Himmelfarb Library Blog - Databases

Mobile Access: Point-of-Care Trials

Fri, 13 Nov 2009 15:29:00 -0500

Himmelfarb Library is currently offering trial access to two point-of-care information tools to the GWUMC community. Each of these tools, DynaMed and Epocrates Online Premium, has a mobile (PDA/Smartphone) component which faculty, residents, and students can test and assess in addition to the desktop access.

DynaMed

Institutional subscription includes download for residents, faculty, and students at no additional charge.
Compatible devices and download instructions.

Email mlblea@gwumc.edu to request serial number for installation.
Note: download the complete DynaMed rather than the version marked 'Trial'.

Epocrates Online Premium

Institutional subscription does not include mobile download but group discount may be available to users who wish to purchase Epocrates Essentials, if this product is selected for licensing by Himmelfarb Library.

Download available for 30-day trial.

Compatible devices
Download Instructions

Email mlblea@gwumc.edu to request license code for free 30-day trial.
Create Epocrates account then click to activate license code.

As with the desktop versions of DynaMed and Epocrates Online Premium, Himmelfarb Library invites you begin using the mobile counterparts in clinical care and let us know how well they work for you. We are particularly interested in hearing your feedback on content, evidence, and interface.

Please submit your feedback to Laura Abate at mlblea@gwumc.edu or 202-994-8570.

PubMed: Redesigned Interface

Thu, 12 Nov 2009 11:23:00 -0500

PubMed's interface has been redesigned and the new interface has been released. You can access the 'new' PubMed via Himmelfarb Library's link which also incorporates links to Himmelfarb Library's full-text holdings and Himmelfarb's custom clinical/EBM limits to help users assess their search results.

PubMed's redesigned interface is geared toward simplicity and was retooled with the goal of making PubMed easier to use. While PubMed's search algorithms and search processing, including MeSH term mapping, remain unchanged, the search interface and screens are quite different. Some highlights of PubMed's redesign include:

New header, search bar, and footer which are common to all PubMed pages.
Advanced Search allows you to view your search history, search by field (e.g. author, journal, etc.), and limit your search (e.g. by full-text availability, language, article type, etc.).
Links to related information are displayed along the right side of the search results screen including article titles containing your search terms; articles freely accessible on PubMed Central; related information from other NCBI databases; and your recent PubMed searches.
Links to Himmelfarb Library's full-text journal collection are displayed on the upper-right portion of the screen.
Each article includes an expandable area for publication types, MeSH terms, and substances which are hyperlinked for immediate searches or which can be used to build a more complex search strategy.

To coincide with the debut of PubMed's redesigned interface, Himmelfarb Library has integrated several new limits into PubMed to help you identify high-quality clinical information. These limits will display in the upper-right of the search results screen. The goal of these limits is to reduce your search time for high-quality evidence in order to allow you to maximize your time for reading and analyzing the available information. The new limits are:

Clinical Reviews/EBM - limits articles to systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and meta-analyses, written in English.
Clinical Trials - limits articles to controlled clinical trials, multicenter studies, and randomized controlled trials, written in English.
Reviews - limits to review articles, written in English.

Additional resources:

PubMed Redesign

Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:17:00 -0500

PubMed has been redesigned and a new interface will be released soon. Currently, you can preview the redesign to get a feel for the new interface and also see some customizations which Himmelfarb Library has added.

PubMed's redesigned interface is geared toward simplicity with the goal of making PubMed easier to use. PubMed's search algorithms and search processing, including MeSH term mapping, remain unchanged. Some highlights of PubMed's redesign include:

New header, search bar, and footer which are common to all PubMed pages.
Advanced Search allows you to view your search history, search by field (e.g. author, journal, etc.), and limit your search (e.g. by full-text availability, language, article type, etc.).
Links to related information are displayed along the right side of the search results screen including article titles containing your search terms; articles freely accessible on PubMed Central; related information from other NCBI databases; and your recent PubMed searches.

Himmelfarb Library has also integrated several new limits into PubMed to help you identify high-quality clinical information. These limits will display in the upper-right of the search results screen. The goal of these limits is to reduce your search time for high-quality evidence in order to allow you to maximize your time for reading and analyzing the available information. The new limits are:

Clinical Reviews/EBM - limits articles to systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and meta-analyses, written in English.
Clinical Trials - limits articles to controlled clinical trials, multicenter studies, and randomized controlled trials, written in English.
Reviews - this tab contains review articles, written in English.

For more information on PubMed's redesign, please consult the NLM Technical Bulletin or watch Webcast: 2009 PubMed® Redesign.

Point-of-Care Resource Trials

Wed, 14 Oct 2009 12:29:00 -0500

During the next six months, Himmelfarb Library invites GWUMC faculty, students, and staff to evaluate two point-of-care information tools.

DynaMed

Epocrates Online Premium

Each of these information tools contains both drug and disease information. We invite you to begin using these tools in clinical care and let us know how well they work for you. We are particularly interested in hearing your feedback on:

Content. Can you find the information that you need? Does the resource cover the topics that you need?
Evidence. Can you determine the strength or level of evidence? Can you locate citations/links to the original research or references?
Interface. Is the resource easy to navigate? Does the search work well for your topics? Can you navigate through the product easily?

Both resources are available from on-campus (including GW Hospital) and off-campus locations. From off-campus locations, you can login using either VPN/GWireless or ALADIN; for more information please consult Himmelfarb Library's off-campus access instructions.

As the trials progress, we will provide additional information on the resources and conduct focus groups to discuss each resource's advantages and disadvantages. If you have questions or comments, please contact Laura Abate at mlblea@gwumc.edu or 202-994-8570.

PsycINFO New Interface

Mon, 24 Aug 2009 10:50:00 -0500

Need to find information on behavioral sciences or mental health? Try perfecting your search and getting the results you want with PsycINFO!

PsycINFO is an electronic database that provides abstracts and citations for the scholarly literature in behavioral sciences and mental health. It contains more than 2.5 million references to peer-reviewed literature from the early 1800s up to the present (including some records dated from the 1600s and 1700s as well).

PsycINFO is an essential tool for researchers, combining a wealth of content with precise indexing so you can get just what you need easily. You can limit your search to age groups, document type, and methodology. You can also limit results to those linked to full-text articles and/or peer reviewed articles as well as filter results by publication date to keep your searching current and up-to-date.

PsycINFO's special features include:

Save search results to a folder, making it simple to organize, print, e-mail, download or export your items to reference software like RefWorks.
Search by Subject (Index Term) Search which can help maximize the success of your searching! Index Terms are taken from the Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms which provides the controlled vocabulary for the database.

Request & Recommend Resources to Himmelfarb

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 08:16:00 -0500

Himmelfarb Library welcomes recommendations from faculty, students and staff members for materials of all types that we may want to add to our collection. Because of your research, clinical, and educational expertise, you may be aware of an information resource that would be valuable to our collection, and we want to hear from you!

Although the final addition is dependent upon a number of factors, we depend upon your input to identify high-quality materials. Once a request is made, we will review the specific title, balance it with the other titles in the same area, and keep you aware of the final disposition. We will also provide any training necessary.

Please do not hesitate to contact us to make us aware of your request. You can submit requests and recommendations:

Purchase Request Form
By contacting the individual responsible for that area of the collection:

Books: George Paul (202-994-3682, mlbgpp@gwumc.edu)
Journals: Steve Brown (202-994-9756, mlbswb@gwumc.edu)
Audiovisuals: Catherine Harris (202-994-9453, mlbcrh@gwumc.edu)
Software: Alexandra Gomes (202-994-1825, mlbawg@gwumc.edu)
Databases and Electronic Textbooks: Laura Abate (202-994-8570, mlblea@gwumc.edu)

By making your request known to your Library Liaison.

Please help us with your special knowledge as we try to make our collection one of the best available.

Savvy Searcher: PubMed

Wed, 19 Aug 2009 11:09:00 -0500

PubMed has added two new features to My NCBI: the ability to share individual saved collection(s) and the ability to create customized filters. My NCBI is a PubMed tool which allows users to create an individual account to customize their search experience and save searches.

My NCBI has always allowed users to save their searches and receive automatic e-mail updates of new search results. Now, users can also save citations and share those citations with colleagues. Here's how you can use this feature:

Sign-in to My NCBI or create an account.
Search PubMed for articles, then select (via checkbox) the citations which you'd like to save.
Use the pull-down menu and select 'Send to Collection'. You will be prompted to create a new collection, or add these citations to an existing collection.
You can access your My NCBI account at any time to access your collections. You can also indicate whether your collections are private or public. When a collection is public, a URL is generated that can be sent to others, who can then view those saved citations.

Users can also create customized search filters. Presently, My NCBI displays search results on two tabs labeled 'all' and 'review' at the top of the search results. When signed into My NCBI, users can create additional tabs, for example, a tab for "English and Humans", which will automatically filter results and display only those in English, and relevant to humans. Here's how you can use this feature:

Sign-in to My NCBI or create an account.
Access your My NCBI account by clicking My NCBI in the upper right corner of your PubMed screen.
Click on 'Search Filters' on the left side of the screen, and then choose PubMed from the list of databases.
Select from the available filters to set filter preferences. Available filters are listed under the tabs, including those marked for Frequently Requested Filters, Browse Filters, and Custom Filters.

For more information on these enhancements or other features of PubMed's My NCBI, see About My NCBI, PubMed's Help, or Ask Us.

Psychiatry Portal: PsychiatryOnline

Mon, 27 Jul 2009 09:00:00 -0500

PsychiatryOnline provides a single portal to access high-quality psychiatry information for clinical care, research, and education by providing full-text access to the DSM-IV, seven core psychiatry textbooks, six journals, APA practice guidelines, patient education information, and self-assessment quizzes.

PsychiatryOnline provides access to the current edition of the DSM, the DSM-IV-TR Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. It also provides full-text access to prior editions of the DSM going all the way back to the original edition. These prior editions are provided for reference only, so information from them won't be included in your search results. In addition to the DSM, PsychiatryOnline provides access to resources to assist you in clinical work:

DSM-IV-TR Handbook of Differential Diagnosis (First, 1st ed.): A succinct reference to help ensure that all important diagnoses that need to be ruled out during a clinical evaluation are considered.
Symptom Index: An important tool for differential diagnosis, taken from DSM-IV-TR Handbook of Differential Diagnosis.
Cases from DSM-IV-TR Casebook and Its Treatment Companion (Spitzer, 4th ed.): Real-world cases that bring DSM diagnostic criteria and treatment to life.

PsychiatryOnline provides access to the current editions of a core set of textbooks published by American Psychiatric Publishing. All textbooks are available in full-text format, and can be searched or browsed for information. PsychiatryOnline's textbook collection includes:

All American Psychiatric Association journals are provided in full-text format beginning with the 1997 issues and continuing through the present. You can also link to the full-text journals from databases including PubMed, MEDLINE, and Scopus. PsychiatryOnline's journal collection includes:

PsychiatryOnline provides full-text access to the APA's practice guidelines. The APA guidelines are intended to provide evidence-based recommendations for the assessment and treatment of psychiatric disorders.

To help patients understand psychiatric diagnoses and therapies, PsychiatryOnline provides access to a set of materials created specifically for patients and their families. PsychiatryOnline's patient educations materials include:

You can use PsychiatryOnline's self-assessment area to evaluate your knowledge of subject matter in different areas. The self-paced, online quizzes are based on content in four of the core online textbooks.

Access to PsychiatryOnline is provided via the Himmelfarb Library website. Remote access is available to all GWUMC faculty, students, and staff; information and instructions for remote access are available from the Library's Off-Campus / Wireless Access webpage. PsychiatryOnline can also be accessed via Blackberry/Treo PDAs/smartphones. Users will automatically be re-directed to a web version which is optimized for viewing on mobile devices.

Before your first mobile visit, you will need to create a free personal "My PsychiatryOnline" account. To create an account, access PsychiatryOnline from the Library's website using a desktop or laptop computer, then click the "My PsychiatryOnline" link and follow the instructions for creating an account. Your "My PsychiatryOnline" username and password will then give you access to the mobile site.

MS3 Clerkships: Information Resources

Thu, 09 Jul 2009 16:31:00 -0500

A new web tutorial, MS3 Clerkships: Information Resources, is available for 3rd year medical students which links to information resources relevant to each of their clerkships. The tutorial provides a tab for each clerkship (e.g. OB/GYN, Pediatrics, etc.) and provides links to 'best bets', key textbooks, handheld resources, and research article databases. The tutorial even includes a list of the EBM publication types to help identify high-quality clinical information.

Himmelfarb Library's print and online collections are extensive, so these lists are by no means exhaustive, but indicate promising places to start an information search. As always, if you have questions, please ask us! We're reachable by phone, email, or IM.

Database Digest: World Development Indicators

Mon, 01 Jun 2009 14:03:00 -0500

Is it important for your work to have access to country-specific information and data? The Himmelfarb Library can connect you to resources to help you locate high-quality, highly relevant information.

Library of Congress: Country Studies
Describes and analyzes the historical setting and the social, economic, political, and national security systems and institutions of countries throughout the world.

CIA World Factbook
Country snapshots provide facts and figures on geography, people, government, economy, transportation, the military and transnational issues. This information is also available as a print publication and can be found in Gelman Library's Reference section at call number Ready Reference G122 .U56 2007.

World Development Indicators
This World Bank database supplies country-level comparisons of economic development data. Uses can create custom reports that compare countries by specific development statistics.

Image citation: World Bank (2003). Being near prosperous places is important, but not enough. Foreign market potential, 2003. [Online image]. Retrieved June 1, 2009 from http://siteresources.worldbank.org/INTWDR2009/Resources/Map-6.6.gif.

Research tools latest & greatest

Wed, 27 May 2009 16:05:00 -0500

Himmelfarbs librarians wanted to share information about some exciting new and/or redesigned research tools.

WorldWideScience.org
One stop search of 50 national science portals (e.g. CERN, Science.gov, Indian Academy of Sciences, etc.) While not all content is free or full text, this tool is useful to explore where you may want to dig deeper. For example, search for avian influenza to see the spectrum of information resources available. Developed by the US Department of Energy, Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI).

ToxSeek
This meta-search engine for toxicology and environmental health offers a single search tool for searching the major NIH databases and resources from the National Library of Medicine. The real power of the database is the sophisticated natural language processing and artificial intelligence used to identify key words and present result clusters in an index on the left side of the screen. This tool is useful for identifying particular concepts and uncovering a specific aspect or focus for more in depth searching. For example, search for chlorine in drinking water. Developed by the US National Library of Medicine, Specialized Information Services Division.

GoPubMed
GoPubMed searches PubMed data and provides the results in a visual format using classifications by Gene Ontology and Medical Subject Headings. Search results are semantically organized in different categories such as What, Who, Where and When. The What, Who, Where, and When category lists on the left side of the screen allow you to narrow down your results set. GoPubMed was developed by the German company Transinsight.

ReQall and Google Voice
These two services offer tools for mobile professionals. Both feature a telephone speech to text transcription service for short messages (i.e. up to 30 seconds). ReQall features reminder and sharing functions that direct your voicemail transcription to yourself or your colleagues via email or IM, and can sync the message with your iCal, Outlook, or Google calendar. When you think of things you need to remember, you can call Google Voice or ReQall, say what youre thinking, your message is turned into text, which can then be sent to you or someone else as text or voice. ReQall can also record a future task into your calendar.

Image created using Wordle

Swine Flu: Clinical Information

Mon, 04 May 2009 15:54:00 -0500

Himmelfarb Library's clinical databases provide information on swine flu (H1N1):

eMedicine
- Swine Influenza A (H1N1) Virus summarizes information on morbidity and mortality, symptoms, viral strain and testing, treatment recommendations, medications. Also includes images.

MDConsult / FirstConsult
- H1N1 Flu (Swine Flu) includes links to US & International Agency Updates and practice guidelines plus information on etiology, diagnosis, treatment, screening and prevention, and prognosis.

UpToDate (This resource available at the GW Hospital, MFA, and Himmelfarb Library ONLY. No off-campus access permitted.)

Clinical Information Tools

Fri, 20 Mar 2009 13:56:00 -0500

Himmelfarb Library offers an extensive collection of online information tools. The collection currently includes 2,400+ electronic journals, 200+ clinical textbooks, and more than 80 databases. The database collection includes research databases as well as databases to support clinical and evidence-based practice.

BMJ Clinical Evidence
Continuously updated evidence on clinical interventions. Summarizes current state of knowledge and uncertainty about the prevention and treatment of clinical conditions, based on thorough searches and appraisal of the literature. Produced by the BMJ Publishing Group.
Cochrane Library
High-quality, independent evidence includes Cochrane reviews plus additional databases including Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Cochrane Methodology Register, Health Technology Assessment Database, and the NHS Economic Evaluation Database.
eMedicine
Knowledge-based information system with peer-reviewed, continuously updated medical reference articles, PDA downloadable textbooks, and image library. Also provides personalized education system and CME, CE, and OCEU.
MDConsult / FirstConsult
FirstConsult segment provides evidence-based clinical information database with differential diagnosis, medical conditions, procedures, and patient education, while MDConsult connects users to electronic textbooks, practice guidelines, drug information, journal search, news, and patient education materials with emphasis on full-text materials.
UpToDate
Evidence-based, regularly updated topic reviews. Please note: This resource available at the GW Hospital, MFA, and Himmelfarb Library ONLY. No off-campus access permitted.

MDConsult / FirstConsult and UpToDate both provide drug information to support clinical practice. Himmelfarb Library also offers additional drug information tools to support your clinical practice.

Lexi-Comp
Comprehensive clinical drug information tool. Includes Lexi-Interact (drug interaction module), Lexi-Drug ID (tablet and capsule identification), Lexi-CALC (medical calculators), I.V. Compatibility, and a Patient Care Module (patient education handouts).
Natural Medicines
Natural medicines information including alternate and scientific names, uses, safety, efficacy, mechanism of action, active ingredients, adverse reactions, interactions, drug influence on nutrient levels and depletion, dosage and administration, brand names, and patient education handouts.

GWUMC faculty, staff, and students have 24/7 access to all of the Library's electronic resources. You can login to most of the Library's electronic resources from off-campus using your last name and GWid (G#), or by logging into VPN (GWireless) with your @gwu.edu login and password. If you have questions regarding remote access, please contact Laura Abate at mlblea@gwumc.edu or 202-994-8570.

One stop search engine for Himmelfarb Library's resources

Mon, 09 Feb 2009 08:55:00 -0500

On January 12, 2009, Himmelfarb Library launched a new, multi-database search engine. This new search engine permits users to search across a broad range of the Library's database resources with one click of a mouse. The multi-database search engine was designed to help users identify resources which contain information on specific topics, to facilitate database discovery, and to assist in locating pertinent print resources. Several demos will be held at the library and at the hospital to introduce users to the search engine. The multi-database search engine appears on the Himmelfarb Library homepage, and can also be accessed on the E-Databases and E-Texts webpages. Users can choose to search across all of the integrated resources: about 40 databases and textbook collections as well as the Library's print resources. Or, users can choose to search specific portions of the collection (e.g. E-Texts, Research Articles, Drug/Pharmacology, etc.). Users can also access the Advanced Search tool to make their own database selections and apply limits to their searches. For additional information, please consult to Multi-Database Search Tutorial or contact the Library's Reference Desk via phone at 202-994-8570, via email at library@gwumc.edu, or via Instant Message.

The Grey Literature Report

Thu, 05 Feb 2009 08:55:00 -0500

Finding public health information not published in books or journal articles is difficult. Where would you look to find a pamphlet produced by a non-profit health organization that is not listed on their website, or a government agency report that you can't find on that department's home page or via gpo.gov? What if a Google search does not reveal the answer?

The Grey Literature Report is a searchable index of the public health grey literature collected by the New York Academy of Medicine. The report covers publications in the fields of health and science policy, public health, health of minorities and special populations (i.e. children, women, uninsured, elderly) that are not indexed in other health sciences databases or MEDLINE.

The publications do not come from major commercial publishers but from government agencies, non-profit non-governmental organizations, universities, independent research centers, and international organizations. Document types include but are not limited to case studies, conference proceedings, discussion papers, fact sheets, government documents, issue briefs, research reports, statistical reports, and white papers. Numeric reports are not included, although questionnaires, health statistics and data are when they form an integral part of a report. Currently no audiovisual material, videos or webcasts are included in the report.