Mulford Library Blog

We are pleased to announce two new database trials: Nursing Reference Center and DynaMed. Both trials expire on Oct. 31. Be sure to check them out! *** To access either resource, go to http://search.ebscohost.com, scroll down and click on the title of the database. ***

Nursing Reference Center

Integrated with the CINAHL index of nursing and allied health journals, this database provides a user-friendly interface to search for nursing research literature. Designed with busy staff nurses in mind, this tool functions as a point-of-care resource for quickly accessing:

Additional information includes: patient education materials, drug information, and disease information from CINAHL Quick Lessons and Evidence-Based Care Sheets.

DynaMed

DynaMed is an evidence-based resource designed to be used by physicians at the point-of-care.

It includes over 3,000 topics that can be searched or browsed. Each topical entry is a synthesis of the best available evidence. From the DynaMed “About Us” page: “DynaMed is updated daily and monitors the content of over 500 medical journals and systematic evidence review databases directly and indirectly by using many journal review services. Each publication is reviewed cover-to-cover, and each article is evaluated for clinical relevance and scientific validity.”

Each DynaMed summary also includes links to relevant patient education materials.

Comments or suggestions?

Tried out these two databases, and you liked/disliked what you saw? Please let us know your thoughts by contacting Mulford Reference Assistance: 419-383-4218 or MulfordReference@utoledo.edu.

The US Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) strives to improve the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans.  It focuses on clinical information, consumer/patient information, and provides information in the forms as data & surveys,
and research findings.

The National Guideline Clearinghouse™ (NGC) is a public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines.
Key components of NGC include:
—–Structured abstracts (summaries) about the guideline and its
development
—–Links to full-text guidelines, where available [If no full text is
available, please search by journal title in
the UTcatalog, single citation matcher in PubMed, or Ask-A-Health-Science Librarian]
—–A Guideline Comparison utility that gives users the ability to
generate side-by-side comparisons for any combination of two
or more guidelines
—–Unique guideline comparisons called Guideline Syntheses compare guidelines covering similar topics, highlighting areas of similarity and difference. NGC Guideline Syntheses often provide a comparison of guidelines developed in different countries, providing insight into commonalities and differences in international health practices.

Other more specialized sources of practice guidelines include

–Practice Guidelines in AccessMedicine (click on Guidelines) [restricted to UT-HSC affiliates
–American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Practice Standards
–Health Services/Technology Assessment Text - assesses the clinical utility of medical interventions.

For more information or further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact Mulford Reference Assistance.

A trial subscription is currently in progress for MedicinesComplete, which provides online access to leading international drug and healthcare references. The resource includes:

– More than 10,000 drug, poison, interaction and herbal monographs
– The latest advice on prescribing, dispensing and administering drugs and medicines
– Up-to-date guidance on disease treatments, disease management and therapeutics
– The latest advice on analysing, formulating and preparing drugs, medicines, and many other   pharmaceutical products
– The combined knowledge of hundreds of leading experts, scientists and researchers

MedicinesComplete will be accessible for free until October 13th, 2009. Your comments and suggestions are valuable in helping us to evaluate this resource.

JAMAevidence is designed to help identify the best available evidence to combine with clinical experience  to allow for more informed recommendations by clinicians and more informed choices by patients. The resource considers the validity, importance, and applicability of claims about the assessment of health problems and the outcomes of health care.

This trial period will end on October 1st, 2009. Please help us assess this resource by emailing us.

The University Libraries are being offered trial use of Natural Standard, a database that provides evidence-based, consensus-based, and peer- reviewed information on complementary and alternative therapies for clinicians, patients, and healthcare institutions, for the purpose of making more informed and safer therapeutic decisions. The trial runs through October 11, 2009. Please email your comments to us to help us evaluate this resource.

An article in the Sept 13 issue of the Chronicle of Higher Education reports on a recent three-day biomedical conference. The Sixth International Congress on Peer Review and Biomedical Publication was “dominated by investigations of the ways that corporate money is believed to be misleading both the public and medical professionals who rely on the journals for impartial evaluations of the safety and effectiveness of drugs and medical procedures”. One report (unpublished) found a negative correlation between industry financed research and independent verification of company-sponsored medical trials by university researchers.

MD Consult now presents results of symptom searches arranged within these clinically relevant categories: Overview, Etiology, Diagnosis (including DDX), and Treatment/Management.
Enter a symptom in the search box and Search all sections.
Symptom search results also include additional resources through the tab Top Results from All Sections.

Please do not hesitate to contact Mulford Reference Assistance with your reference and research needs!

The Mulford Library has a free trial of the NCLEX-RN online preparation and review guide via ExamMaster. Below are the log-in instructions for accessing this free trial. The trial has recently been extended through October 31. Check it out and let us know what you think!

1. Go to your custom gateway:
http://www.exammaster2.com/wdsentry/utoledo.htm
Click “Click to Start” and Click “Not Registered Yet?”
To continue, click [I Accept] on the Licensing Agreement page

2. Complete the registration form, click [Submit Registration]

3. Confirmation of registration and your temporary password will be e-mailed to you immediately.

4. Log-in with your “User Name” and “Temporary Password.”

5. The Welcome Page gives a description of the button functions and On Screen Help is available throughout the application.

6. Select [New Exam] to build exams and study sessions.

7. Select [Active Exams] to access exams and study sessions.

Comments, Questions, Suggestions? Contact a librarian.

Submitted by G. Natal

The University Libraries has launched the eLibrary Services Center, a customized, web-based portal directed at students who enroll in web-assisted or distance learning classes, which is available exclusively through the Blackboard platform. The aim is to improve access to the library by residing within the Blackboard interface and bring the best in UT’s digital resources - like electronic books, streaming videos and electronic journals - to our distance learners. 

If you would like additional information about the eLibrary, please contact the task force co-chairs, Elaine Reeves (ereeves@utoledo.edu) or Misa Mi (mmi@utoledo.edu).