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.

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

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

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 …

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.

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

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!

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

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!

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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.

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

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