LHL Resource of the Month

Grey Literature Report: May Resource of the Month

The New York Academy of Medicine produces a bimonthly report that alerts readers to new grey literature publications.

The reports primarily focus on health services research and selected public health topics.  The emphasis is on research materials and includes documents like conference proceedings, government documents, statistical reports, and case studies.  Materials included in the bimonthly reports and indexed on the site are published by non-commercial organizations including governmental organizations, universities, non-profit NGOs, international organizations, and independent research centers.

When research is not published by commercial publishers, research is not distributed through the usual channels, like database from EBSCO or ProQuest or journals from Elsevier and Wiley-Blackwell. Because the research included in the Grey Literature Report focuses on what’s missing from traditional databases and journals, the site can be a vital component of the research process, introducing the researcher to materials that might otherwise be overlooked.

You can also easily browse archived reports since 1999 when the  Grey Literature Report first was first published.  In addition to the written report, publications are indexed in the New York Academy of Medicine Library’s online catalog.  Their advanced search page offers one of the few means outside of Google Scholar, to effectively search the grey literature.

Read the current Grey Literature Report here.  For more information on what grey literature is and how to find it, please visit our LHL Guide.

Wilderness Medicine: April Resource of the Month

With the great weather we’ve been having no doubt many of you have been spending lots of time outside and maybe are making plans to camp, hike, or spend time on the water.

Before you embark on your summer adventures, take a look Paul Auerbach’s Wilderness Medicine available online at Lister Hill through MD Consult.  Wilderness Medicine has information for both common outdoors injuries and for life-threatening and severe injuries.

The book is divided into 13 comprehensive parts:

• Mountain Medicine
• Cold and Heat
• Burns, Fire, and Radiation
• Injuries and Medical Interventions
• Rescue and Survival
• Animals, Insects, and Zoonoses
• Plants
• Food and Water
• Marine Medicine
• Travel, Environmental Hazards, and Disasters
• Equipment and Special Knowledge
• Special Populations and Considerations
• The Wilderness

Each of these parts is then subdivided into chapters covering a wide range of topics, from how to avoid certain annoying insects to what to do in more serious situations such as being bitten or attacked by an animal, or what to do in the case of various traumatic injuries.

Of course you can’t rely on having cell phone signal allowing you to access the e-book while outdoors so it might help to read over relevant sections before a trip.  If however, you’re going to take a device where you can store PDFs, consider downloading PDFs of sections that might be useful to you.

This thorough volume covers a wide range of topics, addressing most every corner of health in the wilderness.  And while the audience for this book is definitely medical professionals, there are sections the non-medical public could benefit from reviewing as well, particularly sections about prevention and general safety.  Wilderness Medicine is a great resource outdoor enthusiasts.

First Consult App: March Resource of the Month

MD Consult has a great app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch users.  The First Consult app is designed to provide evidence-based answers at the point of care.  Content is downloaded to your device so wireless connectivity is not required for use, only for downloading updates.

Search or browse topics to find background, diagnosis,  treatment, outcomes, and prevention information as well as additional resources.  Sections are further subdivided for easier use.  The diagnosis section, for example, typically contains information on clinical presentation, a differential diagnosis section, and workup with instructions for the examination and  contributing factors.  In the resources section you’ll find references for the article and sometimes links to guidelines.

Remember, these topics will be updated regularly and automatically when connected to a wireless network so users can be confident they are using current information.

The sections menu in the upper right corner also offers a quick link to synonyms and the urgent or immediate action sections of each entry.  To find recently viewed articles, just select menu, topics, then recent.  

Be aware that the app varies slightly between iPhone and iPad but content remains the same.  Both are pictured in this post.  Unfortunately, the app is not currently available for Android devices.

5-Minute Clinical Consult: February Resource of the Month

The goal of 5-Minute Clinical Consult is to provide you with fast facts and quick answers to clinical questions in less than 30 seconds.  With over 900 topics, the ebook would be an excellent resource for use on rounds or for a quick refresher on a topic you come across in the clinic.

You can access the online version through Ovid via Lister Hill.  Topics are alphabetically ordered and then broken down into sections which are linked to their content so finding the required section is a simple and quick task.  Alternatively, there’s also a search box if you prefer this method to browsing.  If you prefer searching to browsing, make sure to search the “current book” so you only retrieve results from 5 Minute Clinical Consult.

Within the breakdown of each topic you’ll find a very basic overview, diagnosis, treatment, ongoing care, codes, and clinical pearls.  Each of these sections offers basic information in a format that’s easy to absorb quickly.   In the ongoing care section for example there are often lists of follow-up suggestions with recommendations that may include patient monitoring, diet, patient education, and prognosis.  This information is basic and is meant to act as a quick guide allowing you to return your full attention to the patient.

The references and additional reading are linked to Lister Hill’s catalog so you can easily find the full text and more in-depth material.

Once you click WebLinks you are redirected to a UAB Article Linker Page.  Using the “Go to Journal” or “Go to Article” link you can use the citation information in the 5-Minute Clinical Consult reference list to find the referenced article.

For clinical information on-the-fly, 5-Minute Clinical Consult is an excellent resource.  Consider it as an alternative or supplement to products like UpToDate or mobile apps like First Consult.

LHL Mobile Site: December Resource of the Month

Have you used Lister Hill’s new mobile site yet?

This simplified version of our website features easy to navigate links to hours, directions, chat and e-mail reference, the catalog, and databases.  We’ve also included links to other campus libraries like Mervyn Sterne, Lister Hill at University Hospital, and the Reynolds Historical Collection.  You can also find a calendar of upcoming events at the library (another new feature on our site) and our Lister Hill Guides.

Of course if you’re viewing the site on a tablet you can always return to the full version of the site by clicking on Full Site at the bottom of the page.

Tags: Mobile

SMART Images: November Resource of the Month

The SMART Images Database contains over 20,000  medical illustrations, animations, and interactive multimedia.  All content is created specifically for the SMART Images Databases by their medical illustrators and is then reviewed by a panel of expert illustrators and physicians or PhDs before being published.  Under UAB’s license with the database, students, faculty, and staff at UAB are allowed to download and share images for educational purposes.  The database does not permit you to post images on a public website but using the images on password-accessible platforms like Blackboard or in communications, and training materials is acceptable.

Search for materials using key words or browse by body system, region, or by medical specialties.

Create a free personal account to save images to the “My Lightbox” section.  From your lightbox you can then download or share a collection of images.

New material is uploaded to the database at least weekly.  You may also notice images with technology that is out of date by current standards.  SMART does not remove these for research purposes and because the images are used worldwide, including regions of the world that may use some of the technology which is out of date by US standards.

Access the SMART Images Database from the Lister Hill Databases Page

eHRAF World Cultures: October Resource of the Month

eHRAF is a cross-cultural database with information organized by culture and ethnic group.  Articles on nearly 300 cultures are indexed at the paragraph-level making it easy to search for a specific topic or aspect of a culture. Browse cultures or search for an ethnic group or topic.

Although this resource has some information about health-related topics as they pertain to  cultures, health care information is not the focus of eHRAF.  However, the database can serve health care professionals and students who need an overview of a particular culture to better understand a patient’s background and preferences.

eHRAF is produced by a non-profit university consortium known as the Human Relations Area Files housed at Yale University.  eHRAF is licensed by Sterne Library but you can access from both Sterne’s databases page and Lister Hill’s.

Rehabilitation Reference Center: September Resource of the Month

In July, Lister Hill purchased Rehabilitation Reference Center, an evidence-based clinical reference tool for use by rehabilitation clinicians at the point-of-care.

Rehabilitation Reference Center features the standard basic and advanced searches of most databases, but also contains a browsable glossary of Diseases and Conditions and another glossary for Drug Information. Each Disease & Condition entry provides a variety of useful information including synonyms, ICD-9 and ICD-10 codes, signs and symptoms, and information on examination and risk factors.  The Practice Resources tab also features research instruments, clinical reviews, and practice guidelines.

A useful feature to improve patient understanding is the Patient Education section, which contains an extensive list of topics, each with a brief summation of the issue, images, risk factors, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, and prevention.  Patient Education information is available in both English and Spanish.  Another interesting tool are the Exercise Images and explanations which can be printed and sent home with patients with individualized instructions about how to carry out the exercise.

Because Rehabilitation Resource Center is a product that is licensed by Lister Hill Library at UAB you must access the resource through the library’s databases page. For help using the Rehabilitation Resource Center please contact the Lister Hill Reference Department or Lister Hill Library and University Hospital.

MedlinePlus: August Resource of the Month

MedlinePlus is the National Institutes of Health’s website for consumer health information.  Produced by the National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus brings together and organizes an impressive amount quality health information on the consumer level.

Consumers can search or browse health topics, look up medications and supplements, and keep up with health news.  Much of the information is available in both English and Spanish.  Popular topics are available in an even greater variety of languages including Hindi, Chinese, Arabic and many others. MedlinePlus also offers videos and interactive tutorials on topics like understanding medical terminology, evaluating health information and even surgery videos for patients.

Other useful tools for patients include a medical dictionary and encyclopedia which can typically find medical terms even when searches are misspelled.  Directories for health specialists and advocacy organizations and support groups are another valuable feature.

Text a Librarian: July Resource of the Month

Now, not only can you chat, e-mail, and call the reference librarians at Lister Hill Library, you can text us too!  Add (205) 289-1275 to your contacts list so you can ask for help whenever you need us.  Texting reference services will be available during chat reference hours:

• Monday – Thursday: 7am – 6pm
• Friday: 7am – 5pm
• Sunday: 12pm – 8pm

Remember that your standard messaging and data rates will apply.  We look forward to hearing from you!