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Introduction To Electronic Resources
Accessing Sources Of Evidence For Practice
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Karen SmithDepartment of Health SciencesUniversity of York
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Introduction to Electronic Resources
Objectives
Have an overview of information sources and their applications
Know how to access subject-related web-based resources
Know how to access electronic journals
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Objectives Ctd Have practical experience of using
relevant key sources such as National Electronic Library for Health, Department of Health website etc.
Know how to evaluate printed and electronic information and identify quality resources
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Why Use Electronic Resources? Saves time by being searchable Easy access from anywhere e.g. work,
home, holiday Up to date information –printed information
takes time to produce Better researched essay references They are free – the University pays a
subscription on your behalf!
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Electronic Journals and Newspapers Connections to a wide range of full text electronic journals and newspapers
Some available only electronically
Some available in print
Some available in both
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Electronic Journals and Newspapers There is access to over 10,000 titles From home – may require ATHENS
password From most databases e.g. Cinahl From the Library Catalogue From the website - see this for further
information http://www.york.ac.uk/library/ejournal/
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Key Sites – Subject Related National Library for Health (NLH) - the NHS digital
library for staff, patients and the public
http://www.library.nhs.uk/
Hitting the Headlines – for the clinician and patient to quickly identify the reliability of news stories and the research evidence on which they are based
http://www.nelh.nhs.uk/
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Key Sites – Subject Related
NLH Specialist Libraries Cancer
Cardiovascular DiseasesChild HealthClinical GeneticsComplementary and Alternative MedicineDiabetesEmergency CareENT and Audiology
etc.
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Key Sites – Subject RelatedGuidance
Guidelines FinderHealth Technology Assessment Database (CRD)
NICE GuidancePRODIGY KnowledgeProtocols & Care Pathways
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Key Sites – Subject Related
Evidence Bandolier
Clinical EvidenceCochrane Database of Systematic ReviewsCRD Database of Abstracts of Reviews of EffectsDrug and Therapeutics BulletinNHS Economic Evaluation DatabaseNIHR HTA ProgrammeResearch Findings Register
Introduction To Electronic Resources
NHS ATHENS
Most NHS resources are free Provides access to additional
databases and electronic journals To create an NHS password from an
NHS PC: https://www.athens.nhs.uk/region/
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Key Sites – Subject Related Department Of Health - health and social care policy,
guidance and publications
http://www.dh.gov.uk/
Department of Health Publications - full text of publications where available and a publications library http://www.dh.gov.uk/PublicationsAndStatistics/fs/en
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Key Sites - Organisational Royal College of Nursing – access to public and members
information
World Health Organization - the World Health Organization is the United Nations specialized agency for health
British Medical Association- open access public pages include ethics,
science, policy, news, healthcare information Science Policy Library
News Healthcare information
BMA jobs
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Electronic Books
Available through the library catalogue
Electronic access to titles in high demand
Covers a range of subjects, education, history, health studies, sociology, literature
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Why Evaluate Information Resources
Information found on the Internet can be unreliable
Information in books and journals can be unreliable
You need to evaluate all information you find – this will save you time
Introduction To Electronic Resources
How To Evaluate Information Resources
Purpose: A summary or an in depth research?
Audience: Expert or the general public?
Authority: Is it a well known author, academic publisher or organisation or an opinion?
Introduction To Electronic Resources
How To Evaluate Information Resources
Currency: Up to date?
Accuracy: Has it been checked by a reliable editor?
Reliability: Well respected author?
Introduction To Electronic Resources
How To Evaluate Information Resources Ctd
Has it been peer reviewed i.e. reviewed by an expert in the field
E.g. Wikipedia – take great care when using…..
Use these tips to help you decide if the information you find is suitable
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Evaluating Web Resources – Special Considerations
Not necessarily peer reviewed i.e. checked by an editor, publisher or librarian
Therefore judge carefully ……
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Hitting The Headlines on NLH
http://www.library.nhs.uk/rss/newsAndRssArticle.aspx?uri=http%3a%2f%2fwww.library.nhs.uk%2fresources%2f%3fid%3d206086
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Evaluating Web Resources – Special Considerations
Anyone can publish a web page
Are the authors named?
Are they regulated or can they publish anything?
Can you tell whether they have a good knowledge of the subject?
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Who Owns The Information?
Look at the URL to see where the information comes from:
UK Government .gov Educational .edu .ac Company .com .co Non-profit .org
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Which of these is more relevant ?- the answer:
No.1 because it relates to the UK and is an official source (the Department for Trade and Industry). Therefore the facts are likely to be more reliable, than article 2 which is commentary from an internet site on a survey by a retail consultancy firm
Introduction To Electronic Resources
A good example: Look at this Web page for the European Agency
for Safety and Health at Work [ http://europe.osha.eu.int/ ]
What practical clues are there that might tell you Who, What Why and When?
Points to note about this page: It's got a home page link from the "European
Agency for Safety & Health at Work" box on each page
It's got a clearly marked site contents MENU It's got a clearly marked contact link "Comments" It's got clearly marked About and Help pages. It's got a Frequently Asked Questions page It's got a site search facility [And, if you were to scroll down, you would find a
Last Updated date and a Disclaimer] By exploring these clues you should be able to tell
a lot about this page - how current it is, what it's policy is and where it's coming from, what's on the site, how to get back to the main page, and who to contact should you have any concerns or queries about it. It would be nice if all sites were as clear as this one!
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Also Look Out For:
Up to date information: Good sites tell you when they were last
updated How old is the information?
How readable is it? Can you tell what is propaganda or
marketing? Advertising, pop up boxes, distracting
graphics
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Also Look Out For: Ctd
Is it objective?
It might look very authoritative but is there a hidden agenda
i.e. patient information produced by a drug company
Introduction To Electronic Resources
Quackwatch verdict:http://www.quackwatch.org/index.html
WholeHealthMD Stephen Barrett, M.D. WholeHealthMD is the Internet division of American WholeHealth, Inc., which offers "integrative medicine" services
for consumers, practitioners, and health plans [1]. The WholeHealthMD Web site offers advice on "complementary and alternative therapies" from practitioners with a variety of backgrounds. The site includes news; advice for managing many conditions; a reference library on vitamins, supplements, foods, herbs, and drugs; a practitioner directory; and recipes for reducing fat, cholesterol and sodium in favorite dishes. As often occurs on sites where "alternatives" are concerned, product recommendations are conveniently linked to the site of a strategic partner" (Familymeds.com) that will sell them to you. But the advice is a mixture of sense and nonsense that only experts can sort out.
As for specifics (to name just a few), don't believe the advice that everyone should take a multivitamin; vitamins C and E are good for angina; chitosan will produce weight loss; pressing on the bones of the skull (craniosacral therapy) can "enhance the functioning of all the body's organs"; or that homeopathic remedies are good for anything.
The article on chelation therapy is especially bad and appears to me to have been deliberately written to mislead the reader by describing the views of advocates and critics as though they are equally valid. It states that chelation therapy is FDA-approved for treating heavy metal poisoning but fails to note that the product approved for this purpose differs from that of "chelation therapists" who claim to treat heart disease and other serious diseases. It states that the American College of Advancement in Medicine (ACAM) trains practitioners, but fails to reveal that the Federal Trade Commission charged ACAM with false advertising and obtained a cease-and-desist order baring it from advertising that chelation therapy is effective against heart disease. It states that "critics . . . note that most studies showing its effectiveness have been done by physicians with a financial interest in the therapy." The fact is, however, that no studies show effectiveness and the allegedly positive studies have been criticized for their poor design, not on the basis of who reported them [2].
The discussion of applied kinesiology (AK) is equally dishonest. AK is a pseudoscientific system of muscle-testing and therapy based on the notion that every organ dysfunction is accompanied by a specific muscle weakness, which enables diseases to be diagnosed through muscle-testing procedures. Its theories clash with what is known about the body and it has been debunked by several published studies [3]. But WholeHealthMD merely states that "Within the standards of conventional physicians, there has been no rigorous scientific testing that has shown applied kinesiology to be an effective diagnostic tool."
References About the company. American WholeHealth Web site, accessed Oct 11, 2001. Green S. Chelation Therapy: Unproven Claims and Unsound Theories. Quackwatch, revised Sept 14, 2000. Barrett S. Applied Kinesiology: Muscle-Testing for "Allergies" and "Nutrient Deficiencies." Quackwatch, revised Nov 15,
2000.
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