Thursday 1 July 2010

Healthcare librarians and the delivery of critical appraisal training

Source: HILJ
For abstract link here
Date of publication: June 2010
In a nutshell: Article written by Michelle Maden, Clinical Information Specialist at University Hospital Aintree exploring healthcare librarians attitudes, levels of involvement and support relating to critical appraisal training within their organisation.

Friday 28 May 2010

Unpacking your literature search toolbox: on search styles and tactics

Source: Health Information and Libraries Journal
For abstract link here (full text available with Athens login)
Date of publication: Nov 2008
In a nutshell: Andrew Booth examines and puts names to some of the techniques used in searching the literature including ‘Building Blocks’, ‘Berry Picking’ 'Citation Pearl Growing', and ‘Successive Fractions’.  He considers how the purpose of the search affects the tactic that the librarian might use (is the evidence needed for a decision support or knowledge support?). 
Length of publication: 5 pages

'What is...?' series

Source: Bandolier
For fulltext link here
In a nutshell: Bandolier produce the What is …? series intended to demystify some of the terminology, techniques and practices used to assess clinical and economic evidence within healthcare. Topics covered include health economics, statistics, evidence-based medicine and the NHS and health technology assessment.  The series aims to provide healthcare professionals (including health librarians!) at all levels with essential information to increase their understanding of these complex areas. Titles that you might find particularly useful are 'What is critical appraisal', 'What are confidence intervals and p-values', 'What is evidence based medicine', What is a systematic review' and 'What is World Class Commissioning'.

Reporting bias in medical research

Source: Trials 2010, 11 (37)
For fulltext link here
Date of publication: April 2010
In a nutshell: Trials recently published the following article about the reporting bias in medical research (why certain studies do not get published) and highlights several cases in which this non-reporting has been harmful to patient care. It is available freely via Biomed Central.
Length of publication: 15 pages

Sunday 28 February 2010

The impact of outcome reporting bias in randomised controlled trials on a cohort of systematic reviews

Source: BMJ 2010; 340:c365
For abstract link here (fulltext available with Athens login)
Date of publication: Feb 2010
In a nutshell: The authors of this study investigated the prevalence of outcome reporting bias and its impact on Cochrane reviews. Empirical research suggests that statistically significant outcomes are more likely to be fully reported than non-significant results in published reports of randomised controlled trials. The authors conclude that outcome reporting bias is a less recognised issue that affects the conclusions in a substantial proportion of Cochrane reviews.
Length of publication: 10 pages

Wednesday 21 October 2009

Snapshot of Clinical Librarians in the UK

Source: Health Information & Libraries Journal
For fulltext link here (NHS Athens password required)
Date of publication: 11th October 2009
In a nutshell: This article aims to provide a snapshot of current Clinical Librarian services in the UK, examining their background, education, training experience, roles and responsibilities. The study also highlights similarities and differences amongst the professionals and provide evidence for a baseline of skills and activities for the CL role.
Length of publication: 10 pages

The role of NHS libraries in supporting research

Source: Health Information & Libraries Journal
For fulltext link here (NHS Athens password required)
Date of publication: 11th October 2009
In a nutshell: This article examines the role that NHS libraries can play in supporting research in the organisation, including supporting the research process and encouraging the transferring of research into practice.
Length of publication: 9 pages

Journal article about the Commissioning Wiki

Source: Journal of Management & Marketing in Healthcare; Vol. 2 Issue 3, p305-307
For fulltext link here
Date of publication: Jul 2009
In a nutshell: The article introduces the "Commissioning Wiki: An Online Handbook" created by the NHS in response to the World Class Commissioning in the U.S. The wiki is an online handbook of resources to intended to meet the day-to-day information needs of those involved in commissioning.
Length of publication: 3 pages

Monday 28 September 2009

How the web portal NHS Evidence will help nurses to make informed decisions

Source: Nursing Times
For fulltext link here
Date of publication: 10th September 2009
In a nutshell: Article which explores issues surrounding the launch of NHS Evidence. Explains how nurses can make best use of the service and explains its key features. From October, one of these is helping users to identify the best evidence by awarding an accreditation mark to the most reliable sources of guidance.
Length of publication: Web page

Tuesday 25 August 2009

Towards the academic library of the future

Source: Research Information Network
For fulltext link here
Date of publication: August 2009
In a nutshell: The British Library, JISC, the Research Information Network (RIN), RLUK and SCONUL are taking forward a joint initiative that will help to map the future strategic direction for academic and research libraries in the UK. A contractor will be appointed to manage the project in August 2009. The project will run from September 2009 to April 2011.