态度对用户是否选择OA出版有影响;OA文献的质量是影响用户认同度的另一主要因素;不同学科的发展程度造成了学科内OA发展的不均衡;OA的付费模式是其发展的影响因素之一:国内OA的发展状况在一定程度上影响了用户对OA的认同度。建议对OA文献进行质量控制,建立OA期刊的评价制度,寻求新的评价方法;改革当前成果认定指标,承认网络文献成果;减少OA出版过程中的花费,促进OA整体发展等。表10。图1。参考文献6。     

Levels of consciousness and awareness about evidence‐based medicine among consultants in tertiary health care institutions in Nigeria

Aims and objectives: Evidence‐based medicine (EBM) incorporates results of health care research when making decisions about the clinical care of individuals. Information and communication technologies now play significant roles in organizing available research results in EBM software suites. This study examines the level of consciousness and awareness about EBM of consultants in tertiary health institutions in Nigeria. Methods: A total of 100 consultants were randomly selected from 10 of the 29 teaching hospitals in Nigeria and data were collected using a questionnaire and an interview schedule. From this data, 64 EBM awareness and utilization variables were identified and data on the dynamics of their inter‐relationships were reported by 89 of the participants. Results: Of the 89 respondents, less than half (47.19%) have knowledge about EBM that could be considered as high, while EBM knowledge is low for the remaining respondents (52.81%). Evidence Summaries appear to be a more popular tool among the respondents than the resources of Journals and Clinical Guidelines. Conclusions: Consultants in the teaching hospitals appeared not to have the high level of EBM consciousness and awareness that would be expected of them, although there is a consciousness that EBM will foster ease of access and promote equity in health care services.