Showing papers in "Bulletin of The Medical Library Association in 1981"

Dissemination of the published results of an important clinical trial: an analysis of the citing literature.

Abstract: The definitive clinical trial which demonstrated the beneficial effects of photocoagulation in treating diabetic retinopathy was reported in 1976 in the American Journal of Ophthalmology by the Diabetic Retinopathy Study (DRS) Research Group. Despite the importance of this report, eighteen months after it appeared in print the photocoagulation technique was still not widely known to a population of physicians whose practice included an appreciable number of diabetic patients. As part of a study in biomedical communication, the extent to which the results of this trial were disseminated through the published literature was investigated by citation analysis. Seventy citations to the DRS report, from 1976 to 1979, were found in Science Citation Index. Twenty-seven citations were in works outside the discipline of ophthalmology and nine of these came from articles in American journals which actually referred to the results of the trial. Not a single citation which appeared before 1978 came from a general American medical journal, unrestricted in geographic or subject scope. The results of this study suggest that a large number of citations in the literature to a clinically significant paper does not of itself ensure that the information reported will readily reach the appropriate practicing physician. More effective methods are needed for the rapid dissemination of important new findings to the medical community.

The use of periodical literature in a Norwegian dental library.

Abstract: Periodical loans, photocopy requests, and reading room use of back volumes of periodicals at the University of Bergen Dental School library were registered during a twelve-month period. Loans were sorted by title and year, and titles were grouped by specialty and language. Total borrowing was 2.242, and the annual aging factor was 0.89 (half-life 5.8 years). Twelve periodicals accounted for 50% of total borrowing. While most specialized dental journals had a lower aging factor than dental journals as a whole, orthodontic journals had an aging factor of 0.92 (half-life 8.7 years). Non-English-language journals accounted for 22% of borrowing. Scandinavian-language titles (16% of borrowing) had a lower aging factor (0.87, half-life 5.1 years) and seemed to be used more as news journals. The languages of other journals used were German (4.7% of borrowing), French, and Russian.

Proposed standards for professional health sciences library services in hospitals of New York State.

Abstract: Hospital libraries are considered to be the basic unit of the medical information system. A major statewide effort was begun in 1978 to introduce and support legislation in the New York State Legislature which would encourage hospitals to establish and maintain libraries that meet minimum services standards. Included in this legislation is the concept that the Commissioner of Education in consultation with the Commissioner of Health shall have the power to establish standards for hospital libraries. The Ad Hoc Committee for the Promotion of Hospital Library Services, Western New York Library Resources Council, proposes The Standards for Professional Health Sciences Library Services in Hospitals of New York State to clarify and to strengthen existing hospital library standards. These standards differ specifically from the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospitals standards in that they place equal and specific emphasis on eleven points: administration, qualifications of library staff, continuing education of library staff, requirement for a library advisory committee, required library services, required library resources, library space requirements, library budget, library network and consortium membership, documentation of library policy, and continued evaluation of the needs of the hospital for library service. Detailed interpretations are provided. An appendix describes the qualifications of a hospital library consultant.

Preselecting literature for routine delivery to physicians in a community hospital-based patient care related reading program.

Abstract: Health sciences librarians have been actively responding to the changing information needs of users by extending services which involve the selection of literature in response to specific requests from health care personnel. A further development is Patient Care Related Reading (PCRR), a hospital-based program of continuing medical education in which the librarian actively participates in the preselection, packaging, and routine delivery of literature for use by physicians caring for patients with certain clinical disorders. Criteria for selection of literature packet topics were developed jointly by librarians and physicians at their own hospitals. Librarians compiled bibliographic material, reviewed articles, and prepared preliminary packets. Physicians reviewed these packets and made suggestions for each article. Librarians then prepared final packets following reviewers' recommendations and distributed them as a routine procedure to all physicians caring for patients with a diagnosis corresponding to prepared topics. Librarians were notified of patients with PCRR clinical problems by admitting office personnel, floor nurses, nursing supervisors, utilization review, and Professional Standards Review Organization personnel as a part of their usual activities. Packets are used by physicians to add to their fund of knowledge, and for review and teaching purposes. PCRR has provided increased visibility of the library and its many services. Recognition of the librarian's role in the program reinforces the concept of the community hospital library as a service-oriented entity, and helps to establish the library as an active partner in the development and implementation of hospital-based continuing education programs.

The Professional and Scientific Literature on Patient Education

Abstract: scientific journals publish articles written for scientists and health professionals. In a process called "peer-review," other professionals review these articles before they are published. Information for locating an article, its title, authors and when it was published is listed in PubMed search results. Using the condition name as your search term should locate articles that may be of interest to you. Other Sources of Information. Apart from the information listed above, several organizations are dedicated to helping individuals with genetic and rare diseases and provide an array of information. Get more information about 'Patient Education and Counseling' Journal. Check the Author information pack on Elsevier.com. The Editorial Board will include patients and other laypersons, health professionals, innovation leaders, and social scientists. The editorial process will assess scientific quality of the work as well as relevance View Item

Improving the MEDLARS search interview: a checklist approach.

Abstract: An analogy is drawn between searching a computer data base and conducting laboratory research: the crucial process in both is phrasing the question to the system to obtain meaningful and useful results. The searcher must act as an intermediary for the library user in questioning the data base; for this reason every effort must be made to maximize the efficiency with which a query is transferred from requester to searcher. Studies reported in the literature tend to distribute themselves into one of two categories: flowchart analyses or nonverbal communication approaches. Because message transfer in an interview is an entirely human process, the flowchart approach, while perhaps providing a correct analysis, is rejected as a means of improvement. Similarly, emphasis on nonverbal cues and communication inhibitors is assessed as misplaced. Rather, the method recommended is guided practice, using a checklist of areas to be covered in an interview for a MEDLARS search. Topic appropriateness, form design, and postsearch follow-through are included in the discussion.

Zero-Base Budgeting in Library Management: A Manual for Librarians.

Abstract: A solution to get the problem off, have you found it? Really? What kind of solution do you resolve the problem? From what sources? Well, there are so many questions that we utter every day. No matter how you will get the solution, it will mean better. You can take the reference from some books. And the zero base budgeting in library management a manual for librarians is one book that we really recommend you to read, to get more solutions in solving this problem.

An experimental study of the feasibility of substituting Chemical Abstracts on-line for the printed copy in a medium-sized medical library.

Abstract: The reference staff of the Washington University School of Medicine Library, in an attempt to consider an alternative way of providing the information contained in the printed Chemical Abstracts, designed a study to examine whether the on-line version of Chemical Abstracts could be substituted for the hard copy. For a thirteen-week period, all patrons using the printed index were offered a free computer search of Chemical Abstracts in exchange for evaluating the searches. Only 39.6% of those offered a free search chose to do so. Of these patrons, 62% still planned to refer to the abstracts later, which are only available in the printed index. The hypothesis that the on-line version could be substituted for the printed index was not confirmed.

Computer-assisted instruction in a health sciences library: an experimental project.

Abstract: The Leon S. McGoogan Library of Medicine at the University of Nebraska received a grant from the University of Nebraska Computer Network to study management aspects of providing computer-assisted instruction (CAI) resources. The library wished to determine: (1) faculty and student receptiveness to CAI as a library resource and (2) user response to CAI library services. A user questionnaire was designed to ascertain the appropriateness of initial management decisions regarding CAI access. The methodology employed in implementing this pilot project, the results of the questionnaire, and the future of CAI at the University of Nebraska are addressed in this paper.

An examination of characteristics related to success of friends groups in medical school rare book libraries.

Abstract: Friends of the library groups traditionally have been considered effective sources of funding for libraries. Empirical evidence was sought to determine the accuracy of this belief for medical rare book libraries. Characteristics of the medical rare book library and of the friends group were examined to identify those which are correlated with successful friends groups. Correlations were found between the amount of money contributed by the friends group and the age of the friends group, the librarian's participation in forming the group, and the amount of money spent by the library on the friends group. Recommendations are made toward a goal of larger donations from friends groups of medical rare book libraries and toward more effective management of those funds.

Delivery of Health-Related Information to Rural Practitioners

Abstract: A program to develop library resources was instituted in eight hospitals and one ambulatory care facility in the rural low country of South Carolina from July 1978 to July 1979. The program's goal was to increase availability and awareness of informational resources and their value in the continuing and in-service education of health personnel. This paper reports on the program's inception, components, evaluation, success, and implications for similar programs.

National rankings as a means of evaluating medical school library programs: a comparative study.

Abstract: A comparative study was undertaken to assess the reasons for the low rankings received by George Washington University Medical Center library in the Annual Statistics for Medical School Libraries in the United States and Canada. Although internal studies showed the library was successfully satisfying user needs and meeting its primary objectives, the rankings, which include the traditional measures of quality used by accrediting bodies, indicated the contrary. Three hypotheses were postulated to account for the discrepancy. In a matched group of similar libraries: (1) the rankings of an individual library would differ from the national rankings; (2) clustering the variables would change the rankings; and (3) libraries with similar staff size would tend to rank in the same quartile in service and resource variables. All hypotheses were invalidated. Further tests led to the conclusion that the Annual Statistics and other traditional measures of quality are inappropriate and inaccurate methods for evaluating library programs, since they only measure resource allocations and not the effectiveness of those allocations. Alternative evaluation methods are suggested.

A study of weeding policies in eleven TALON resource libraries.

Abstract: A study was made of the weeding policies and practices of eleven TALON resource libraries. The results indicated that although weeding, or collection evaluation as it is also known, was performed by most of the libraries, few had a written policy. The reasons for weeding and the types of weeding done by the libraries are described. A discussion of the prevalent means of disposition of withdrawn materials and of the obstacles to cooperative weeding is included.

Medical library service in a community-based medical school: a case study in South Dakota.

Abstract: The historical background of community-based medical schools is described with emphasis on the experiences of the University of South Dakota Lommen Health Sciences Library. The steps undertaken by the library to meet Liaison Committee for Medical Education accreditation standards required for a full four-year, M.D.-degree granting institution are outlined. The governance structure of the participating Libraries of the Affiliated Teaching Hospitals Council is described. Special problems and their solutions are discussed in the context of providing service to a medical school which is decentralized on a statewide basis.

The Israeli National Medical Library's new minicomputerized on-line integrated system (MAIMON).

Abstract: An in-house library system based on a dedicated mini-computer has been in operation in the Israel National Medical Library since the summer of 1979. The integrated system, called MAIMON, features on-line access to bibliographic and circulation records. It replaces manual procedures in cataloging, searching, lending, and reservations. The system provides previously unavailable statistics on items in heavy use and demand, items to be removed from the active collection, and who uses what in the library. It is designed to be user cordial and to save users' time. The system has been very favorably accepted by patrons, and frees professional librarians from time-consuming clerical routine tasks. The system is evaluated in terms of performance, convenience, and cost.

A study of the health sciences library: its roles in education for the health sciences.

Abstract: The Association of American Medical Colleges, under National Library of Medicine sponsorship, is conducting a study of the academic health sciences library's roles in education for the health professions as these may be affected by changes in health information handling and management. The study's aims, objectives, and methods are described. The study aims to develop guiding principles for the use of academic health center administrators, library administrators, federal agency personnel, and others involved in planning and policy decision making for health sciences libraries.