Thursday, December 14, 2006

Need a Test Proctor? Ask a Librarian ...

Did you know that Affinity Librarians can proctor tests for distance education courses? With so many staff people taking advanced courses via distance education, this is a valuable and little-known service that we provide.

Affinity Library Services also provides quiet study areas, and a multitude of print and online resources to assist in your studies. We’re here to help!

Contact one of our Librarians if you are in need someone to proctor a test.

Michele Matucheski, MLS, AHIP
223-0340 MMC Library

Mary Bayorgeon, MLS, AHIP
738-2325 STE Library

Wednesday, November 22, 2006

18 New Titles on Affinity's Electronic Bookshelf!

I just updated the the Affinity Library Services Electronic Bookshelf with the following new eBooks :

New eBooks in Stat!Ref:
AJCC Cancer Staging Handbook
Handbook of Fluid, Electrolyte, and Acid-Base Imabalances
Maternal-Newborn Nursing & Women's Health Care - 7th ed.
Nursing Diagnosis Reference Manual - 6th ed.
Nursing Assistant Illustrated

New eBooks in Books@Ovid:
Avery's Neonatology
Clinical Practice of Neurological and Neurosurgical Nursing
Colon and Rectal Surgery
DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination
Electroencephalography
General Thoracic Surgery
Hemostasis and Thrombosis
Hospital Epidemiology & Infection Control
Joslin's Diabetes Mellitus
Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Principles and Practice of Gynecologic Oncology
Principles and Practice of Radiation Oncology
Principles of Ambulatory Medicine
Williams Obstetrics

All these titles should be available to Affinity staff and affiliates via any Affinity desktop computer or through remote access.
Use the link above, or visit the Library Services website on the Affinity Intranet :
Library > Find Books > Electronic Bookshelf

We now have well over 350 titles in our eBook collection!

Friday, November 17, 2006

Google Search Engine Customized for Consumer Health & Patient Education

The Consumer Health and Patient Education Search Engine was developed by Medical Librarian David Rothman.
Search the web for freely accessible, quality controlled consumer health information.

Includes MedlinePlus and other sites recommended by The national Library of Medicine and CAPHIS (Consumer and Patient Health Information Section of The Medical Library Association). The Good Stuff!

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

35 Years of MEDLINE

Happy 35th Birthday, MEDLINE!

NLM's flagship database debuted on October 27, 1971.

Read the October 23, 2006 NLM News and Events Announcement.

Monday, October 30, 2006

Winners of the 2006 National Medical Librarians Month Celebration

Thank you to everyone who participated.
We had over 200 online entries in our Guess How Many Kisses Drawing!
We welcome the wide participation!





STE Resource Café Winners
Candy Kisses - Jackie Mitchler of Info Systems
(She guessed 220…the actual amount in the RC Candy Jar was 203).

$10.00 Starbucks Gift Certificate (for the word search) - Jenny Westenberger, Resource Café "Barista"

$5.00 Starbucks Gift Certificates (Door Prize):
Cindy Remus - Medical Imaging
Laura Becker - NHP
Cynthia Wolf - Info Systems
Donna Gmur - Peds/Gyn STE

STE Professional Library Winners
Candy Kisses : Chuck Bichel, Library Patron

$10 Starbucks Gift Certificate (for the Word Search) : Donna Larson, Health Information

$5.00 Starbucks Gift Certificates (Door Prizes) :
Dr. Podlusky, Pathology
Maron Hauschel, Environmental Services
Debbie Beatty, Pain Clinic
Lisa Gorges, Radiation Oncology, Mercy

MMC Library
Candy Kisses – Cindy Jungwirth, Center for Women & Families
(She guessed 132…the actual amount in the Candy Jar was 131).

$10.00 Starbucks Gift Certificate (for the word search) – Mary Morelli, Vascular Lab

$5.00 Starbucks Gift Certificates (Door Prizes) :
Jane Martinez - Quality
Sean Bebiro – Radiology
Tracy Miller – Nuclear Medicine
Terrie Reitzner – Physical Rehabilitation

Affinity Health & Wellness Resource Center – Oshkosh YMCA
Candy Kisses - Sarah Fredrickson, Internal Medicine, AMG, Neenah.
She guessed 91 … the actual amount in the jar was 94 kisses.

$10.00 YMC Gift Certificate (for the Word Search) - Jennifer Schreiter - Rehab Services in Calumet Medical Center.

YMCA $5.00 YMCA gift certificates (Door Prizes) :
Melissa Borgen
Kris Bonlander (Pediatrics, St. E)
Liesl Storm – Physical Therapist at YMCA
Michelle Jerabek - Oshkosh Y member and part-time instructor.

Thursday, October 26, 2006

Did you know … You can access the Affinity Library Collections right from your desktop?

The Electronic Bookshelf – Over 300 eBooks with full-text!

MMC Library Catalog (includes the 20th Ave YMCA in Oshkosh)
STE Library Catalog (includes STE Resource Café)

New Books at Affinity Libraries – Browse a few of our new selections. These featured items are also available for checkout.

Put in a request for a book, video, or audio, and we’ll send it to you, wherever you are within Affinity.

Visit the Affinity Library Services Website for more than you ever dreamed would be available online …

Contact us with questions :
MMC Library 3-0342 or mmclibrary@affinityhealth.org
STE Library 8-2324 or sehlibrary@affinityhealth.org
STE Resource Café 8-2857

Wednesday, October 18, 2006

Nuns on a Fishing Expedition : Affinity at Play - Archives Week 2006

This delightful picture is from Sister Anne Dresang’s personal collection of photos, now held in the STE Library Archival Collection. To see more in this series, click here.

If you were wondering what was contained in the latest Cornerstone time capsule recently “buried” at St. Elizabeth Hospital, check this list. You may be surprised by what it contains!

The MMC Library is seeking help in identifying unnamed employees in several of our photo albums. Stop in to reminisce, and help us give these people names! We’ll supply the post-it notes!

The Affinity Library Archives hold many more treasures. Visit today!

Wednesday, October 11, 2006

Improve Patient Education with Info Rx Pads


Medical Staff and Clinicians are encouraged to request Info Rx Prescription Pads from Affinity Library Services.

mmclibrary@affinityhealth.org 223-0340
OR
sehlibrary@affinityhealth.org 738-2857 or 738-2324

The simple act of writing down a diagnosis, a medication, or procedure can help patients get the info they need to make better health care decisions. Info Rx Pads make it easy!

Research has shown that patients recall only a fraction of what was discussed during an appointment with their health care provider. Library Staff often spend extra time with patients and family members who don't know what their actual diagnosis is, much less how to spell it. The Info Rx program seeks to save the valuable time of all involved.

Benefits of the Information Rx program :
* Helps improve patient communication
* Encourages compliance
* Reduces the number of poor quality internet searches patients sometimes do on their own
* Saves valuable TIME! (for medical staff, patient, and library staff)
* Empowers patients
* Enhances the quality and outcome of the interaction during an office visit and after the patient returns home.

For patients without ready access to the internet, Affinity's Professional Librarians can provide internet access and any needed instruction for finding health information. We have both the tools and the expertise to refer patients to accurate and trustworthy health information.

Team up with us!

Thursday, October 05, 2006

Team Up! for Your Health



Did you know …
Our Libraries are open to the public and free of charge.
You’ll find an environment that is confidential, private,
and supportive of your health care information needs.

Visit us to find books and videos about health issues
for yourself or a family member.
You can check out the materials to take home
and share with your family and friends.

You can also use our computers to find health information online.

Resources you will find in our libraries include :
* Books
* DVDs
* VHS
* Audiocassettes
* CDs
* Magazines
* Newsletters
* Internet

If you can’t find what you’re looking for, just ask any of our friendly librarians for help.

Clark Family Health Science Library Health Information Center
Mercy Medical Center
500 S. Oakwood Rd.
Oshkosh, WI
920-223-0342
M-F 8 am -4:30 pm
Librarian : Michele Matucheski

Affinity Sports Medicine & Wellness Center
20th Ave. YMCA
3303 W. 20th Ave.
Oshkosh, WI
(920) 223-2479
Hours vary, so please call ahead.
Librarian : Ann Paulson

St. Elizabeth Hospital Resource Café
St. Elizabeth Hospital
1506 S. Oneida St.
Appleton, WI
(920) 738-2857
M-F 8 am – 4:30 pm
Librarian : Margo Lambert

Or visit us online :
www.affinityhealth.org and click on Health Resources.

Monday, October 02, 2006

October is National Medical Librarians' Month


Need health care information?
We've got everything under the sun!

Word Search Challenge for NMLM!



Complete this Word Search (Word doc) for a chance to win a Gift Certificate to the STE Resource Café or MMC Starbucks Coffee Cart. Good Luck!

October is National Medical Librarians' Month : Enter Our Drawing

How many Chocolate Kisses in the jar?
Enter your guess online by visiting the library website, or use this web form.

Or stop by the libraries at :

· Mercy Medical Center Library
· St. Elizabeth Hospital Professional Library
· St. Elizabeth Hospital Resource Café
· Affinity Health & Wellness Center at the
20th Ave Oshkosh YMCA.

Treats while they last!

Contest ends October 31.

The winning entry wins all the KISSES!


As always, it is our pleasure to serve you.

Thursday, September 21, 2006

Flu - Patient Ed. Materials from CDC

The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) has posted an array of downloadable patient and provider education materials to its influenza web section.

Visit the CDC's 2006-07 Flu Gallery for :
* Patient education materials for the 2006-07 flu season
* Provider education materials for the 2006-07 flu season
* Patient screening form for trivalent inactivated influenza vaccine (TIV)
* Stop the Spread of Germs posters and flyers in several languages
* Fact sheets in several languages
* Influenza vaccine VISs.

Thursday, September 07, 2006

Keyword Searching Skills Tutorial

Are you wondering why your last search brought up some less than stellar results? Or no results at all?

It could be that you were looking "in all the wrong places."
Or it could be your choice of keywords …

Selecting the proper keywords to pull up exactly what you seek is both an art and a skill.

Brush up on your keyword searching skills with this excellent online tutorial from McMaster University Library.
It covers the following :
· Choosing Keywords
· Phrase Searching
· Combining Words with And/Or/Not
· Nesting
· WildCards

It could mean the difference between getting a zillion hits on “poetry” and actually finding Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken.” In any case, you'll be a better searcher!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

New 4-week Loan Period for Consumer Health Books

We’ve changed our policies on check-out loan periods : Consumer health and patient education materials (The Red-Dot books) are now routinely checked out for 4 weeks, instead of 2 weeks as in the past.

Although we’ve always been flexible with loan periods, this automatic 4 weeks allows our patrons more time to finish a book, and get it back to us on time without incurring an overdue notice.

The 4-week loan period is also comparable to Public Library check-outs. This is what our public patrons expect, so we feel good about anticipating their needs in this respect.

Please Note : Professional clinical and nursing books, BLS books, and other library materials still retain a loan period of 2 weeks.

Consumer Health and Patient Education collections are available at the following locations :

MMC Library (Oshkosh)
STE Resource Café (Appleton)
Affinity Health & Wellness Resource Center, 20th Ave YMCA (Oshkosh)

Can’t make it to a physical library? Search our catalogs from your desktop :
MMC Catalog STE Catalog

We’ll send requested items to YOU, wherever you are in Affinity. Just ASK!

Tuesday, August 15, 2006

What is The Cochrane Library?

The Cochrane Library is a mainstay of Evidence-based Practice. It is used to support health care decisions. It is produced by The Cochrane Collaboration, a group of clinicians, consumers, and researchers around the world.

Affinity has online access via Ovid from1996-to current. It is updated quarterly.
How to get there :
Affinity Intranet > Library > Find the Best Evidence > Cochrane
OR in the search box atop any Affinity Intranet page, type in “Cochrane”

Note: Limited number of simultaneous users - please logoff/exit when you're done.

There are 3 main parts to the Cochrane Library :
1) The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)
2) Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE)
3) Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials Register (CENTRAL)

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)
Also known as “Cochrane Reviews”
Growing collection of regularly updated summaries of the best available evidence prepared by members of The Cochrane Collaboration.
'Gold Standard' for high-quality systematic reviews
Full-text included in Cochrane Library. Includes :
1) Completed Reviews
2) Protocols (reviews that are still in preparation).
Cochrane Systematic Review abstracts are in PubMed but there is no link to full-text of the review.

The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE)
Other high quality published reviews prepared by people outside The Cochrane Collaboration.
Prepared by the National Health Service Centre for Reviews and Dissemination, University of York, England.
Complements the CDSR by offering a selection of quality assessed reviews in those subjects where there is currently no Cochrane review.
Brief critical appraisals of previously published reviews of the effects of health care.
Topics include therapy, prevention, diagnosis, rehabilitation and screening.
Structured abstracts, not full-text
DARE not indexed in PubMed, but original research articles may be
also available at no charge on the web from University of York
144.32.150.197/scripts/WEBC.EXE/NHSCRD/start

The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)
Best source for tracking down the original studies.
Largest single source of controlled trials as part of an international effort to hand search the world's journals.
Includes reports published in conference proceedings and in many other sources not in MEDLINE or other citation databases.

Anatomy of a Cochrane Systematic Review
Cochrane Reviews are highly structured and systematic, with evidence included or excluded on the basis of clearly explained quality criteria.

Every Cochrane Review contains the following parts (See sample abstract) :

Abstract
Synopsis
Background
Objectives
Criteria for Considering Studies for this Review
Search Strategy for Identification of Studies
Methods of the Review
Description of Studies
Methodological Quality
Results
Discussion
Reviewers’ Conclusions
Potential Conflict of Interest

For a quick overview of the review’s findings, the following sections summarize the evidence :
Abstract - summarizes the objectives, methods, results and conclusions
Synopsis - a 100-word plain-language summary found directly beneath the abstract.
Reviewer’s Conclusions - an overview of the most important findings and discusses the implications for practice and research.

A Note before Printing the Complete Review : The full review may be 80 or more pages long and contain info not normally considered useful in a regular journal article. The reviewers include as much information as possible about the evidence they examined, and exactly how and why they arrived at their conclusions. They try to make everything as transparent as possible so that others can do their own evaluation of the evidence, if desired.

Unless you love slogging through metadata, the structured abstract will probably provide what a busy clinician needs to know about the evidence.

For more info :
Ovid Field Guide for The Cochrane Library
NICS Guide to The Cochrane Library

Questions? Contact your Librarian, Michele Matucheski at 223-0340.

Thursday, August 03, 2006

Citation Style Guides

Are you updating Policies and Procedures?
Wondering what to do with the bibliography of references?

Long Island University provides a handy color-coded AMA Citation Style Guide at http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citama.htm

It’s easy to use, and easy to parse because of the color coding. It offers clear formatted examples for citing the following :

* Book
* Journal Article (with or without volume numbers)
* Book Article or Chapter
* Website
* Journal Article on the Internet.

If you don’t like that presentation, try The AMA Style Guide from The University of Washington at http://healthlinks.washington.edu/hsl/styleguides/ama.html .

Not impressed with the AMA Citation Style? Try other formats at

Citation Style for Research Papers – Long Island University
http://www.liu.edu/cwis/cwp/library/workshop/citation.htm

More questions on citation style? We’re here to help!
Contact Library Services at
MMC 3-0342
STE 8-2324

Wednesday, July 26, 2006

New Version of the PubMed Tutorial and Training Page

PubMed is the free version of Medline (plus a whole lot more) available to anyone with internet access. http://www.pubmed.gov/

The National Library of Medicine has released a new version of the PubMed Tutorial which is available from the PubMed sidebar. Here's your chance to learn to use PubMed like an expert!http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/pubmed_tutorial/m1001.html

Links to tutorial and quick tours http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/disted/pubmed.html

Tip : Use the PubMed link on the Affinity Libraries webpage, and you'll get the added benefit of Affinity Library holdings (print with some online) appearing as part of your PubMed results set.

Feel free to ask Library Staff your PubMed questions, too. We're here to help!
MMC Library 3-0340
STE Library 8-2324

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Looking for Online Books? Try The Electronic Bookshelf

The Library’s Electronic Bookshelf tracks over 300 eBooks in medicine, nursing, and related fields.

How to get there :
Affinity Intranet > Library > Find Books & AV > Electronic Bookshelf

Or in the Search Box at the top of all Affinity Intranet pages, type ANY of the following keywords : ebooks, bookshelf, online books.

Our collection of eBooks hail from a variety of sources including the following : Books@Ovid, StatRef, MDConsult, The NCBI Bookshelf, National Academies Press, and other sources.

The Electronic Bookshelf brings them all together in a single index, or catalog, so there’s no guessing which source contains the eBook you want. In most cases, the eBookshelf provides a direct link to the table of contents for the referenced eBook. All eBooks should be accessible on your desktop from any Affinity computer.

The Electronic Bookshelf is searchable by keyword, or browsable by subject and title.

Please note, the keyword search does NOT search the fulltext of each online book. We’re still working on including these in the Central Search federated search engine. Stay tuned …

Wednesday, July 05, 2006

Ready.gov

From the Us Department of Homeland Security, Ready.gov (www.ready.gov) provides abundant disaster preparedness information aimed at educating Americans on an ongoing basis about how to prepare for national emergencies, including natural disasters, biological or chemical accidents, and terrorist attacks.

Its home page is simply arranged, consisting of three links : Ready Business, Ready America, ad Ready Kids. Health care institutions will find that the information and suggested guidelines can be easily adapted for their needs. -- MLA News, July/August 2006.

MedPage Today : Worth a Look

Co-developed by the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine's Office of Continuing Medical Education and MedPage Today, an independent information services company, MedPage Today (www.medpagetoday.com) offers daily coverage of breaking medical news, accompanied by professional medical analysis.

It's aim is to "provide clinicians with the real-time information they need to address their patients' questions" and to help them understand "how new developments might impact their clinical practice."

The website features news by specialty and gives visitors the option of signing up for daily morning email updates. -- from MLA News, June/July 2006.

Friday, June 30, 2006

New Surgeon General's Report Focuses on the Effects of Secondhand Smoke

U.S. Surgeon General Richard H. Carmona recently issued a comprehensive scientific report which concludes that there is no risk-free level of exposure to secondhand smoke.

For more information and a copy of the report (downloadable as a PDF or request a print copy) use this link: http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/secondhandsmoke/

Contact Affinity Library Services for information on smoking cessation.
MMC Library 3-0342
STE Library 8-2324
STE Resource Café 8-2857

Thursday, June 22, 2006

Wildlife at Mercy


Nature helps many people heal and re-energize.

Patients, families, and staff members have been enjoying the family of Red Fox that live near the pond at Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh. The arrival of the Fox Family, however, seems to have driven off some of the birds we’ve grown familiar with in other years.

* If you miss the Great Blue Heron and the White Egret that used to visit the Mercy Pond …
* If you want to see what other wildlife has been spotted there …
* If you don’t get to Mercy very often …
Here’s your chance :

Visit the Wildlife at Mercy webpage at http://intranet.affinityhealth.org/object/wildlife.html . This page tracks the wild animals that have been seen on the grounds at Mercy. There’s also a link to “Submit a Critter” if you spot something not already listed. ENJOY!

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Introducing Central Search





What is Central Search?
Central Search is a search engine that allows you to search any combination of Affinity Library catalogs, databases, and selected websites (including MedlinePlus and Google-Scholar) all at the same time.

Why is Central Search better than Google?
Central Search results will link to full-text articles (when available). If Affinity has access to it, Central Search will link to it in many of our full-text databases. Be aware, though, some articles will still need to be borrowed from other libraries the old-fashioned way.
Affinity Library databases are chosen for their high quality and relevance to health care. By contrast, anyone can publish to the web; the searcher/surfer needs to invest more time and effort in evaluating search results on the wide-open web.
Central Search is great for giving you a good overview of “what’s out there.”
It can also suggest the best sources to continue or refine your search (Medline vs. Micromedex). Where all the hits are …
It can help suggest search terms (myocardial infarction vs. heart attack)


When NOT to use Central Search?
When you need The JCAHO Manual, go there directly. It is not presently included in Central Search.
When your search strategy requires precision, and using limits and features specific to a particular database (ie subject subheadings or age limits in Medline).
When you know exactly what electronic resource you want to use, it’s best to use it directly.

Additional Search Tips for Central Search.
Start using Central Search right now.
You’ll also find a prominent link for it on The Affinity Libraries Intranet website.

Still have questions? Contact Affinity Library Services :
MMC Library 3-0340 or STE Library 8-2325

Wednesday, May 24, 2006

Internet Searches : Librarians Do It Better

Reuters Health reports that "Cancer patients seeking timely, accurate, unbiased information on the internet about a disease and its treatment might do well to enlist the help of a professional librarian. According to the study... cancer patients are more likely to find what they are looking for with a librarian-mediated search instead of 'going it alone.' " Read more ...

When you can't find it on Google, Ask a Librarian!

Thursday, May 18, 2006

We Welcome Your Recommendations!

Want to recommend a book, journal, or electronic resource for the Library collections? We welcome your recommendations!

Use the following form to register your purchase suggestion online :
Library Purchase Request Form

All requests will be considered and evaluated based on our selection policies, budget and available funding.

Friday, May 12, 2006

Advisory Board

Provides online access to the research and services of The Advisory Board for Affinity collegues.
Register for personal login (This may take 24 hours.)

Full-text access to reports on best practices, leadership development, technology assessment and planning. Implementation kits and technology briefs summarize latest findings to assist decision making on adoption of new technology.

2 Ways to find it on the Affinity Intranet :
A) Use the Search Box at the top and type "advisory"
OR
B) Affinity Intranet Homepage > Library > General Reference Links > Advisory Board

Tuesday, May 02, 2006

PubMed Quick Tour : Search for a Journal

PubMed Quick Tour: Search for a Journal http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/viewlet/search/journal/journal.html

This is a 5-minute tutorial that will help explain this basic task in PubMed.

Use the PubMed link on the Library Web page and you'll get the added benefit of seeing our local holdings displayed with your results set.

Thursday, April 27, 2006

The 2006 JCAHO Manual is now available on the Affinity Intranet

Follow this path : Affinity Intranet > Library > General Reference Links > JCAHO Resources (on the right) > JCAHO Manual

Or just type “JCAHO Manual” into the search box at the top of all the Affinity Intranet pages.

Also known as The Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH), the above link offers full-text access to this important regulatory source.

Friday, April 21, 2006

LactMed : A New NLM Database on Drugs and Lactation

LactMed, a free online database with information on drugs and lactation, is one of the newest additions to the National Library of Medicine's TOXNET system, a Web-based collection of resources covering toxicology, chemical safety, and environmental health.

LactMed may be searched at http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/htmlgen?LACT
Or take the following path :
Affinity Intranet > Library > Find Drug Info > LactMed

Geared to the healthcare practitioner and nursing mother, LactMed currently contains over 450 drug records. It includes information such as maternal levels in breast milk, infant levels in blood, potential effects in breastfeeding infants and on lactation itself, the American Academy of Pediatrics category indicating the level of compatibility of the drug with breastfeeding, and alternate drugs to consider. References are included, as is nomenclature information, such as the drug's Chemical Abstract Service's (CAS) Registry number and its broad drug class.

LactMed was developed by a pharmacist who is an expert in this subject. Three other recognized authorities serve as the database's scientific review panel. Ancillary resources, such as a glossary of terms related to drugs and lactation, and breastfeeding links are also offered.

LactMed can be searched together with TOXNET's other databases in a multi-database environment, to obtain other relevant information about drugs. As a work in progress, LactMed will continue to expand with additional drugs and be enhanced with other substances, such as industrial chemicals and radiation.

--From the National Library of Medicine

Wednesday, April 12, 2006

Affinity Library Services Welcomes Margo Lambert, MLS

Margo Lambert is the new consumer health librarian working at the Resource Café in the newly remodeled St. Elizabeth Hospital entrance. Margo received her Master’s Degree in Library and Information Science in 1999. Since that time she has worked as a reference librarian, a children’s librarian, and most recently as manager of the Algonquin Area Public Library, Eastgate Branch in Algonquin, Illinois.

Margo and her husband recently moved from Illinois to Wisconsin because they enjoy the lifestyle here. She considers Wisconsin residents to be warm and friendly and she is happy to have the opportunity to serve them as a consumer health librarian. As a public librarian, she most enjoyed having contact with a variety of library users and creating a library collection that would meet their informational needs. The move to consumer health librarianship is a natural one for Margo, as it allows her to continue to serve people while gaining experience with a different, vibrant aspect of the library profession.

Margo is excited to work in a health care environment during a time in which medical information is becoming available in formats accessible to lay people. She feels honored to be in a position to help people as they educate themselves about their health and she looks forward to representing Affinity Health System by providing library service to members of this community.

Margo can be reached at 920-738-2857.

Thursday, April 06, 2006

Featured Resource : The Asian and Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials (APICEM)

The Asian and Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials (APICEM)
http://www.cancer.org/apicem

This new website makes it easier for physicians and other health-care providers to communicate cancer prevention and early detection messages to patients by providing one-stop access to patient education materials written in 12 languages.

The Asian and Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials Web Tool (APICEM) is designed to help Asians and Pacific Islanders with limited English-speaking abilities gain access to authoritative information on how to reduce their risks of preventable malignancies, including cancers of the breast, cervix, colon, liver, lung and stomach.

The new database catalogs and provides links to patient handouts written in the following 12 Asian and Pacific languages: Khmer, Chamorro, Chinese, Hawaiian, Hmong, Ilokano, Korean, Samoan, Tagalog, Tongan and Vietnamese, as well as English-language materials culturally tailored for Native Hawaiian populations. Additional languages and topics will be added as more materials become available.

The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research and Training (AANCART) and the American Cancer Society (ACS) launched this searchable online database of Asian language cancer materials. This effort is supported by the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

****
There are 2 ways to find this link on the Affinity website.

Method 1 : Use the Search Box at top of the Affinity Intranet Pages.
Type in “Asian” or “non-English” or "other than English"
(Patient Education brings up hundreds of items.)

Method 2 :
Affinity Intranet Homepage > Library > Find Patient Education Handouts > Hmong OR Other Languages

We welcome your questions, comments, and suggestions.
Contact Affinity Library Services :
MMC Library 3-0342 and STE Library 8-2324

Thursday, March 23, 2006

How do I find the online version of the PDR?

Looking for the electronic version of The Physician’s Desk Reference?

How to Find the PDR Online is a tutorial with step-by-step screenshots to help you find this valuable drug reference on the Affinity intranet website.

Many physicians and staff still want to use the PDR to look up medications. The updated book version is no longer routinely available in most departments, as the access is more widely available online now.

The Find Drug Information for Health Professionals link on the Library website will lead you to several other online sources for clinical drug information. These include the following :
* Clinical Pharmacology
* MDConsult (Mosby’s Drug Consult)
* Micromedex
* Online Books on Drugs and Medications
* Drug Information for Patients and Families

You might even find something you like better than the PDR!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Michele Matucheski (920)223-0340 or via Outlook.

Wednesday, March 15, 2006

What's the difference between MEDLINE and PubMed?

Medline is a subset of about 5,000 biomedical journals indexed in PubMed. All the journals indexed in Medline were chosen for inclusion. Think of Medline as indexing "the cream of the crop" for medical journals.

PubMed is a much larger database that includes the MEDLINE subset, as well as indexing info from other "worlds" such as aerospace medicine, toxicology, some out-of-scope citations in astrophysics and plate tectonics.

You will find links for both Medline (Ovid) and PubMed on the Affinity Libraries website. If you use PubMed link on the Library Website, you'll get the added benefit of having our print and some online holdings incorprated into the search results.

For more information, see the following fact sheet from The National Library of Medicine :

NLM Fact Sheet : What's the Difference between Medline and PubMed?
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/dif_med_pub.html

The Ebling Health Science Library at The University of Wisconsin Madison has a useful handout comparing both versions of Medline. MEDLINE : Ovid vs. PubMed.
(Please be aware that Ovid access info will differ through Affinity.)

What about MedlinePlus? MedlinePlus provides quality consumer health and patient education information.

Feel free to contact the Libraries if you have any questions on this.
MMC Library (Oshkosh) 3-0340
STE Library (Appleton) 8-2324

Friday, March 03, 2006

What's the difference between Medline and MedlinePlus?

MEDLINE is the database that indexes over 5,000 clinical medical, nursing and dental journals back to 1966. It is produced by The National Library of Medicine. Medline is available in many formats including Medline Ovid and PubMed. Even MDConsult offers a searchable version of Medline. MEDLINE is the standard place to begin researching clinical medical topics for physicians and health professionals. Many patients today also use MEDLINE because it is so freely available.

MedlinePlus is the consumer health side of The National Library of Medicine (NLM). This is a wonderful website that indexes and makes available patient education and consumer health information to anyone with internet access. This is an excellent place to start researching a health topic because all of the sites included have passed rigorous quality tests. None of the sites included will try to sell you anything, or ask for personal information. Their main objective is to provide qood, quality information with the patient's best interests at heart.

For more information, see the following Fact Sheets from The National Library of Medicine :

MEDLINE Fact Sheet
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/medline.html

MedlinePlus Fact Sheet
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/factsheets/medlineplus.html

Monday, February 27, 2006

A Friendly Reminder on Stewardship

Library Journals (bound and single issues) are to be used on-site only.
Journals are NOT to be removed from the Libraries.

We’ve discovered several missing issues of key journals in recent weeks.

Do you have any of the following titles? If so, please return them no questions asked.
Seminars in Oncology (missing 6 issues July – Dec. 2005)
New England Journal of Medicine (missing 4 issues from September 2005)

COPY the articles you need and leave the journal for the next person.
These are very difficult to replace when they do disappear.

Books may be checked out as usual for 2 weeks at a time.

We also offer a Table of Contents Service to keep you informed of the latest developments in your favorite journals. Just ask if you want to sign up!

MMC Library 3-0342
SEH Library 8-2324

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

How to Find the Full-Text of Journal Articles

Many of the databases to which Affinity subscribes contain at least some full-text journal articles. We have access to over 7,000 full-text titles in our many online databases.

Some examples :
OVID Medline - full-text of 300+ journals / indexes over 5,500 journals
MDConsult - full-text of 50 journals
HealthSource : Nursing - full-text of 550 journals / indexes 850 journals

But how do you know where to find the full-text for the rest without wasting time or money?

Use the A-Z Journals : Full-text Electronic & Print Journal Holdings

Use A-Z Journals if you want to :
* Determine if a journal article you want is available online in full-text
* Determine if the Affinity Libraries have the journal on the shelf in print format
* Determine which databases contain the content for particular journals of interest
* Browse the contents of favorite journals online

When NOT to use it :
* If you need to do a literature search where you identify many citations on a topic.
The A-Z Journals List works better when you already have a known citation in hand.
In this case, you would be better off starting with a database like Medline or CINAHL.
The difference : The A-Z Journals List indexes ejournals and where they are accessible for Affinity. Medline and CINAHL index the articles in those journals whether we have access to them or not.

How to use it :
1. Look for the A-Z Journals link on the Library Webpage. (First under Most Popular Links.)
Click to open.
2. Use the Search Box to type in a journal title
OR use the A-Z alphabet to browse through the Journal Title Lists.
3. A sample entry looks like this :

New England Journal of Medicine (1533-4406)
From 01/01/1993 to present in Journals@Ovid Fulltext
From 1957-1959, 1962 to present in STE Journal Holdings in Print
From 10 years ago to present in MMC Journal Holdings in Print

4. In most cases, you will be able to click on the hyperlinked full-text collection (In this case, Journals@Ovid) to open it and go directly to the online journal holdings.
5. You can then look for the journal's corresponding volume, and issue number. Once there, you should be able to browse the "Table of Contents" until you find the desired article.

Tips :
* Note the dates-of-coverage for each Journal Title entry. Sometimes the electronic version doesn't go back far enough in time to cover the issue you need. We might have a print version on the shelf, or we may be able to borrow a copy from another library.

Let us know if you have any questions.
MMC Library (Oshkosh) 920-223-0340
STE Library (Appleton) 920-738-2324

Friday, January 27, 2006

Library Services Featured Resource : The eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base, Institutional Edition


eMedicine is the largest peer-reviewed disease and condition knowledge base in the world. We have licensed eMedicine to provide our clinicians with additional resources and tools that can enhance patient care while saving time and effort.

To access eMedicine, follow this path :
Affinity Intranet > Library > eMedicine (under “Most Popular Links”)
or in the Search box at the top of the Affinity Intranet page, type in “eMedicine.”
You may need to type in the Account #561.

Key features of eMedicine include:
* 6,000 peer-reviewed clinical review articles covering virtually every known disease and condition
* Continually updated content
* Advanced integrated searching across 59 specialties and subspecialties
* More than 6,500 expert authors and editors from leading institutions
* 700 patient education articles
* MultiMedia Library of 30,000 illustrations, images, MPEGs, and photographs
* Drug database of more than 1,250 drugs and 20,000 indication-specific drug tables
* Clinical eTools – Interactive algorithms, calculators, decision rules, diagrams, and scores
* Differential Diagnosis Generator
* Stedman's® Medical Dictionary
* Guideline Wizard with direct links to National Guideline Clearinghouse
* Disease and Condition Resource Centers
* Print formatting function
* No advertising
* Discounted CME/CE for physicians, nurses, and optometrists with use of the discount code, IDC-561.

We hope you will take advantage of this service.
A brief self-running demo is available on the home page, in the lower left corner.

If you have any questions, please contact :
Your Librarians,
Michele Matucheski, MALS mmatuche@affinityhealth.org 920-223-0340
Mary Bayorgeon, MALS mbayorgeon@affinityhealth.org 920-738-2325.

Wednesday, January 11, 2006

Change in Affinity Access to MDConsult

As of Jan.11, 2006, Affinity access to MDConsult is now via IP Authentication. This means that you no longer need a username or password to access MDConsult from an Affinity computer.

This should simplify access for the occasional user who just wants to do a quick reference check in the online medical books, online journals, drug info, practice guidelines, or patient education handouts that comprise the MDConsult collection.

Everyone who previously registered for MDConsult through Affinity will still be able to access their personal account. On the MDConsult-Affinity page, look for “Click for Personal Login” on the upper right-hand side.

New to MDConsult? If Access is via IP, why should I register?
We recommend that you register for a Personal Login if:

  • You want to access MDConsult outside Affinity (remote access at home, at the coffee shop, on vacation, etc. …)
  • You want to personalize the Patient Handouts
  • You want to use the PDA Resources

A step-by-step, detailed guide with screen shots on How to Register for MDConsult is available online.

Request an MDConsult User’s Guide from Library Services at :
MMC Library STE Library
233-0342 738-2324

Thursday, January 05, 2006

Need CME Credits in your Specialty? Try Audio-Digest on CD

The Affinity Libraries subscribe to Audio Digest on CD in the following specialties :

Anesthesiology (MMC)
Emergency Medicine (MMC)
Family Practice (MMC & STE)
Gastroenterology (MMC)
General Surgery (MMC)
Internal Medicine (MMC & STE)
Journal Watch (STE)
Obstetrics & Gynecology (MMC & STE)
Opthalmology (MMC)
Orthopedics (MMC)
Otolaryngology (MMC)
Pediatrics (MMC & STE)
Psychiatry (MMC & STE)
Urology (MMC)

For a flavor of available topics, check the Audio Digest website for Past Issues.

Our 2005 and current 2006 issues are now coming on CD. Older issues are available on audiotape. Many people have told us their newer cars don't have tape-players anymore, so we've changed the format to reflect what people will use.

Please feel free to request any CD or tape that you are interested in. We'll send them to you via inter-office mail. Let us know if you plan to apply for CME credits, so we can include the brief paperwork.

Journal Article Request Form
MMC Library mmclibrary@affinityhealth.org 920-223-0242
STE Library sehlibrary@affinityhealth.org 920-738-2324