PDA power at the bedside

George Washington University's Himmelfarb Health Sciences Library was investigating adding PDA resources to the collection when a medical education grant was received. Funds were used for a pilot project to compare PDA use by third-year medical students (MSIII), fourth-year medical students (MSIV), second-year physician assistant (PAII) students, and residents in the clinical setting. The PDA Committee evaluated various titles by the following criteria: both Palm and PocketPC operating systems compatibility, ease of use, depth of information, product cost, and a wide target audience. Griffith's 5 Minute Clinical Consult by Skyscape was selected. Library registration was required to receive the software and PDA downloading instructions. A short, Web-based questionnaire was developed to evaluate the product's use in the clinical setting. A low response rate of 74 questionnaires (23% of participants) was received and analyzed in March 2004. As additional funding becomes available, PDA software will be seriously considered as additions to the collection.     

The development and evaluation of a small ready-reference library collection for a rural practice: a case study.

A demonstration core collection of twenty-four ready-reference sources and five journals was selected cooperatively by a solo practitioner in rural Menifee County, Kentucky, and the University of Kentucky Medical Center Library Field Librarian to fit the ready-reference and current awareness information needs of a primary care solo rural practice in eastern Kentucky. The collection selections were systematically assessed by the physician to determine their utility in filling the practitioner's information needs with regard to his particular situation in terms of medical experience and level of training, available library and educational resources, and the type of health problems seen in his practice. This assessment showed that the Rural Demonstration Library Collection completely filled the information needs of the physician 66% of the time materials were consulted and filled his immediate information needs either completely or partially 82% of the time the collection was searched. This demonstration has shown that, under a specific set of circumstances, a librarian and a solo rural practitioner can effectively work together in identifying health sciences materials which fit the information needs of a solo rural practitioner. It suggests that cooperation between a librarian and a physician is important in meeting information needs.     

城市公共图书馆商务支持服务的国际经验和启示

通过阐述纽约公共图书馆科学、工业与商业分馆和大英图书馆“商业和知识产权中心”两个馆开展商务支持服务的现状,认为我国应借鉴其经验,加强城市公共图书馆商务支持服务的功能,并在提高服务意识、挖掘信息资源、拓展服务内容、借助社会资源、提升人员素质等方面提出图书馆开展商务支持服务的建议。     

Integrating knowledge-based resources into the electronic health record: history, current status, and role of librarians

Satisfying clinical information needs remains a major challenge in medicine, underscored by recent studies showing high medical error rates and suboptimal physician adherence to evidence-based practice guidelines. Advanced clinical decision support systems can improve practitioner performance and patient outcomes. Similarly, integrating online information resources into electronic health records (EHRs) shows great potential for positively impacting health care quality. This paper explores the evolution and current status of knowledge-based resource linkages within EHRs, including the benefits and drawbacks, as well as the important role librarians can play in this process.     

Continuing education and library services for physicians in office practice.

A program is described which incorporates library services into continuing medical education for physicians. The educational service is based on the actual needs of the physician rather than on his perceived needs. The needs assessment is accomplished by reviewing drug-prescribing habits. Current medical literature is then selected for the physician to coincide with his unique educational needs. The program is further designed to evaluate the change in the physician's drug-prescribing habits as a result of his study of the literature received.     

档案研究中"过程说"的理论初探—以云南陆军讲武堂的历史和档案文献研究为例

文章以云南陆军讲武堂的历史和档案文献研究为例,对档案研究中的"过程说"进行阐释。从档案是历史存在过程的客观呈现形式、档案文本的解读与利用须从历史存在具有的过程性角度进行及档案与历史存在具有"过程"统一性三个角度,对"过程说"适用于档案研究的基础进行了分析。文章认为以"过程说"作为档案研究的方法,不仅能够为档案的整理工作提供指导,也能够通过对历史存在时间和空间及档案形成范围的界定,在一定程度上控制档案的"泛化",并促进档案文献体系的完善。     

The medical information needs of internists and pediatricians at an academic medical center

Medical information needs were examined in a survey of sixty-seven physicians selected from the faculty and housestaff at Johns Hopkins Hospital. A standardized questionnaire was administered personally by a medical informatics physician to collect data on information needs, attitudes, and previous experience with computers. The types of information most frequently required by both faculty and housestaff were treatment recommendations and differential diagnosis. The sources of reference information most commonly used were textbooks and colleagues. The information needs of housestaff differed significantly in several categories from those of faculty physicians. Housestaff more frequently needed information for patient care (P less than 0.05), and preferred the use of textbooks (P less than 0.01) and handbooks (P less than 0.001) as information sources. Faculty more frequently needed information for activities unrelated to patient care (P less than 0.01) and placed greater importance on basic science information (P less than 0.01). When asked to suggest references for online access, the respondents named 143 journals and textbooks, with journals overwhelmingly preferred over textbooks. Only one reference, the New England Journal of Medicine, was requested by a majority of the respondents. The importance of a broad understanding of physician information needs through improved data-collection techniques is discussed as a means of increasing the use of medical information systems.     

Mobile devices in medicine: a survey of how medical students,residents, and faculty use smartphones and other mobile devices to find information

Objectives:

The research investigated the extent to which students, residents, and faculty members in Canadian medical faculties use mobile devices, such as smartphones (e.g., iPhone, Android, Blackberry) and tablet computers (e.g., iPad), to answer clinical questions and find medical information. The results of this study will inform how health libraries can effectively support mobile technology and collections.

Methods:

An electronic survey was distributed by medical librarians at four Canadian universities to medical students, residents, and faculty members via departmental email discussion lists, personal contacts, and relevant websites. It investigated the types of information sought, facilitators to mobile device use in medical information seeking, barriers to access, support needs, familiarity with institutionally licensed resources, and most frequently used resources.

Results:

The survey of 1,210 respondents indicated widespread use of smartphones and tablets in clinical settings in 4 Canadian universities. Third- and fourth-year undergraduate students (i.e., those in their clinical clerkships) and medical residents, compared to other graduate students and faculty, used their mobile devices more often, used them for a broader range of activities, and purchased more resources for their devices.

Conclusions:

Technological and intellectual barriers do not seem to prevent medical trainees and faculty from regularly using mobile devices for their medical information searches; however, barriers to access and lack of awareness might keep them from using reliable, library-licensed resources.

Implications:

Libraries should focus on providing access to a smaller number of highly used mobile resources instead of a huge collection until library-licensed mobile resources have streamlined authentication processes.     

The information needs and information seeking behaviour of family doctors: a selective literature review

General practitioners play a central role in primary care. Clinical Governance and advances in Information and Communications Technology dominate the agenda for change. The aim of this literature review is to indicate publications that have made a significant contribution to understanding of the information wants, needs, behaviour and preferences of family physicians and to identify areas in which there is scope for further research. Concentrating on material published in the 1990s, this review looks at the information needs of family doctors and at their information seeking behaviour. Work on the needs of General Medical Practices and of Primary Care Groups is included. The review discusses studies of information gatekeepers and projects intended to augment access to information services. A few texts are recommended as essential reading.     

档案馆评估指标设置的国际经验及其本土化研究—以ICA和英美澳评估指标体系的批判借鉴为中心

为助力2035年我国档案事业走向“世界前列”,建立一套具有中国特点、契合国际水平的评估指标体系是档案研究的重要任务之一。本文瞄准这一问题意识,研究ICA的《档案共同宣言：评估工具》和英、美、澳等发达国家的档案馆评估标准文本和绩效报告文本。在这一基础上,笔者提出“明确定位,坚持有中国特色的档案馆”“立足国情,围绕档案事业发展新需要”“守正创新,批判性借鉴国际评估指标”三个吸纳国际经验的本土指标构建原则,形成了“引入”“调整”和“保留”三种借鉴策略,并探索性地对部分国际指标进行了本土化改进,以为相关的实践提供参考。     

A note on the Philadelphia Regional Medical Library Committee

No rigid library plan can fullfil the needs of every region. The Philadelphia Regional Medical Library Committee, composed of representatives of the five medical schools, the College of Physicians, and other medical organizations, was formed to determine cooperative activities that best suit its own needs. The committee has reviewed plans for new libraries at several medical schools to avoid duplication of library resources. It envisions, also, cooperative storage of little-used materials, messenger service, an acquisition program to expand regional resources, improved communication by means of mechanical devices, and the establishment of a regional center and distribution of bibliographies from regionally located MEDLARS tapes.     

Establishing a medical library network for the Metropolitan Detroit Area

Since 1962 the members of the loosely organized Detroit Medical Library Group have carried on a slow but steady self-examination program. They found a need to increase resources and developed a periodical exchange, then a need to identify these resources and did so by means of a serials list. More recently, a similar program for texts and monograph resources was begun. Data, more particularly that of the interlibrary loan process, is being gathered to show the flow within the area and the flow from outside to further identify the existing resources. They have made contact with the administrators of the biomedical institutions and gained their backing (a) to further study the makeup of the community and (b) to formulate an administrative structure through which these institutions can act. These activities are evidence of the beginning of a strong medical library network for the Metropolitan Detroit Area.     

Planning for the Millennium

Abstract

Planning for the next millennium focuses on the acquisition of electronic formats and resource sharing with local libraries to extend access to information and remote electronic resources. How will we decide what our users need and whether they will use electronic resources as well as they currently use paper resources? Using a variety of computer resources, surveys, and circulation statistics, we determine what journals are essential for faculty needs in teaching, research and continuing education, and how we can best utilize combinations of electronic and print resources to position the medical library to move into the future without sacrificing the past. What role will the medical publisher play in this scenario and what are some likely trends in the medical publishing industry as the millennium approaches?.     

医学图书馆嵌入式服务的尝试与思考——以齐齐哈尔医学院图书馆为例

[目的/意义]基于嵌入式服务理念，设计医学图书馆嵌入式服务框架，并尝试进行嵌入式服务实践，对医学图书馆开展嵌入式服务具有借鉴意义。[方法/过程]通过研究嵌入式服务模式的原理、发展历程以及服务模型，根据读者需求和初期的嵌入式服务实践设计医学图书馆嵌入式服务框架，在这一框架下，研究不同领域的嵌入式服务内容、角色及医学图书馆服务的可延伸拓展性，并论述在这个嵌入式服务框架指导下开展的嵌入式服务实践和取得的服务效果。[结果/结论]在嵌入式服务模式下， "图书馆是一个生长的有机体"，图书馆生产力得以提升，馆员新生职业范围将不断扩大，个性化的嵌入式服务模式是未来医学图书馆服务的发展方向。     

Using Consultation Data to Guide Data Services Training for Liaison Librarians

Abstract

As data services gain momentum in academic libraries, liaison librarians are expected to be part of the education force for data literacy. Nonetheless, due to the broad scope of data literacy, training librarians to improve data-related skills can be challenging. This article used consultation statistics to identify tools and resources employed to solve users’ data questions. The results offered insights into users’ data needs and provided librarians with a clear direction to further develop data skills in their assigned disciplines. The methodology used in this study can be replicated at other institutions to identify needs and to direct professional development.     

Stimulating growth and development of medical society libraries

A library can represent the most valuable personal service which a medical society can offer to a physician; yet, libraries unfortunately are taking a lessening role in medical societies. Surveys show that medical society libraries have declined in number from seventy-one in 1942 to forty-eight at the present time. This paper offers a positive plan of action with the objective of enabling libraries to regain a position of eminence in medical societies. It is pointed out that there are four vital elements in stimulating the growth and development of a library. These are the constant enhancement of resources; the promotion of library services; the rendering of prompt, valuable services; and ultimately, the recognition of the library through gifts, endowments, and expressions of appreciation.     

Personal digital assistant-based drug information sources: potential to improve medication safety.

OBJECTIVES: This study compared the potential for personal digital assistant (PDA)-based drug information sources to minimize potential medication errors dependent on accurate and complete drug information at the point of care. METHODS: A quality and safety framework for drug information resources was developed to evaluate 11 PDA-based drug information sources. Three drug information sources met the criteria of the framework: Eprocrates Rx Pro, Lexi-Drugs, and mobileMICROMEDEX. Medication error types related to drug information at the point of care were then determined. Forty-seven questions were developed to test the potential of the sources to prevent these error types. Pharmacists and physician experts from Creighton University created these questions based on the most common types of questions asked by primary care providers. Three physicians evaluated the drug information sources, rating the source for each question: 1=no information available, 2=some information available, or 3 = adequate amount of information available. RESULTS: The mean ratings for the drug information sources were: 2.0 (Eprocrates Rx Pro), 2.5 (Lexi-Drugs), and 2.03 (mobileMICROMEDEX). Lexi-Drugs was significantly better (mobileMICROMEDEX t test; P=0.05; Eprocrates Rx Pro t test; P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Lexi-Drugs was found to be the most specific and complete PDA resource available to optimize medication safety by reducing potential errors associated with drug information. No resource was sufficient to address the patient safety information needs for all cases.