The DSM-5 is now available online through the American Psychiatry Association’s Psychiatry Online platform. It is available at http://purl.lib.uiowa.edu/dsm. The link can also be found by searching DSM-5 in Smart Search or InfoHawk.
Systematic reviews and meta-analyses have long been considered one of the highest levels of evidence, and lately, publication frequency in health science journals is on the rise. However, there are still a lot of people who are unaware of what goes into writing a systematic review or a meta-analysis. This post will discuss what a systematic review entails, how it differs from a meta-analysis, and the value that librarians bring to both types of studies.
A systematic review is a research study that seeks to find all the high quality studies done on a given topic so that they can be summarized into one article. If the studies are homogenous or similar enough to one another, the data can be extracted and combined using statistical formulas. This statistical compilation of data is a meta-analysis. Not all systematic reviews contain a meta-analysis, but all citations to be included in a meta-analysis should be located through a systematic search, to reduce the risk of bias.
An important part of preparing a systematic review is to ensure that the method used is explicit and transparent, allowing for another team to replicate the process. The first step involves putting together a team of at least two researchers who will independently review the studies located. These researchers then develop a research question and write up a protocol that explicitly detailing how the systematic review will be carried out. One of the details is the criteria against which studies will be assessed for inclusion in the review. It is highly recommended that researchers register their protocols before they begin the formal search for studies. Once the protocol is in place, the search for and review of high quality studies can begin. Systematic reviews can take anywhere from one year to eighteen months to complete due to the rigorous nature of the review process. Librarians are highly skilled and trained to develop what are often complicated and lengthy search strategies in order to locate as many relevant studies as possible. They are also familiar with standards and basic steps for completing a systematic review. In the report, Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews, the Institute of Medicine recommends working with a librarian or other information specialist to plan out the search strategy and to peer review the final strategy used to locate studies. Three of the librarians are Hardin Library have attended the Systematic Review Workshop: The Nuts and Bolts for Librarians which takes place over the course of two and a half days.
If you would like to learn more about conducting and locating systematic reviews, please see the Systematic Review LibGuide. You are also welcome to contact us if you have any questions.
The Scopus Alert for iPhone app allows you to 1) do keyword search, 2) email, bookmark, and tweet an article, and 3) receive email alerts when articles get cited. Keep in mind that you can only view abstracts, and full-text links are NOT available. A workaround is to email an article to oneself and access the fulltext outside of the app.
Before you download and install SciVerse Scopus Alerts (institutional subscriber’s version) from the App Store on your iPhone, you need to create a Scopus account at http://purl.lib.uiowa.edu/scopus. You will be prompted to enter your Scopus log in and password and your UIowa email when you first open this app. Detailed instruction can be found at SciVerse Scopus iPhone app User Guide (PDF file).
Scopus is a multidisciplinary database with substantial international coverage. All citations that are in EMBASE are also in Scopus. Scopus also allows you to measure an author’s scholarly impact and to track an article’s cited and citing references.
Come to Hardin Library on Tuesday, Feb 19th, 1:00-2:00 pm and learn more about Scopus. Register for the class at http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/workshop/.
U.S. Pharmacopeial Convention (USP) recently added a new page on its website dedicated to compounding information including USP standards. USP General Chapter <797> Pharmaceutical Compounding – Sterile Preparations can be downloaded free of charge, at least for now.
Contact us if you have questions. Don’t forget Hardin Library’s subject guide on Clinical Pharmacy Resources also has a subpage for compounding resources.
If you have not noticed it yet, type a drug name into Google search box and you will see a quick information box on the right side of your results page. Google announced this new feature on Dec 11, 2001 on Google +.
At the bottom of the box, sources are acknowledged and a link for reporting errors provided. A prominently placed disclaimer states “Consult a doctor if you have a medical concern.”
Research has become increasingly data-intensive. Many funding agencies, such as National Institute of Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF) have started to implement policies and guidelines regarding data management and sharing. In such context, metadata is a term that is often used but not always explained or defined.
A recent blog post by Bonnie Swoger, a librarian at SUNY Geneseo, does an excellent job in explaining metadata using examples many , if not all, can related to. Swoger blogs at Information Culture, a Scientific American blog.
Read on and happy holidays! What is metadata? A Christmas themed exploration.
Christmas Tree Made Out Of Hardin Books/Journals
The National Institute of Biotechnology Information (NCBI) will no longer support Internet Explorer version 7 and Firebox version 3 browsers as of January 1, 2013. NCBI will also no longer be able to guarantee the browser’s functionality, as they are no longer going to do any further testing of the web applications. This means that if you are currently using one of these browsers, some NCBI web pages might not display correctly.
These changes could affect how you are able to view web pages in PubMed (www.pubmed.gov) or in any of the NCBI genetic databases, such as the Taxonomy database (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/taxonomy/) All of the NCBI databases can be found at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/
For a complete listing of all the browser support changes starting in 2013 and trick and tips to resolve web page errors, go to http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/guide/browsers
Please contact your technology administrator for assistance with upgrading your browser(s).
As you may have noticed, PubMed changed the way users limit search results. The link for “limits” has been replaced by a “filters” sidebar. This sidebar will function similarly to the way the limits page worked. For example, once filters/limits have been set, they will remain in place for all subsequent searches unless the user turns them off.
One difference users might notice is that filters will not show if they are unavailable or not applicable for a search. For example, if you run a search on a topic where there hasn’t been a meta-analysis done, the option to limit your search to meta-analyses will not be available.
A feature that should be used with caution is the “Text Availability” filter located prominently at the top of the filters bar. Remember that these filters are for people that do not have access to a health sciences library. Students, faculty, staff, residents and fellows of the University of Iowa should avoid these filters and use our InfoLink button instead (which is seen when you access the abstract view). This will ensure that high quality articles are not missed. Remember that University of Iowa affiliates can also take advantage of our free interlibrary loan service. http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/illa.html
To learn more, please check out this tutorial on NLM’s YouTube channel http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KGs547njZ7U&feature=youtu.be, read NLM Technical Bulletin http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/mj12/mj12_pm_sidebar.html or feel free to contact Hardin Librarians a http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/hardin/contact.html
Google is frequently experimenting to enhance the search experience. But a recent change frustrated many users: the + operator was eliminated. This is how it worked: the searcher could use the + character after a term to find pages with the exact word in them. Now, it is suggested that instead of using the +, searchers should use quotation marks around a word to retrieve results with the exact word present. Example: instead of searching for Iowa +news, search Iowa “news.” In case you are curious, the – character still works to exclude words after it from your search results. For example: Iowa – university would retrieve results with Iowa but exclude results with the word university. For many passionate comments and conversations about these changes, visit the following pages:
Wired Epicenter Search Engine Land Google Help Forum
Another fairly recent change was the removal of the link on the front page to advanced search. Now the advanced search feature will display only after a search is performed. Or, the searcher cand navigate directly to it by going to the top right side of the page, as shown below:
If you are wondering why you might bother using advanced search, consider that there are ways to narrow your search results to a more relevant group, and maybe even more importantly, a more manageable size. Check out the advanced search options to see which ones may help you!
For more hints on how to take advantage of other features of Google Web search, visit:
Google help pages Search Engine Land summary
Please contact your liaison librarian or the reference desk if you need more information on web or database search strategies.
Mobile devices are getting more useful every day. You might be one of the folks that just bought the new iPhone 4S or you might have an iPad, Blackberry or Android. It’s possible you’ve never owned a mobile device but are thinking about it now that they are becoming more affordable. Either way, you might be interested in finding out what sort of apps you could use to improve the way you study or practice a health sciences profession. Below are a few resources to consider.
Reviews on Medical Apps and/or Mobile Devices
iMedicalApps
The blog iMedicalApps is run by health professionals where people talk about new mobile technologies and review different apps. As you can see from their “About” page, they are very transparent in who is writing the blog posts. The editors work in Internal Medicine, Emergency Medicine, and Oncology/Surgery. Although the site is a little busy with ads and images, there is a nicely tabbed navigation system that allows users to browse posts based on device (iPhone, Android, iPad, Blackberry or All), Medical Specialty (31 to choose from including Internal Medicine, Surgery, Nephrology and Family Practice), or “Top Apps” by related fields or platforms.
Other Sites
Of course, there are other sites that will help you keep up with new with medical apps. Although not specifically dedicated to apps or medicine, one resource to follow is Wired Campus a blog from the
Chronicle of Higher Education. Just the other day, they had an interesting post on the usefulness of updating to the iOS 5 operating system for iPhones, iPod Touches or iPads called “A Quick Introduction to iOS 5: Why You Might Update Your Device.” Another blog to follow from The Chronicle of Higher Education is ProfHacker. This blog is much more tech heavy than Wired, but has great tips for using a variety of technologies.
Information Specific to Apple Mobile Devices
Are you mostly interested in iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch information? If so, you might consider checking out TiPb: The #1 iPhone, iPad and iPod Touch blog.
Free (to you) Apps and Support
Finally, don’t forget that Hardin Library has a Mobile Devices Subject Guide with information on apps to which Hardin Library subscribes. If you are an affiliate of the University of Iowa, we can provide you with mobile access to apps for DynaMed, Natural Standard and much more! During the Fall 2011 semester, we’re also offering mobile device drop-in support from 7:30-9am Monday through Friday or by appointment. Contact us for more information.
photo courtesy of Flickr user louisvolant Creative Commons Licensed
