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Data management and integration are complicated and ongoing problems that will require commitment of resources and expertise from the various biological science communities. Primary components of successful cross-scale integration are smooth information management and migration from one context to another. We call for a broadening of the definition of bioinformatics and bioinformatics training to span biological disciplines and biological scales. Training programs are needed that educate a new kind of informatics professional, Biological Information Specialists, to work in collaboration with various discipline-specific research personnel. Biological Information Specialists are an extension of the informationist movement that began within library and information science (LIS) over 30 years ago as a professional position to fill a gap in clinical medicine. These professionals will help advance science by improving access to scientific information and by freeing scientists who are not interested in data management to concentrate on their science.

The theoretical and policy focus on parental involvement in education has evolved into a consideration of two-way connections between families and schools. Working from a social capital perspective emphasizing the importance of information in periods and domains of uncertainty, this study tested a specific application of this reconceptualization. Multilevel models of the National Education Longitudinal Study (n = 17,899) revealed that youth started high school in higher-level math when parents, middle school personnel, and high school personnel were in contact with each other and when middle school personnel bridged the other two. The observed effects of other family-school patterns on math and of all family-school patterns on science were driven by selection, including adolescents' characteristics selecting them into different family-school configurations. Importantly, multiple forms of family-school communication were related to reduced income and language disparities in math and science coursework, regardless of their associations with coursework in the general population.

Question:

How can health sciences librarians and biomedical informaticians offer relevant support to Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA) personnel?

Setting:

The Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the associate vice president for information technology for the health sciences office at the University of Utah conducted a needs assessment.

Methods:

Faculty and staff from these two units, with the services of a consultant and other CTSA partners, employed a survey, focus groups, interviews, and committee discussions. An information portal was created to meet identified needs.

Results:

A directive white paper was created. The process employed to plan a virtual and physical collaborative, collegial space for clinical researchers at the university and its three inter-institutional CTSA partners is described.

Conclusion:

The university's model can assist other librarians and informaticians with how to become part of a CTSA-focused infrastructure for clinical and translational research and serve researchers in general.

The Louis Stokes Health Sciences Library attributes its successful move to early planning and preparation. Professional literature on the subject as well as consultation with other experienced library personnel also proved beneficial. Utilizing these resources, the committees devised a strategy that supported the library's mission to provide excellent and complete information services for the advancement of health sciences. This paper describes the Howard University Health Sciences Library move experience and offers practical advice for planning a library move. We hope that the information shared will assist other libraries facing a similar challenge.

This paper reports the results of a survey undertaken by the World Health Organization of health sciences libraries in Southeast Asia. It includes information on clientele, budget, personnel, collections, lending policy, dissemination of information, and reference services. The survey indicates that the collections in most of the health sciences libraries in Southeast Asia are deficient and that services provided to readers are inadequate. Recommendations for improvement are outlined.

In this report, responses to a questionnaire to the directors of the sixteen past and present medical library education programs are presented. The questionnaires indicate a rather wide variety of training programs with emphases that vary from preparation of management personnel to preparation of subject specialists and those skilled in the techniques of information storage and retrieval. The content of the degree programs is fairly evenly divided among general retrieval and outside courses. The internship programs place more emphasis on the work experience than do the degree programs, supplementing this experience with appropriate courses in science, health sciences, management, and information storage and retrieval. Program directors indicated that new or expanded programs are needed in medical library education, although caution is reflected in comments concerning the limited job market. Most of the internship directors stated that they could not accommodate more individuals in their programs without expansion of staff and facilities.

BACKGROUND: In a literature-based discussion of research on the information behaviors of life and health scientists and health care practitioners, the problem of characterizing this complex literature is discussed. The issue of terminology for this interdisciplinary area is raised. The paucity of models for information seeking behavior that have been tested in a health care population is discussed, as are the frequently used methods of investigation and data collection methods. METHODS: By analyzing a large number of information behavior research studies, the questions of who does the research and where the research is published are answered. The characteristics of this research are discussed. Studies are cited that investigate the information behavior of physicians, multidisplinary groups of health professionals, medical students and faculty, nurses and other allied health personnel, life scientists, and basic science researchers. Two short case studies--on the diffusion of medical knowledge and on drug information and physician behavior--are used as examples of information behavior research. CONCLUSIONS: The importance of studying the information behavior of health and life scientists and health care providers is underscored by a discussion of the implications for further study.

Background

Health auxiliary personnel have an important role in oral health promotion when they graduate and start working in the health care system. This study aims to find out oral health knowledge and oral health behavior of male Health Sciences College students.

Methods

A questionnaire was distributed to all students at the male Health Sciences College in Kuwait (N = 153) during the academic year 2001/2002. The students filled the anonymous questionnaire in the class after the lecture. The response rate was 84% (n = 128). The questions consisted information on the general background, oral health behavior and oral health knowledge.

Results

Oral health knowledge seemed to be limited and very few background factors were associated with it. More than half of the students had visited a dentist during the previous 12 months, but only one third of students were brushing twice a day or more often.

Conclusions

It may be concluded that the male Health Sciences College students seemed to have appropriate knowledge on some oral health topics, but limited knowledge on the others. Their toothbrushing practices are still far behind the international recommendation (twice a day) and also the knowledge, why it should be done so frequently also very limited.

The successful delivery of health care involves a commitment to improved communication both with regard to health professionals and the public. The need for innovative educational patterns is implicit in the recommendations of the latest Carnegie Commission Report, Higher Education and the Nation's Health.

The new technology of videorecording permits the learner to learn at a time and place of his own choosing. Information is transmitted through the cathode ray tube—a television set—the medium of our time. The videorecord is of significant value in the basic and clinical sciences, in training personnel for allied health professions, and in continuing education. It is thoroughly compatible with the new concept of the open university, an institution without walls.

In addition to its unquestioned value in educational programs in the health sciences, the videorecord has major implications for the curriculum in librarianship and for increasing the professional competence of medical librarians and their ancillaries. The medical librarian has a major stake in its imaginative use for overcoming some of the barriers to individual and community health.

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.

Medical personnel and medical librarians may tend to think of nutrition in medical terms and to forget its interdisciplinary aspects. For this reason, it is desirable for medical librarians to become familiar with a variety of sources of information on the composition of foods, nutrient values, food additives, and food protection. Many of these are government publications from such agencies as the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Research Council, and the Food and Agriculture Organization. Less familiar sources include nutrition materials from state agricultural experiment stations and extension services and important data published in a wide range of scientific or agricultural journals, which may be located through Nutrition Abstracts and Reviews, Food Science and Technology Abstracts, and the Bibliography of Agriculture. Sources of current information on nutrition research in progress include the Department of Agriculture's Current Research Information System (CRIS) and selective listings from the Smith-sonian Information Exchange.

The SMILE project represented a partnership among the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio Libraries, the Gateway Clinic in Laredo, and the San Antonio Metropolitan Health District. The project focused on improving dental practitioners' access to reliable information resources and integrating the best evidence into public health dental practice. Through its training program, SMILE cultivated a set of “power information users” among the dentists, dental hygienists, and community health workers (promotores) who provide public health preventive care and oral health education. The dental public health practitioners gained information literacy skills and increased their knowledge about reliable sites such as blogs, PubMed®, and MedlinePlus®. This project fostered opportunities for expanded partnerships with public health personnel.

Three health sciences librarians created a curriculum to connect pre-school – grade 12 (P-12) personnel with credible health information. The course focuses on MedlinePlus® and KidsHealth.org®. They obtained external funding to deliver a revised curriculum for free throughout the metropolitan area. The funded portion of the project reached 93 people at 8 sites. Efforts to sustain the program beyond its funded cycle have reached another 33 people. Evaluations indicate the curriculum successfully equips staff to be health information champions within their schools. Participants report increased confidence locating credible health information. Written comments indicate both short-term gains and sustained use of the knowledge.

Background

Each year medical providers from wealthy countries participate in short-term medical volunteer work in resource-poor countries. Various authors have raised concern that such work has the potential to be harmful to recipient communities; however, the social science and medical literature contains little research into the perceptions of short-term medical volunteer work from the perspective of members of recipient communities. This exploratory study examines the perception of short-term medical volunteer work in Guatemala among groups of actors affected by or participating in these programs.

Methods

The researchers conducted in-depth, semi-structured interviews with 72 individuals, including Guatemalan healthcare providers and health authorities, foreign medical providers, non-medical personnel working on health projects, and Guatemalan parents of children treated by a short-term volunteer group. Detailed notes and summaries of these interviews were uploaded, coded and annotated using Atlas.ti (Scientific Software Development GmbH, Berlin) to identify recurrent themes from the interviews.

Results

Informants commonly identified a need for increased access to medical services in Guatemala, and many believed that short-term medical volunteers are in a position to offer improved access to medical care in the communities where they serve. Informants most frequently cited appropriate patient selection and attention to payment systems as the best means to avoid creating dependence on foreign aid. The most frequent suggestion to improve short-term medical volunteer work was coordination with and respect for local Guatemalan healthcare providers and their communities, as insufficient understanding of the country's existing healthcare resources and needs may result in perceived harm to the recipient community.

Conclusion

The perceived impact of short-term medical volunteer projects in Guatemala is highly variable and dependent upon the individual project. In this exploratory study, project characteristics were identified that are consistently perceived to be either positive or negative. These findings have direct implications for anyone involved in the planning and execution of short-term medical volunteer projects, including local and foreign medical team members, project planners and coordinators, and health authorities. Most importantly, this preliminary study suggests avenues for future study and evaluation of the impact of short-term medical volunteer programs on local health care services.

Prompted by the apparent unavailability of published information regarding the cataloging practices in North Carolina schools of nursing libraries, this study was conducted using a questionnaire sent to the thirty-eight schools of nursing in the state.

The “average” North Carolina school of nursing library is an autonomous facility administered by nonprofessional personnel or by a person with an undergraduate degree in a nonlibrary field. The materials are organized by the National Library of Medicine Classification and Medical Subject Headings in combination with the Library of Congress classification and subject headings, except for bound journals which are shelved alphabetically by exact title.

It is recommended that separate school of nursing and hospital or medical school libraries be consolidated under a trained librarian in order to standardize and unify cataloging practices on the local level and to gain the advantages available through regional and national cooperation of health sciences libraries.

Machines themselves are not dehumanizing. Employed with proper management in total systems they enable us better to achieve human goals. Large libraries are complex systems involving man-machine relationships which must be studied with the new management techniques of systems analysis and operations research. Management science deals with a wide variety of problems encountered in the economy of the modern library. Librarians must know about these techniques if they are to fulfill their roles as managers of information services and systems. Good management also involves taking cognizance of the human factors in the old meaning of the term. Some parallels may be found between child rearing and personnel management, but the primary one is that managers must pay the same kind of thoughtful attention to their problems. Good management techniques may be learned empirically by trial and error, but they are better acquired systematically through consultation and study.

The educational programs for the preparation of health sciences information personnel are described and the lack of evaluative criteria or studies in relation to these programs is noted. The author recommends an extension of MLA's role in four areas of the educational process: curriculum design, teacher development, development of learning materials, and evaluation of the educational effort. Preconditions for the fulfillment of the projected MLA role are identified as unity of purpose, leadership by the headquarters staff, and money.

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.

Background

Correct diagnosis of malaria is crucial for proper treatment of patients and surveillance of the disease. However, laboratory diagnosis of malaria in Tanzania is constrained by inadequate infrastructure, consumables and insufficient skilled personnel. Furthermore, the perceptions and attitude of health service providers (laboratory personnel and clinicians) and users (patients/care-takers) on the quality of laboratory services also present a significant challenge in the utilization of the available services. This study was conducted to assess perceptions of users and health-care providers on the quality and utilization of laboratory malaria diagnostic services in six districts from three regions in Tanzania.

Methods

Questionnaires were used to collect information from laboratory personnel, clinicians and patients or care-takers.

Results

A total of 63 laboratory personnel, 61 clinicians and 753 patients/care-takers were interviewed. Forty-six (73%) laboratory personnel claimed to be overworked, poorly motivated and that their laboratories were under-equipped. About 19% (N = 12) of the laboratory personnel were lacking professional qualification. Thirty-seven clinicians (60.7%) always requested for blood smear examination to confirm malaria. Only twenty five (41.0%) clinicians considered malaria microscopy results from their respective laboratories to be reliable. Forty-five (73.8%) clinicians reported to have been satisfied with malaria diagnostic services provided by their respective laboratories. Majority (90.2%, N = 679) of the patients or care-takers were satisfied with the laboratory services.

Conclusion

The findings show that laboratory personnel were not satisfied with the prevailing working conditions, which were reported to undermine laboratory performance. It was evident that there was no standard criteria for ordering malaria laboratory tests and test results were under-utilized. Majority of the clinicians and patients or care-takers were comfortable with the overall performance of laboratories, but laboratory results were having less impact on patient management.

Background

In 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy mandated open access for publications resulting from NIH funding (following a 12-month embargo). The large increase in access to research that will take place in the years to come has potential implications for evidence-based practice (EBP) and lifelong learning for health personnel.

Objective

This study assesses health personnel’s current use of research to establish whether grounds exist for expecting, preparing for, and further measuring the impact of the NIH Public Access Policy on health care quality and outcomes in light of time constraints and existing information resources.

Methods

In all, 14 interviews and 90 surveys of health personnel were conducted at a community-based clinic and an independent teaching hospital in 2010. Health personnel were asked about the research sources they consulted and the frequency with which they consulted these sources, as well as motivation and search strategies used to locate articles, perceived level of access to research, and knowledge of the NIH Public Access Policy.

Results

In terms of current access to health information, 65% (57/88) of the health personnel reported being satisfied, while 32% (28/88) reported feeling underserved. Among the sources health personnel reported that they relied upon and consulted weekly, 83% (73/88) reported turning to colleagues, 77% (67/87) reported using synthesized information resources (eg, UpToDate and Cochrane Systematic Reviews), while 32% (28/88) reported that they consulted primary research literature. The dominant resources health personnel consulted when actively searching for health information were Google and Wikipedia, while 27% (24/89) reported using PubMed weekly. The most prevalent reason given for accessing research on a weekly basis, reported by 35% (31/88) of survey respondents, was to help a specific patient, while 31% (26/84) were motivated by general interest in research.

Conclusions

The results provide grounds for expecting the NIH Public Access Policy to have a positive impact on EBP and health care more generally given that between a quarter and a third of participants in this study (1) frequently accessed research literature, (2) expressed an interest in having greater access, and (3) were aware of the policy and expect it to have an impact on their accessing research literature in the future. Results also indicate the value of promoting a greater awareness of the NIH policy, providing training and education in the location and use of the literature, and continuing improvements in the organization of biomedical research for health personnel use.

Computer-based training developed with high-level software packages offers a cost-efficient means of orienting large numbers of personnel to a hospital information system. Equally important, a decentralized, self-administered, self-paced tutorial allows professional personnel to get training where and when they want it, with as little or as much reinforcement as they desire. We will demonstrate the tutorial we developed to train 2500 clinical and unit support personnel to use the first clinical module of our Patient Care Information System. Although the Laboratory Results Inquiry function was simple to use, many of our staff had had little or no exposure to computers, and none knew how to use the system we would be implementing. About 300 of our 2500 personnel elected to come to mentored group classes, where the same computer-based tutorial was used, but a trained "superuser" was available to answer questions and offer guidance.

Introduction

The role of allied health personnel (not physician) in cardiothoracic surgery has evolved substantially since the beginnings of this discipline in the 70´s, especially in developed countries.

Methods

To explore the status of allied health personnel in cardiothoracic surgery in Latin America, a research was geared to know the general context of human resources in public health and specifically in cardiothoracic surgery. Official data from the World Health Organization and the Pan American Health Organization were acquired. An on-line survey was sent to Latin-American cardiothoracic surgeons through either scientific societies or personal e-mail, to get direct information on human resources management of the surgical services.

Results

There is lack of information on the medical literature regarding the allied health personnel activities in the region. Sixty one Latin American cardiothoracic centers answered the survey. The survey revealed that the profile of the allied health personnel is outlined by nurses, perfusion and anesthesiology technicians; whose routine activities are restricted to minor controls.

Conclusions

At the moment, the lack of information and official data generates difficulties in analyzing the development status of allied health personnel in cardiothoracic surgery departments in the region of Latin America. In the light of the results and growing interest of developed countries in incorporating the allied health personnel to improve the work capacity and the quality of care in cardiothoracic surgery centers, it would be sensible to develop policies oriented to train and organize this activity in Latin America.

Background:

Bispectral index monitoring system (BIS) is one of the several systems used to measure the effects of anaesthetic and sedative drugs on the brain and to track changes in the patient's level of sedation and hypnosis. BIS monitoring provides information clinically relevant to the adjustment of dosages of sedating medication. It can help the nursing personnel in preventing under- and over sedation among intensive care unit (ICU) patients.

Objective:

The present study was conducted to assess the knowledge of nursing personnel working in the ICU regarding BIS.

Methods:

Fifty-four subjects participated in the study. A structured questionnaire was developed to assess the knowledge of the nursing personnel regarding BIS. Focus group discussions were held among the nursing personnel to know their views regarding BIS.

Results:

Mean age (years) of the subjects was 30.7±7.19 (21–47) years, with a female preponderance. Although the use of BIS in ICU is not common, majority (94.44%) were aware of BIS and its purpose. 79.62% of the subjects knew about its implication in patient care. The mean knowledge score of the subjects was 11.87±2.43 (maximum score being 15).

Conclusion:

There exists an awareness among the critical care nursing staff in our institution regarding BIS and its clinical implications. Its use in the critical care setting may benefit the patients in terms of providing optimal sedation.

Background

A third of world's filariasis cases occur in India. As a result Mass Drug Administration (MDA) was commenced in 1997 with the aim of eliminating this disease by 2015. However the coverage of MDA was not satisfactory. The underlying reasons for the poor coverage need to be identified. This study was conducted to assess the awareness of health personnel of lymphatic filariasis and the MDA programme.

Method

This cross-sectional study was conducted in Kundapura taluk of Karnataka state in India during the 6th round of the MDA which was held between December 11 to 13, 2009.78 health personnel who were posted for drug distribution were selected by convenience sampling. After obtaining informed consent health personnel were interviewed individually using a semi-structured questionnaire. Performance of health personnel was assessed according to points scored for their responses.

Results

The mean age of all participants were 22.7± 8.9 years, 74(94.1%) were females and 58(74.4%) were nursing students. Only 17 (21.8%) participants had prior experience before taking part in this round of MDA. Only 4 (5.1%) participants achieved good scores while 45 (57.7%) got average scores. Performance scores were significantly better among paramedical workers (P<0.025) and participants with at least 4 years of experience in MDA (P<0.004).

10 (12.8%) participants held the misconception that MDA should not be given to patients with DM (diabetes mellitus) and 7 (9.0%) felt that it should not be given to patients with hypertension or elderly people. This was seen significantly more (P<0.001) among non medical workers compared to others.

Conclusion

Very few participants in this study attained good performance scores regarding their knowledge of lymphatic filariasis and the MDA programme. Performance scores were better among paramedical workers compared to others. However misconceptions about contraindications to MDA were seen in all participants and this must be addressed by future training.

Purpose

To understand the needs of information in the collaboration between health personnel in hospitals and care nursing personnel in municipal care in the process of discharging care-needing older patients from hospitals.

Theory

The analytical perspective is a process of patient transition, in which responsible actors in health and municipal care have to collaborate in certain patterns, within a tight time schedule, restricted by the different organizational framework of a hospital or a municipality within which individual actors are situated.

Methods

Step 1: Qualitative studies with nursing personnel in six municipalities and nurses in the hospitals serving the actual municipalities. Step 2: A survey addressed to key informants in municipal care in a representative sample of Norwegian municipalities.

Results

The formal routines of information exchange associated with these kinds of discharges are too slow and out of phase with informational needs. Seventy percent of our respondent stated that information delivered through formal routines had already been collected by informal contacts. Formal routines were usually weakest for patients to be taken care of in their own homes—where the need for information in many cases was greater than for patients going to local institutions.