Archive for October, 2008
New Outreach Training Librarian for South West London
Ron Hudson, the new Outreach Training Librarian for South West London, will be providing training on evidence based resources for the NHS in one to one sessions, either at your desk or at a location convenient to you.
Drop in sessions and group training at both St George’s Library and Queen Mary’s Library will continue but if you are a GP, nurse, allied health professional or manager based in the community and would like free one to one training at your location please contact Ron Hudson on 0208275 6317 or 07733 300 104 or email him at ron.hudson@croydonpct.nhs.uk
Annual evidence update on osteoarthritis
The National Library for Health’s Musculoskeletal Specialist Library has produced its annual evidence update on osteoarthritis. Included in this year’s AEU are guidelines issued by NICE, RCP and Clinical Knowledge Summaries and systematic reviews covering various treatment options including pharmacological therapies, physical therapies, complementary and alternative therapies and surgery. The Update is available from:
Database Discovery: Map of Medicine
In the second of a series of posts we look at lesser known health database, Map of Medicine.
What is it and how can it help?
The Map of Medicine is more than a simple health-care database. It’s an online tool that visually organizes over 370 clinical pathways based on best evidence and best practice. Created for health professionals, by health professionals, the Map of Medicine can save you time re-inventing guidance and searching for the latest evidence to deliver on treatment targets and health-care planning. Pathways in the Map focus on the patient journey and stretch across all aspects of health or social care to facilitate co-ordination between the different sectors. The Map can be edited to reflect local practices and sign-post users to local services, e.g. giving details of how to refer for investigations and contact details local services and support groups.
What’s the topic coverage?
Over 370 pathways cover broad areas such as A&E, Medicine, Mental Health, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Oncology and Palliative Care, Paediatrics and Surgery.
How do I access it?
In London access is Athens password protected via the following 3 routes (you need to register with the site the first time you login):
1. Direct at http://london.mapofmedicine.com (Click on Login via Athens)
2. Click on the link to Map of Medicine on the Library’s EBH databases page
3. Login to My Athens with your Athens password and select Map of Medicine from the Local Resources tab.
How can I search Map of Medicine?
Enter a search term in the search box to find relevant pathways (Use “speech marks” to find phrases). Or use the Browse pathways A-Z list to find pathways under the broad topic headings. You can add a clinical presentation filter to further refine the search results.
How can I get more help?
Click here for a Quick Reference Guide to get you started or
contact Karen John-Pierre for more information about localizing the Map of Medicine.
Cochrane Library Issue 4, 2008
The latest update to the Cochrane Library is now available including 84 new Cochrane systematic reviews, 130 updated reviews, 134 new protocols and 5 updated protocals. Selected new reviews include St. John’s wort relieves symptoms of major depression, Formoterol for asthma: evidence of serious adverse effects, Belt and braces approach may prevent DVT, Early Breast cancer: LHRH agonists show considerable promise and Contracting pelvic floor muscles prevents urine leakage before and after pregnancy.
Issue 4 also introduces a new type of review- the Diagnostic Test Accuracy Review. These are full-text systematic reviews of studies that assess the accuracy of diagnostic tests for given conditions in a specific patient group. You can see the first such review on Galactomannan detection for invasive aspergillosis in immunocompromized patients in this issue, as well as protocols for on-going work in this area.
One of the more popular features on the Cochrane website is the two minute podcasts on popular Cochrane Reviews. The publisher, Wiley has received positive feedback on the podcasts, which can be downloaded onto MP3 players and listened to on the way to work. Podcasts can be found here: http://cochrane.org/podcasts/ or click on the Podcasts icon on the Cochrane Homepage.
Annual Evidence Update on Depression
The Mental Health Specialist Library has searched the four major databases (Cinahl, Embase, Medline and PsycInfo) for the latest high quality research (guidelines, systematic reviews), evidence on depression published between January 2007 and the end of August 2008.
The Update also features an audio podcast of interviews with leading experts in the field and will cover the following topics:
1. Incidence and Prevalence
2. Diagnosis
3. Treatment
4. Populations
The Update can be found here
Annual evidence update on heart failure
The Cardiovascular Diseases Specialist Library (CVDSL), part of the National Library for Health, has published the 2008 Annual Evidence Update on Heart Failure. The update includes the following topics: diagnosis, pharmacological therapy, psychology, rehabilitation, palliative care, devices/interventions and organisation/monitoring. The update can be found here:
UpToDate trial now closed
St. George’s extended trial to the UpToDate clinical topic review database has now closed, and the service no longer available on either the Trust or University networks.
We are awaiting the results of an evaluation of the service from UpToDate. In the meantime, if you have any comments about UpToDate, please contact
Karen John-Pierrre on kjohn@sgul.ac.uk.
NHS Library Services @ St. George's 