Top Ten Reasons to Use Your Library (whether or not you are involved in direct patient care)

Number Ten: You will get valuable information to help you make decisions.

Number Nine: You will get more accurate information.

Number Eight: You will make better decisions.

Number Seven: You will save time.

Number Six: You will be more productive.

You will be able to devote more time and energy to your primary job responsibilities if you let library staff help with your information gathering needs.

Please contact Michele (223-0340) or Margo (738-2325) for additional information or for help with your project.

Stay tuned for Reason Number Five in a future edition of The Weekly.

Source: Special Libraries Association

Managing Email Overload

Here are some quick tips to tame your email in-box :
1) Stop “Doing email”
2) Start scheduling time to scan your email
3) Use email when appropriate
4) Deal with email by subject
5) Keep your inbox nearly empty
6) Filter your messages
7) Do not forward chain letters, spam, or virus hoaxes. Delete them.
8) Do not answer spam, ever
9) Limit listserves
10) Follow good email etiquette
11) Delete and archive
12) Stop using your email box as a to-do list

Remembering Nancy P.

Nancy Piencikowski was a longtime nurse at Mercy Medical Center in Oshkosh, WI, who died last month. Read more about her in the official obituary.

She started the Wound Clinic here and lovingly took care of Ostomy Patients. She was also a big part of the American Cancer Society. I'll always associate her with the spring Daffodil Sales to raise money for The American Cancer Society. She was always just as bright as those flowers.



Nancy always had a bright smile. Her whole face lit up.

Her spirit lives on in all who knew her.

She will be greatly missed.

Library as Place – Do you need some peace and quiet?

Actually, this isn’t new. Some people have always known that they could go to the Affinity Libraries if they needed a few minutes of peace and quiet.

Libraries have always had the reputation of being quiet places. But if you have visited a public library in, say, the last ten years, you’ll know that those libraries are becoming hubs of activity and you can’t always expect a quiet atmosphere when you visit.

The Affinity Libraries are places you can go if you need to get even a few moments of peace. The medical libraries at Mercy Medical Center and St. Elizabeth Hospital offer comfortable lounge areas with newspapers and magazines so that you can create a mini-escape during your busy day. If watching fish calms you, visit the library at Mercy Medical Center and see their new fish tank. (Of course, if you love people-watching and the smell of espresso, the atmosphere at the Resource Café Consumer Health Library at St. Elizabeth Hospital might be more to your liking.)

Other than a cheerful greeting and an offer of help if you look like you need it, library staff won’t intrude on your break time.

So, if you need to escape during the course of a busy workday, the Affinity Libraries might just be the perfect destinations.

Swine Flu Resources

Swine Flu Investigation Page (CDC)

RSS feed on Swine Flu - Get regular updates from the CDC

Google Maps Tool for Tracking Swine Flu (not EBM)

Swine Flu on MedlinePlus for consumer health information

The National Library of Medicine's EnviroHealth web page on Swine Flu
This web page contains information from several US and international agencies and organizations, treatment information, genetic sequence data, information in Spanish, searches of PubMed, the NLM Catalog, and more.

Librarian Secrets to Successful Searching : Focusing Clinical Questions with P-I-C-O

The first step to doing research is to define your topic : What are you looking for?

Example : “Tell me all you know about elderly taxi drivers in Mongolia who have heart attacks while drinking decaffeinated coffee on Friday nights after the bars close and whether prescribing aspirin might help reduce the risk of further heart attacks.”

Break the topic down into individual concepts with P-I-C-O.

P – Patient Population or Problem = Heart Attacks in the Elderly
I – Intervention = Aspirin
C – Comparison = Nothing
O – Outcome = Prevention of future heart attacks

P-I-C-O helps you pick out the important concepts while leaving out some of the extraneous stuff.

The P-I-C-O model helps define and refine a search topic, whether you are searching a powerful database like Medline/PubMed or just Google.

Your Librarians, Michele Matucheski (at MMC) and Margo Lambert (at STE) are available to do the research for you. Just let us know what you’re looking for.

Top Ten Reasons to Use Your Library (whether or not you're involved in patient care)

Number Ten: You will get valuable information to help you make decisions.
Number Nine: You will get more accurate information.
Number Eight: You will make better decisions.

Number Seven: You will save time.

Research can be time-consuming and challenging, but it is one of the more interesting (and enjoyable) tasks for a librarian. Having us handle your research can free up substantial amounts of time for you to take care of other things.

Please contact Michele (223-0340) or Margo (738-2325) for additional information or for help with your project.

Stay tuned for Reason Number Six in a future post.

Source: Special Libraries Association

Joint Commission Manual CAMH Online Access

Access to the E-diton of the Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (aka The Joint Commission Manual or CAMH) is once again available on the Affinity Intranet.

Joint Commission Manual - Comprehensive Accreditation Manual for Hospitals (CAMH) - Current E-dition
Username and password required. More info below. Affinity access only.

OR

Follow this path to get there :
Affinity Intranet > Library > General Reference Links > Joint Commission Resources > Joint Commission Manual
Note the username and password in the description.

Also available through the Electronic Bookshelf at :
Follow this path to get there :
Affinity Intranet > Library > Find Books > Electronic Bookshelf > Books by Title > Scroll down to Joint Commission Manual
Note Username & Password in the description.

Practice Guidelines – Where to Find Them

Practice Guidelines have become a mainstay of patient care, and have been developed to help caregivers assimilate and apply the ever-expanding (and sometimes contradictory) body of medical knowledge. Below are a few common sources for practice guidelines.

National Guideline Clearinghouse ** Best Bet! **
Comprehensive database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Brief summaries and full-text available in most cases.

AHRQ National Quality Measures Clearinghouse

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC)
Use the search box.

MDConsult (Affinity access only)
Click the Guidelines Tab to search or browse the collection.

TRIP Database
An evidence-based practice search engine, TRIP covers guidelines.

Professional Associations issue guidelines and practice statements. Some are available on their websites. See the following examples :

American Heart Association – Guidelines & Statements

The American Psychiatric Association – Practice Guidelines

In addition, the CINAHL and Medline databases can effectively be used to identify and locate additional practice guidelines. Use the Practice Guideline Limit to pare down your results.

Affinity Librarians are also available to do the searching for you.
Just tell us what you’re looking for.

Michele (MMC Library in Oshkosh) 3-0340
Margo (STE in Appleton) 8-2325

Harrison's Online

Did you know … Affinity employees have access to Harrison’s Online?

Harrison’s Principles of Internal Medicine via Books@Ovid
This major reference for clinicians offers strategies for understanding, diagnosing and managing disease.

Harrison’s Manual of Medicine via Books@Ovid
This eBook offers a thorough synopsis of pathogenesis and clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and treatment for each medical condition.

Keep these links handy by

* adding them to your IE favorites or

* adding shortcuts to your desktop.

Access via any Affinity computer.

Browse the other 160+ titles at Books@Ovid (Affinity access only).
See what else is available to you via our Electronic Bookshelf.

How to Check Out Library Materials

The Affinity Libraries offer a wealth of materials for those who care for patients and for those who wish to be well-informed about health and wellness.

In the interest of good stewardship, we need to keep track of who uses library materials so that our collections can continue to be available to Affinity staff members and customers.

Our Simple Procedures for Checking Out Library Materials:

Locate the check-out card(s) on the inside or outside back covers.
Clearly write your full name and department on the card(s)
(No initials, please.)
Drop the card(s) in the black boxes on or near each library’s service desk.
We will verify your contact information in our computer system and check the materials out to you.
Your contact information will be kept confidential. Once we have checked out the material in our computer system, we’ll cross your name off the card(s).
Professional Library materials should be returned in two weeks. Consumer Health materials should be returned in four weeks.
If you do not return your materials on time, we will send you an overdue notice. PLEASE NOTE: WE ARE NOT TRYING TO HARASS YOU. WE ARE SIMPLY TRYING TO GET OUR MATERIALS BACK SO THAT OTHERS CAN USE THEM.

Items marked “Reference” and medical, nursing, and allied health journals are to be used within the library. You are welcome to photocopy information that you need, but these materials may not be checked out because, in most cases, they cannot be replaced.

Again, we want to make sure that library materials are available for anyone who might need health or medical information.

We appreciate your cooperation.

Please contact Margo (738-2324) or Michele (223-0342) if you need additional information.

Household Products Database

Many of us have just finished updating our Hazardous Materials Inventories for our work areas.
But have you ever wondered about all the chemicals we keep at home, under the kitchen sink, in the laundry room, and in our garages?

The Household Products Database provides information on the potential health effects, safe use and handling of common products in and around our homes. Information is taken from manufacturers' product labels and Material Safety Data Sheets. Research consumer products based on chemical ingredients.

Examples :
AntiFreeze
Air Fresheners
Cleaning Supplies
Lawn Care Products, and much more …

The Household Products Database is a free resource from the National Library of Medicine (our tax dollars at work!)

Top Ten Reasons to Use Your Library (whether or not you are involved in direct patient care)

Number Ten: You will get valuable information to help you make decisions

Number Nine: You will get more accurate information.

Number Eight: You will make better decisions.

Since librarians are trained to evaluate information sources for reliability you can be assured that the information you’d get from us is information you can trust. Using credible information will help you to make better decisions, whether these decisions relate to direct patient care or to other aspects of your work.

Please contact Michele (223-0340) or Margo (738-2325) for additional information or for help with your project.

Stay tuned for Reason Number Seven in a future edition of this Blog.

Source: Special Libraries Association

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

We recently renewed our online access to NMCD.
It is an excellent tool for medication reconciliation.

NMCD is considered the scientific “gold standard” for evidence-based clinical practice info on herbals and other dietary supplements like Gingko or St. Johns Wort.

Search Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database
* Search - enter any natural product name, disease or condition, or drug name...gives you objective product information, Effectiveness Ratings, or potential interactions with drugs, etc.
* Natural Product Effectiveness Checker - tells you the level of effectiveness for natural products used for various medical conditions.
* Natural Product / Drug Interaction Checker - tells you potential interactions between any natural product and any drug. Automatically checks for interactions with EACH INGREDIENT of each product.
* Disease / Medical Conditions Search - shows you medical conditions, and allows you to see which natural products might be effective.
* Advanced Search - helps you find specific information or keywords anywhere in the Database.

How to get there :
Affinity Intranet > Library > Scroll down to Natural Medicines

Affinity Intranet > Library > Find Drug Info > Scroll down to Natural Medicines

Please feel free to contact Library Services with questions.
MMC Library : 3-0340 STE Library 8-2325

Top Ten Reasons to Use Your Library (whether or not you are involved in direct patient care)

Number Ten: You will get valuable information to help you make decisions

Number Nine: You will get more accurate information.

Information found for free on the World Wide Web does not always come from credible sources. Your Affinity Librarians provide access to a number of electronic resources from the Library page on the Affinity Intranet that have been vetted and provide reliable information that you can use in caring for patients or for other work-related projects.

Please contact Michele (223-0340) or Margo (738-2325) for additional information or for help with your project.

Stay tuned for Reason Number Eight in a future post.

Source: Special Libraries Association

Evaluating Medical News Reports in the Popular Media

It seems as though every time you turn around medical news is reported in the popular media. With the hype surrounding some of these reports, it can be tempting to take the information at face value. However, for your safety and the safety of your loved ones and your patients, it is important to look critically at medical news.

If you ask the following questions about the studies reported on in the media, you’ll be better able to distinguish between potentially useful and potentially useless information. (For a more in-depth explanation of the points listed below, check out The Healthy Skeptic: Cutting through the Hype about Your Health by Robert J. Davis, PhD. available at both the St. Elizabeth Hospital and Mercy Medical Center libraries.)

What kind of study is being reported on?
There are numerous types of studies that serve different research aims. In terms of applying study findings to your situation, randomized clinical trials and cohort studies can be considered most credible, while test-tube research and animal studies are not as credible.

How big is the effect of the study?
As a general rule of thumb, the larger the effect, the more you can believe in the results.

Could the findings be a fluke?
If the study outcome can be chalked up to chance, the results might not be as reliable.

Who was studied?
This is an important question to ask if you want to discover whether a study’s findings might apply to you.

Is there a good explanation for the results?
If study findings don’t make sense biologically, you should exercise caution in interpreting the results.

Who paid for the research?
Much research is funded by organizations with vested interest in the outcome. While findings of such studies aren’t always suspicious, you’d be more able to trust findings of studies funded by entities that don’t stand to profit from the results.

Was the study peer reviewed?
Having outside experts in the field scrutinize the results can add an extra layer of credibility to a study.

How does this study square with other studies?
Research does not often stand on its own. How does this study fit with others that came before it? Are the findings consistent?

Your Affinity librarians can help. If you see or read a medical news report and would like to know if the information is reliable, we can do the research and look for answers to the questions above.

Please contact Michele at Mercy Medical Center (223-0342) or Margo at
St. Elizabeth Hospital (738-2324) if you, a loved one, or one of your patients needs help finding information or using the library resources that will help them to become wise health consumers.

MDConsult and ADAM Patient Education Handouts

With ADAM Quicksheets going away in July, clinicians will be delighted (and relieved) to know that MDConsult contains the same high-quality ADAM patient-education handouts. You’ll recognize the same style of illustrations and content.

When you sign up for an MDConsult Personalized Account, you’ll be able to customize the Patient Education Handouts. Clicking on the following link for generic access to MDConsult (no need to sign in for generic access). Sign in or Create an account to customize handouts.

New to MDConsult? If generic 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 :

Michele Matucheski at MMC Library (3-0340)
Margo Lambert at STE Library (8-2324)

Library Staff is also willing to give you a personalized tour of MDConsult.
Just give us a call. We’re here to help!

February is National Wise Health Consumer Month

In this era of information overload, it can be difficult for people to find health information they can trust.

The St. Elizabeth Hospital and Mercy Medical Center libraries offer materials on a broad range of health topics that staff, patients, and community members can check out. We also provide patient education information through online resources such as MDConsult, eMedicine, and Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.

Please contact Michele at Mercy Medical Center (223-0342) or Margo at
St. Elizabeth Hospital (738-2324) if you, a loved one, or one of your patients needs help finding information or using the library resources that will help them to become wise health consumers.

The ABCs of Evaluation for "Healthy" Internet Searching

Most people don’t stop to think about the quality of the health information they find on the internet. With few rules and regulations, and no one in charge, how do you know if the health information you find on the internet is accurate?

Here are some things to consider :

Accuracy
o Does the site provide references to scientific literature?
o Popular press doesn’t count here.

Authority
o Is the information from a credible source?
o Check the About Us section
o Check the site’s domain
§ .org = not-for-profit agency
§ .edu = educational institution
§ .gov = government institution
§ .com = commercial
· Evaluate .com sites carefully
· Used by businesses to make money or promote a product
· They may contain some good information, but it may not be balanced or complete.

Bias
o Who pays for the site?
o Are ads / sponsored content clearly labeled?

Currency
o Are there dates on the material?
o Is it under 5 years old?

Coverage
o Does the information cover all aspects of the topic?
o Or does it leave out certain parts (ie only talking about drug treatments and not lifestyle approaches)?

A great place to look for health information on the internet is MedlinePlus.
From The National Library of Medicine, they’ve already done the quality checks for us. It has our best interests at heart.

Top Ten Reasons to Use Your Library (whether or not you are involved in direct patient care)

Number Ten: You will get valuable information to help you make decisions

Michele Matucheski (at MMC) and Margo Lambert (at SEH) can gather information from a wealth of online and print sources to help you decide on a course of action, whatever your function in the organization.

Please contact Michele (223-0340) or Margo (738-2325) for additional information or help with your project.

Stay tuned for Reason Number Nine in a future edition of this Blog.

Source: Special Libraries Association (www.sla.org)

NCLEX-RN Success Podcasts

You have access to Davis’s NCLEX-RN® Success podcasts! Nursing students can connect with Sally Lagerquist, who has helped more than 200,000 candidates pass the NCLEX-RN nursing licensure exam since 1976! She has partnered with STAT!Ref to provide a series of podcasts aimed at assisting students with their preparation for the NCLEX-RN® exam. Students can find the podcasts on the STAT!Ref homepage and listen to them or download them for mp3 players. Then, they can learn more about each section in the title in STAT!Ref.

NCLEX-RN Success Podcasts

How to get there :
Affinity Intranet > Library > StatRef > StatRef Logo

Sally Lagerquist, RN, MS, is president and course coordinator of Review for Nurses, Inc. and has been helping nursing students pass licensure exams for more than 30 years. The author and editor of seven books and 28 editions, she is also a faculty member at the University of California at San Francisco, School of Nursing. Containing 2,500 practice questions and test-taking tips based on the latest official NCLEX-RN® test plan, Davis’s NCLEX-RN® Success concentrates on nursing concerns for every Client Needs category. More >>

Old AudioDigest CDs Free to a Good Home

Once again, the MMC and STE Libraries have 1 year's worth of old AudioDigest CDs available for FREE. Although these programs are too old to apply for CE credits, they do still offer a lot of good information for Physicians, PAs, Nurses, and other health professionals.

Subject areas include the following :

Urology

Psychiatry

Pediatrics

Otolaryngology

Orthopedics

Ophthalmology

Obstetrics & Gynecology

Internal Medicine

General Surgery

Gastroenterology

Family Practice

Emergency Medicine

Anesthesiology.

Look for them on the book sale tables at each library this month.

Why are we giving them away?

--limited shelving space for audiovisuals

--CE credits are available only for 3 years since date of publication

--Our libraries emphasize the most up-to-date info, so we want to make room for more recent issues.

-- Newer editions are available on AudioCD and MP3 files that can be downloaded to your computer or MP3 player. Contact Michele Matucheski for more details on accessing recent AudioDigest MP3 files.

First-come, First-served. These are hot items! We expect them to go fast!

SEH Library (8-2324)

MMC Library (3-0340)

Patient Education in Hmong

Patient Education materials in Hmong are more readily available than just a year ago. Below are some collections you may find helpful in caring for Hmong patients and their families.

MEDLINEPlus : Health Information in Hmong - from The National Library of Medicine. Provides handouts in both English and Hmong, so you know what you are giving our Hmong patients. BEST BET!

Asian Pacific Islander Cancer Education Materials - Hmong

From The American Cancer Society and The Asian American Network for Cancer Awareness, Research, and Training (AANCART)Provides links for education materials that have been screened for medical accuracy and cultural relevance.

Emergency and Community Health Outreach (ECHO) – Hmong

Provides videos (viewable online) on emergency and community health topics.

Hmong Health Website Provides access to health information for Hmong people and those who provide health, education and social services to the Hmong community. Categories of topics include family health, healthy living, traditional healing, talking with health providers, and more. Based in Wausau, WI.

Pediatric Health Information : Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

Links to bilingual articles in Hmong and other languages.

Refugee Health Information Network (RHIN) - Hmong

SPIRAL – Selected Patient Information in Asian Languages – Hmong - From Tufts University

Seven Simple Rules for using the Library Color MFDs (Multi-Function Devices)

1 – Limit printouts to fewer than 50 copies. (The Affinity Print Shop is equipped to handle larger print jobs.)

2 – Pick up printouts promptly, especially those containing personal names or other confidential information.

3 – Consider scanning documents and emailing them to yourself (or others) rather than using paper if this would work for you and your colleagues. (See library staff for help.)

4 – Use black and white unless color is absolutely necessary for your print job.

5 – Print on both sides of the page if appropriate (again, library staff can help).

6 – If you use the MFD for a print job and then need to print something to your usual printer afterwards, please make sure that your computer is set to print to your usual printer. (This will ensure one printout for you instead of ten orphaned printouts going into the recycling bin.)

7 – If you access the computer room after hours, please turn off lights and lock the door when you leave.

Contact Library Staff or I.S. Staff if you need help using the computers and/or MFD in the library computer rooms.

Thank you!

Affinity Library Holiday Hours

Please note the following holiday hours for the Affinity Health System Libraries:

Christmas

Wednesday, December 24 Libraries close at 3 PM
Thursday, December 25 Libraries Closed
Friday, December 26 Libraries Closed

New Year

Thursday, January 1 Libraries Closed

Even though the libraries will be closed, please remember that Affinity employees do have 24-hour access to the libraries. If you wish to use the library or the computer rooms, please ask a Security Officer to provide access. Also, the Affinity “Library without Walls” is also available 24/7 via the Intranet.

The Affinity Library Staff wishes you and yours a happy and healthy holiday season!

Just for Fun ... Polite Dissent on House

Polite Dissent is a website that discusses the medicine behind the tv series, House.

If you like gripping tales of differential diagnosis, or you just like to point out where the writers went astray, this could be an interesting website.

Top Journals for eTOCs

Stay up-to-Date with emailed Tables-of-Contents to your favorite professional journals. It’s quick and easy!
* Click on the titles below for a free taste.
* Signing up is quick and easy. Just enter your email address and click submit.
* Full-text articles are just a click away! – No more waiting!

Here is a brief list of the top titles currently available:

Top Leadership Journals
Harvard Business Review
Health Care Financing Review
Hospitals & Health Networks
Modern Healthcare

Top Medical Journals
Annals of Internal Medicine
Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
Journal of Pediatrics
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM)
Spine

Top Nursing Journals
AACN Advanced Critical Care
American Journal of Nursing (AJN)
Nursing
Nursing Made Incredibly Easy
RN

For a more complete list of titles, click here.
Don’t see your favorite journal listed? Need help?
Contact Michele Matucheski (MMC) or Margo Lambert (STE).

Find Drug Information for Health Professionals

Find Drug Information for Health Professionals

Navigate there : Affinity Intranet > Library > Find Drug Info

Visit the above library web page on the Affinity Intranet for links to the following high quality Drug and Toxicology Tools :

DailyMed (Drug Information) : Provides high quality information about marketed drugs. Includes FDA approved labels (package inserts). Provides health care providers and the public with a standard, comprehensive, up-to-date, look-up and download resource of medication content and labeling as found in medication package inserts (similar to the PDR but easier to use).

Dietary Supplements Labels Database : Offers information about ingredients in 2,000+ selected brands of dietary supplements. Includes links to PubMed and MedlinePlus and FDA Warnings and Recalls.

Drug Information Portal : Gateway to current and accurate drug information from the National Library of Medicine and to other key government agencies.

LactMed : Drugs and Lactation : 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.

MDConsult : Includes full-text Medical Books, Journals, Patient Handouts, Practice Guidelines and more.

Micromedex Drug Information : Drug and Toxicology Information, Drug Interactions, Dosing Tools, AltMed Leaflets, PDA Resources. Includes access to the PDR.

How to Find the PDR Online : Step-by-step screenshots to navigate your way to the PDR online.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database : Scientific Gold Standard for Evidence-Based, Clinical Information on Natural Medicines.

After Hours Library and Computer Room Use

The Affinity Library staff strives to make sure that every Affinity employee can access the library spaces and resources even if you cannot visit during hours.

Brick & Mortar Libraries
Affinity employees have 24-hour access to the medical libraries seven days a week. (Note: The Resource Café Library at St. Elizabeth hospital is only accessible when the libraries are open.)

If you need to visit the library or use computers when the libraries are closed, simply ask a security officer to open the room(s) for you.
Ø After hours access is limited to Affinity staff.
Ø Just make sure you turn off the lights and lock the doors when you leave.

If you wish to check out library materials when a staff member is not present, simply follow the instructions located on or near the service desks.
Ø Please note that items marked “Reference” and journals cannot leave
the library. You are welcome to copy information from those materials.

Library without Walls Available 24/7
The library website is available from any computer with access to the AHS Intranet.
Ø Check to see what we have available in print, audio, video and online formats.
Ø Use any of the indexes and databases from your office or unit, as any of
our online full-text journals.

Thanksgiving Food Safety Tips

Have a safe and healthy Thanksgiving Day feast with food safety tips from MedlinePlus.


Learn about food safety, food storage, preparation and handling for this holiday and everyday in the kitchen.

If knowledge is power, libraries are power plants!

Search Help for Ebsco CINAHL

In early October, our access to the CINAHL Nursing & Allied Health database changed from Ovid to Ebsco.

How do I find CINAHL on the Affinity Intranet?
Affinity Intranet Home > Library >
Scroll down to the very bottom of the page.
CINAHL is the last thing in the right column under “Most Popular Links.”

Here are some resources to help with the transition of getting used to Ebsco CINAHL :

Ebsco CINAHL with Full-Text Database Guide from Ebsco

CINAHL Search with Subject Headings – Duke University Medical Center Library. This is a 5 minute video that demonstrates using Subject Headings to search CINAHL. It requires Macromedia Flash and speakers.

Using CINAHL - From the University of Florida Health Sciences Center Libraries, this website offers interactivity in the form of narrated examples and click-to-learn tutorials. It also provides valuable information pertaining to CINAHL navigation and search strategies.

In addition, Affinity Librarians, Margo (STE ext. 8-2325) and Michele (MMC ext. 3-0340) are available for one-on-one sessions to help staff get used to the new Ebsco CINAHL. We can show you the basics of searching CINAHL to more advanced techniques like subject and keyword searching, using limits, full-text access, and saving searches/creating alerts.

If you would prefer, we are also available to search CINAHL on your behalf. Just tell us what you’re looking for, and we’ll craft the search strategy and present you with a list of relevant citations.

National Medical Librarians' Month Prize Winners

The Affinity Library Services staff would like to send a hearty “Thank You” to everyone who participated in our 2008 National Medical Librarians' Month Activities.

From Mercy Medical Center:

Annette Drexler (Housekeeping) correctly guessed the number of Dove Chocolates in the Jar at the Clark Family Medical Library.

Dr. Stephen Shopbell (Behavioral Health) and Tracy Miller (Nuclear Medicine) each won Coffee Cart Gift Certificates for having completed the word search puzzle.

From St. Elizabeth Hospital:

Jennifer Broden (Foundation) had the best guess for the number of Dove Chocolates in the jar in the Health Science Library.

Sue Paulick had the best guess for the number of Dove Chocolates in the jar in the Resource Cafe Library.

Marianne Smith (Patient Access) and Marilyn Binder (Cardiac Cath Lab) each won Resource Cafe Coffee Shop Gift Certificates for having completed the word search puzzle.

Again, we thank everyone for participating in this year’s activities.

MedlinePlus Celebrates it's 10th Anniversary

MedlinePlus, the NLM® consumer health Web site, is celebrating its ten year anniversary.

MedlinePlus provides information on health topics, drugs and supplements, the latest medical news, a medical dictionary, an encyclopedia, surgery videos, interactive educational material, and links to other sites to locate clinical trials, understand genetic conditions, and information specifically for older Americans.

For more information see the press release.

Dig Deep Trivia : @sk Your Medical Librarian

Just for grins (and to see if you have been paying attention), here is a little exercise to demonstrate your knowledge of where your Librarians go to find information.

Match the database name to its function.

Database Name
1. MedlinePlus
2. Natural Medicines
3. Pubmed /Medline
4. Micromedex Drug Info
5. CINAHL

Function
a. Drug and Toxicology Information
b. Clinical Medical and Nursing Journals
c. Reliable consumer health resources
d. Nursing and Allied Health Information
e. Evidence-based information on herbal remedies

And remember, October is National Medical Librarian’s Month.
Visit your nearest Affinity Library (or visit the library web page) for a chance to solve this year’s word search puzzle (and be entered into a drawing for gift certificates to your hospital coffee shops)

If you are a chocolate fan, guess how much chocolate is in the candy jar at your library. The person with the correct or closest guess will win the chocolate!
Winners will be notified in early November.



Answers: 1=C; 2=E; 3=B; 4=A; 5=D

Archives Week 2008 : Celebrate Affinity Heritage

Browse some of our digital archival scrapbooks and photo albums online.
We’ve been busy digitizing photos for the Heritage Celebrations. The Sisters have always been the people who "do what needs to be done." We're grateful for their contributions over the years!

New digital collections include :
Sisters of the Sorrowful Mother in Oshkosh
Wheaton-Franciscans in Appleton

View our other Affinity Archives Web Albums on Picassa.

These days, many of the pictures we’re acquiring for the Affinity Archives are in digital format. This development allows us to make these photos much more accessible.

If you have pictures (digital or paper) that you would like to donate to the MMC or STE Library Archives, contact your Librarians :

Michele Matucheski at MMC mmatuche@affinityhealth.org

Margo Lambert at STE mlambert@affinityhealth.org

In most cases, you can keep the originals. We’ll make good quality copies.

What are we looking for?

People, places, and events from around Affinity, and Affinity in the Communities.

Examples :

* Nurses Week

* Heritage Days

* Retirements

* Affinity Picnics

Anything that captures the spirit, culture, and times of Affinity.

If you’ve got pictures, we’d love to have copies for the Archives!

Go Green and Keep Up-to-Date with Your Professional Reading

Get the latest Tables-of-Contents to your favorite journals via
1) email, or
2) an RSS Reader (ie GoogleReader or Bloglines)



What is RSS and why should I care?
RSS can save you time and trouble by helping you keep current with professional reading. It's convenient and easy.

• Imagine a Table-of-Contents service where you quickly scan the contents of any number of the latest journals at your convenience and with no additional e-mail clutter.


• When you come across an article you'd like to read, full-text is only a click away.


• Updates on literature searches and news can be automatically sent to your reader for you to peruse at your leisure.

Getting started with RSS is easier than you might think, and is likely to become an indispensable tool for keeping you current and saving you time.

Some analogies :

• If the web is Blockbuster Video, then your RSS Reader is like Netflix : The stuff you want comes to your door.


• Your RSS Reader is like your in-box for the web. It's the stuff YOU want to track.

At present, these are the journals easily available for email and RSS sign-ups.

If you don’t see your favorite journals here, please contact us. This list is evolving.

We can also customize the lists to your preferences and professional interests.

To learn more about RSS, click here. Remember email is also an option.

For assistance in getting started with RSS or emailed TOCs, contact your Librarians, Michele Matucheski (MMC) or Margo Lambert (STE).

Enter our Drawing for Dove Chocolates

How many candies 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 the20th Ave Oshkosh YMCA.

Contest ends October 31.

One entry per person, please.

The winning entry wins all the candy!

Puzzle Challenge for NMLM

Complete this Puzzle (Word doc) for a chance to win a gift certificate to the MMC Coffee Cart or the STE Resource Café.

Return the puzzle to either the MMC or STE Library for a chance to win!

Have fun, relax, and learn about Library Services along the way!

Dig Deep : @sk Your Medical Librarian

October is (once again) National Medical Librarian's Month

Celebrate with Affinity Library Services.

We'll be having special features all month. Stay tuned!

Changes to CINAHL Access

If you search the CINAHL Nursing and Allied Health Database, you may notice some changes.

As of Sept. 30, our online access to CINAHL will be through Ebsco instead of Ovid. Contact Library Services for help with the transition. We will provide more information as it becomes available.

Featured Database: BadgerLink

If you are looking for reliable information outside the field of medicine,
check out Badgerlink.

Goal of this resource is to provide quality online information on a number of topics to Wisconsin residents.
Find information in the areas of business, education, and literature as well as medicine.
Get articles from thousands of newspaper and magazine titles, image files, and other specialized reference materials and web sites.
Access specialized resources not available through Google or other Internet search engines.

Access Badgerlink here or from the Library web page under “Most Popular Links”.

For more information about this resource, please call Michele Matucheski at MMC (920-223-0340) or Margo Lambert at STE (920-738-2325).

Featured Database - eMedicine

If you are a clinician and want evidence-based, peer reviewed information,
check out eMedicine.

Intended audience is health professionals
This Clinical Knowledge Base contains 30,000 multimedia files (articles, images, etc.) on 7,000 diseases and disorders
Evidence-based content is regularly updated and peer-reviewed by nearly 10,000 physician authors and editors
Get the latest practice guidelines in 59 specialties

Access eMedicine here or from the Library web page under “Most Popular Links”.

For more information about this resource, please call Michele Matucheski at MMC (920-223-0340) or Margo Lambert at STE (920-738-2325).

AHRQ Helps Consumers Navigate the Health Care System

Dr. Carolyn Clancy of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality prepares easily understood advice columns for consumers (and healthcare employees) to help them navigate the health care system.

Columns address issues such as how to recognize high-quality health care, how to be an informed health care consumer, and how to choose a hospital, doctor, and health plan. Affinity staff can also glean ideas in how to make our health system the top choice of health care consumers.

Dr. Clancy's advice column: http://www.ahrq.gov/consumer/cc.htm

More about AHRQ: http://www.ahrq.gov/

The Dash

The Dash : Movie (DVD) and Song (CD) Gift Set

Author: Ellis, Linda

Call Number: Simple Truths Bk29 2006 (MMC Library).

Click here to go to Simple Truths. Then click on The Dash book to read more about it and watch the inspiring video.

“When Linda Ellis wrote her poem, The Dash, in one afternoon ten years ago, it would change her life forever. In 239 words, she captured the "Simple Truths" of why we were put on this earth.
Since then, The Dash has been published hundreds of times in books, newspapers, magazines and company newsletters. It has also been read countless times at company meetings, graduations and funerals. In the last three years, Linda has received over one million e-mails thanking her for writing The Dash, and asking the question ... Where can I get a copy?” –Simple Truths

Nancy Schmidt, a long-time Affinity employee, had this to say about The Dash :
“What a GREAT inspirational book! If you haven't had a chance to read this book, please take the time and check it out from the Library at MMC. You won't be disappointed. I have read the book at least 10 times and am still inspired by it. Easy reading, easy to understand and you will wonder why you haven't thought more about what it says in regards to your life. You still have time to change.”

Contact the MMC Library to borrow this inspiring book!

Ext. 3-0342 OR mmclibrary@affinityhealth.org

Database of the Month: Micromedex Drug Information

For easy-to-find, evidence-based information to address both clinician and patient needs, take a look at Micromedex Drug Information.

Find evidence-based, unbiased, referenced information about drugs, toxicology, diseases, acute care, and alternative medicine

Create customized patient information forms, in English and Spanish, about drugs, medical conditions, lab tests and medical procedures

Quickly find drug information, such as drug identification and drug interactions.

Uncluttered, easy-to-locate information

Access Micromedex Drug Information here or from the Library page
under “Most Popular Links”.

For more information about this resource, please call Michele Matucheski at MMC (920-223-0340) or Margo Lambert at STE (920-738-2325).

NLM Drug Information Portal

The National Library of Medicine recently released the NLM Drug Information Portal at http://druginfo.nlm.nih.gov/ . This tool provides the public, healthcare professionals, and researchers with a gateway to current and accurate drug information from the National Library of Medicine and to other key government agencies.

The Drug Information Portal offers a varied selection of resources and focused topics in medicine and drug-related information, with links to individual resources with drug information and summaries tailored to various audiences. General drug categories from MeSH are also included in the Drug Portal records.
* More than 15,000 drugs are available for searching.
* The search interface requires only a drug name.
* A spellchecker is provided.
* Information buttons and balloon pop-ups guide the user by providing helpful hints or a description of the resource and links to the source website.
-- by The Liaison on NLM Announcements

You will find links to The NLM Drug Information Portal (and other helpful tools) on The Affinity Libraries website under

Find Drug Info for Health Professionals

Drug Info for Patients & Families

Innovations in Medical Education (IME) Video Library

from UW-Madison’s School of Medicine
http://videos.med.wisc.edu/

View cutting edge lectures from UW-Madison at your computer. Topics cover nursing, pharmacy, public health, family medicine, pediatrics and more.

The IME Video Library offers free, high-quality, streaming videos of educational events that have taken place at UW-Madison’s Health Sciences Learning Center.

Who can access the Video Library?
All presentations are open to the public through a simple (no cost) sign in.

Key users include :
* Physicians
* Nurses
* Health Professionals
* Health Consumers

What else can I expect to find?
* Biographies of presenters
* Research links selected by health science librarians
* Downloadable audio-only version of the presentations – MP3s
* Notification features such as email and RSS Feeds

What software do I need to view these presentations?
Videos are either in Windows Media or QuickTime format.

Both players are available as free downloads.

What types of presentations are in the Video Library?
* Expert lectures from the University of Wisconsin

* Invited guest lectures from around the world
* Seminar series including : Cultural Diversity in Healthcare, Population Health Sciences
* Department Grand Rounds including :
* Cardiovascular Medicine, Surgery, and Pediatrics
* Professional Development Seminars

Database of the Month: Evidence-Based Medicine Resources via the Affinity Library Website

If you are looking for Evidence Based Medicine resources to guide your practice, please check out the “Find the Best Evidence: Evidence-Based Practice Tools” on the Affinity Library Services website.

Use the “Best Evidence Pyramid Diagram” to see the range of available tools and their descriptions.

Link directly to Affinity’s Evidence Based Practice resources from the pyramid.

For more information about these resources, or for help with your research, please contact your Affinity Librarians,
Michele Matucheski at MMC or Margo Lambert at SEH.

Need Journal Articles?

If you need to identify relevant articles, try our citation databases. Most have links to the full-text articles.

Not comfortable doing your own searches? Request a Literature Search done by your Librarians, Margo or Michele. We are expert searchers! Just tell us what you are looking for.

If you have a complete citation in mind, check the Affinity Library Services’ A-Z Journals List to see if we have full-text access online or in print.

You can also Request an Article, and we’ll take care of the work in finding it for you. If we don’t own it, we have inter-library loan arrangements with libraries all over North America. We can usually get the article for free or low cost without a credit card.

Let us help you get the info you need!

Database of the Month – MDConsult

If you want a single place to find news, articles, guidelines, and patient information resources, look no further than MDConsult.

Review more than 50 electronic, full-text leading reference books
Access full-text articles in more than 80 journals and the Clinics of North America
Browse more than 1,000 peer-reviewed practice guidelines
Create customized patient education materials
Obtain CME credit
Locate drug information provided by Gold Standard
Keep current with news updates and selected articles from prominent medical journals
Create a personal MDConsult account from an Affinity Computer and access MDConsult from any computer with Internet access.

Access MDConsult here or from the Library page under “Most Popular Links”.

Literature Searching (aka, Research on Behalf of AHS Staff)

You may not realize that Affinity Librarians offer research services (literature searching) in the areas of health and wellness for all Affinity staff members and volunteers. If you need health information, or if you need information for patient care or other work-related projects, you can contact Michele Matucheski at MMC (920-223-0340) or Margo Lambert at STE (920-738-2325) and we can do the research for you. Simply let us know what you need and we’ll get the information to you as soon as possible.

If you wish, you can also complete this online form and we’ll do the rest.

Affinity CME Video Blog

Affinity Health System CME Offerings (aka The Affinity CME Video Blog) via your computer at http://affinitycme08.blogspot.com/

You can also find it by navigating to :
Affinity Intranet Home Page > Library > Affinity CME Video Blog
or
CME Page > Affinity CME Video Blog

What is it?
* A regularly updated website where you can access internet video presentations of continuing medical education (CME) lectures previously presented at Mercy Medical Center. We are now beginning to add other programs from around Affinity.
* Access is 24/7 - on your own schedule
* Access from your work or home computer
* Better use of time (not spent in travel to the presentation site)
* So more of you can "attend" these lectures without physically being there

ANYONE can watch the videos.
However, only medical staff will be eligible for CME credit.
Fill out the CME Evaluation form and submit it to Carole Carow at Mercy Medical Center to get CME credit.

For an intro about the CME Video blog itself, visit the sites below :
CME Video Blog FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
CME Video Blog and Library Orientation (Documentation and Handouts), July 11, 2007
CME Video Blog and Library Orientation Video
CME Video Blog System Requirements

Simple Truths at MMC Library

In effort to “Make Affinity a better place to work,” Affinity Library Services recently purchased a new series of books and DVDs from Simple Truths. Simple Truths shares quotes, stories, and short inspirational films about making a difference.

* Watch some of their inspiring (and short) movies here.
* Sign up for the Simple Truths free emailed newsletter.
* Contact the MMC Library to check out or reserve the books.

Looking for a quote or meditation to open a meeting? You’ll find it in these Simple Truths books!

Thanks to Dawn Auclair for suggesting this series.

Featured Database of the Month: MedlinePlus

Looking for quality health information from trustworthy sources?
Try MedlinePlus.



Information is geared to the public
Use MedlinePlus to find information about medical conditions, medical tests, and general health and wellness
Excellent for Patient Education materials
Created by the same people who compile Medline for health professionals, MedlinePlus provides health information written in everyday language
MedlinePlus is available free of charge
Search MedlinePlus from any computer with Internet access
Information comes from medical encyclopedias, dictionaries, medical organizations and other sources that have been screened and proven reliable by The National Library of Medicine
In addition to articles, watch videos of medical procedures and listen to online tutorials

Affinity Library Blogs

Did you know … The Affinity Libraries maintain two blogs with new messages posted regularly. A blog is like an online diary or journal with the latest entry listed first. We use it for announcements, news, and featured resources.

What’s New at Affinity Libraries?
Most of these posts are published in The Weekly Employee Newsletter. An easy way to find a past article, or post, is to use the “Search This Blog” Feature. All prior library posts are listed and available back to 2005 in the Blog Archive.

New Books at Affinity Libraries
We post three new books every week—usually consumer health-related for the widest appeal.

You can stay current with Affinity Library News by visiting our blogs and signing up for email notifications. By signing up, you will receive an email message with each new post.


You can also add them to your Google Reader. What’s this?

PDR Pros & Cons

One of my fellow Librarians in Florida created a helpful little PowerPoint Presentation to illustrate the pros and cons of the PDR, that heavy drug book people always ask for.

Physicians’ Desk Reference : Pros and Cons (ppt) * by Patti Reynolds, MLIS
(Affinity Access only)

Ms. Reynolds presents some surprising facts you probably didn’t know about the PDR, and why it is usually NOT the best available source for drug information. She also offers several alternatives for quality drug information.

For starters, try the following on the Affinity Libraries Intranet site (Affinity Access only) :

Find Drug Information for Health Professionals

Drug Information for Patients and Families


* Used by permission. Edited to reflect Affinity Drug Resources.

Featured Database of the Month: Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database

In April we are featuring the Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database.

Affinity’s newest database offering, this resource was suggested by medical and nursing staff and provides high quality information for professional staff and patients.

• Objective and thorough enough for medical professionals yet presented in a way that is accessible to patients.


• Search for information on various natural medicines, including effectiveness, individual ingredients (sugh as Ginkgo Biloba extract), and drug interactions.


• The database provides information about how the various sections are created and describes the criteria used to rate each product's safety and effectiveness.


• Researchers update the database daily, so the information is current.


• For those who wish to see the studies cited in the articles, direct links to the study abstracts are provided.

Access the National Medicines Comprehensive Database via the Library webpage. It is listed alphabetically on the right under the “Most Popular Links” heading. Please be sure to logout when you are finished.

PubMed Citation Matcher

PubMed Citation Matcher -- a useful tool to fill in the blanks!

Find complete citations when you have only partial information.

Fill in the details you have, click GO and PubMed Citation Matcher will do the rest ... like Magic!