10 of the best: 9# Health Statistics

‘Lies, damned lies and statistics’ – ok so statistics can be a tricky thing, some people love them whereas some people believe they’re just used to bolster any old weak argument. They’re also not always the easiest thing to find. While a quick google search will throw up all the random facts and figures you could wish for, checking the reliability of such figures can be difficult. Yet this is absolutely crucial for anyone carrying out academic work. Statistics can in fact be a great way to add to an argument or observe general trends, particularly in the field of public health, but you need to make sure what you’re quoting is correct. 

The Library has put together a list of some of the best places to look for health statistics. 

These range from local statistics, such as the Sheffield Health and Well-being Atlas which includes interactive tools to access data at different geographic levels across Sheffield, to a whole range of national statistics. These come from official government sources such as the Department of Health and trusted charities such as Cancer Research UK . 

There’s also a list of sites for International Statistics. The World Health Organisation: European Health For All Database is a great starting point for finding out broad trends in the European Union and the WHO Global Health Atlas provides an overview of infectious diseases around the world. 

Check out a full list here.

10 of the Best: 8# Healthtalk Online

This month on ’10 of the Best’ we’re looking at one of our favourite patient information sites – the award winning, healthtalk online. 

Working closely with the Health Experiences Research Group at Oxford University, healthtalk online  provides support for over 60 medical conditions by engaging with real patient experiences. With videos, audio clips and interviews, over 2,000 patient stories are presented, from the first symptoms through to diagnosis, treatment and long-term care.
                                                                               
Here's a couple of examples from healthtalk online's section on Parkinson's disease;

            

Together these stories provide a fantastic resource for patients, carers or anyone wanting to find out more about the reality of living with a particular condition. However it can also be an invaluable resource for students and medical practitioners. As well as patient stories the site provides information on some of the latest medical research and health care trends. If you click through to the condition you’re interested in there are also extra pages full of links to other reliable resources including books and online publications. So take a look! 

(You can also check out some other top patient information sites by following our links in the right hand column...)

10 of the Best: 7# Information Skills Resource

This month on '10 of the Best' we’re looking at one of the Library’s top in-house resources – the Information Skills Resource. From here you can find all the latest online tutorials that the Library has designed to help you gain the information skills you need to complete your course successfully. 

So whether you need some help on searching databases like Medline, or you need to find materials for your assignments, or you’re confused about referencing, the Information Skills Resource will have something for you. 

Available from the Library tab in MUSE you can search for tutorials by department or check out the non-subject specific tutorials from the homepage. There’s also a set of tutorials designed specifically for researchers, with guidance on referencing, copyright and on how to produce a literature review. 

Here are just some of the tutorials we think you’ll need the most; 

StarPlus find resources for your course

Evaluating information

Medline tutorial

Vancouver referencing for Medicine

Using Endnoteweb and Endnote

We’re developing new tutorials all the time so if there’s anything you’re struggling with and you think it should be covered by the Information Skills Resource just let us know!

10 of the Best: 6# MEDLINE

After a short break we’re back with our feature ‘10 of the Best’, promoting some of the top information resources for students, staff and researchers across the Faculty. And this month we’re looking at Medline. 

Now you can probably tell that we’re not ranking these top 10 resources in order because otherwise Medline would almost certainly be up there at number 1. Containing more than 8.7 million records and with over 5,516 journals indexed, Medline is probably the most comprehensive database of medical and health care literature available. So if you’re looking for journal articles or conference proceedings to support your studies or research, Medline is the place to go. 

But how do you go about searching such a mammoth database? 

Well before you do anything you need to make sure that you’re logged into MUSE. Medline is available via a subscription paid for by the Library so if you want full access wherever you are, make sure you log into MUSE first. Then from the Library tab access the Library's catalogue StarPlus and  search for 'Medline'. From the search results select 'Medline via OvidSP' and click 'view online'. 

Once you’re connected to Medline you can then begin your search. There are both basic and advanced search options but for the most thorough search you should always choose the advanced search box. From here you can link your keywords to the database’s subject headings, ensuring none of your search terms are missed, and you can explode or focus your results as needed. 

Check out our Medline tutorial for a full guide on using Medline as well as all our top tips on getting the most out of your search; 

https://librarydevelopment.group.shef.ac.uk/shef-only/databases/medline.html

Looking for a swine flu information finder? Intute could be your best provider. 10 of the best 5: Intute

Looking for a swine flu information finder? Intute could be your best provider .

10 of the best: 5 Intute http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/



So that's how it started ...

Intute: Health and life sciences   is a free online service providing access to the very best web resources for education and research, evaluated and selected by a network of subject specialists.

It has links to major information sources on the developing swine influenza A (H1N1) situation.

These sources include the World Health Organization (monitoring the global situation), the Health Protection Agency (UK advice), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (for the situation in the United States), and the Royal College of General Practitioners, which has issued Pandemic Flu Guidance jointly with the British Medical Association.

As the situation develops Intute will add any significant new resources to its collection.

For all current links please see http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/cgi-bin/search.pl?term1=swine+influenza&limit=0&subject=healthandlifesciences


Vic

Ten of the best: 4 Behind the headlines

 

Ten of the best: 4 Behind the headlines

Last week I had an unplanned trip to the GP due to the experiment my nine year old had decided to do with a 20 pence piece (yes it does fit down the oesophagus). Given that he wasn't blue or anything, I figured he was probably ok and so took the opportunity to do a bit of people watching.

Sitting across from me were two middle aged women and a similarly aged chap, who was, for some inexplicable reason, and much to the envy of the nine year old, drinking one of those intriguingly coloured slush drinks (purple). He didn't contribute much to the conversation beyond 'aye, you can't be too careful.' The women, on the other hand, were intently studying a copy of the Daily Mail and discussing, in hushed tones (not all that hushed), the adverse effects of HRT. It transpired that one of the women was planning to question her treatment with the GP, in response to what they were reading in the paper.

I suspect that, for GPs up and down the country, this is a familiar situation and one that I'm sure you, as student doctors, will face sooner or later. Are you equipped with the skills to respond?

One resource that you may find useful is the 'Behind the headlines' service. The brainchild of Sir Muir Gray, Chief Knowledge Officer of the NHS, Behind the headlines provides an unbiased and evidence-based analysis of health stories that make the news.

This is how is works:

• Each day the NHS Choices team selects health stories that are making headlines.


• These, along with the scientific articles behind the stories, are sent to Bazian, a leading provider of evidence-based healthcare information.


• Bazian's clinicians and scientists analyse the research and produce impartial evidence-based assessments, which are edited and published by NHS Choices.

Behind the headlines can be found on the National Library for Health:

www.library.nhs.uk

or connect directly at:

http://www.nhs.uk/News/Pages/NewsArticles.aspx

If you want to use the service to keep up with health stories in the news you can set up an RSS feed or use the auto-alert function.

and remember ... just because it's in the Daily Mail, doesn't automatically mean it's wrong ;-)

Vic

Ten of the best: 3 myResource Lists

Ten of the best: 3 Star Resource Lists

Your course readings can be accessed via Star Resource Lists. These may include links to electronic resources such as full text journals and websites in addition to items in the Library.

 Access

There are three ways to access the Resource Lists:

1. Via the useful links listed at the right of this blog


2. Via Minerva. Click onto your appropriate Online Handbook and then click onto the Recommended Reading List. This will take you directly into the Resource List.


3. Via the library catalogue (Star). Clicking on the Star Resource Lists button will take you into the Resource List welcome page.

Search tips

To view all the lists for your department select from the drop down list on the Welcome page and click go. You can also use the search box in the header bar and from here you can search by keyword, module name or lecturer.

You will need to be logged into MUSE to view the lists with fulltext links.

If you want to print all or part of your list click on the printer icon and a printable version will load.

If you cannot find the list you are looking for please ask at the Library Enquiry Desk and we will investigate.

Frances

For further help and advice please contact me f.ludlow@sheffield.ac.uk

Ten of the best: 2 Endnote

The medical librarian's top 10 information resources continues with Endnote

Ten of the best: 2 Endnote

Have you ever written a paper and found that formatting the bibliography has taken almost as long as writing the text? Perhaps you could benefit from using reference management software such as Endnote which does all the fiddly formatting for you. Endnote is a piece of software which allows you to manage your references and generate and format a bibliography using different styles, eg Vancouver,  Harvard or a style compatible with a medical journal. It allows the import of references from databases such as Medline which can then be used on a cite while you write basis within Word.

Connecting on campus

• Select start


• Applications (you may need to select the load applications menu)


• Academic


• Social sciences


• Endnote

Using Endnote from home

You may purchase the Endnote software from CiCS but unfortunately we are not able to get a license to allow off-campus access via MUSE.

Learning to use Endnote

I am, apparently, the University Library's Endnote Oracle! I've no idea how I have got myself such a position but if you would like tuition in its use I'm the person to contact. Interested? Let me know. If there is sufficient demand I will run a course.

Vic

Ten of the best: 1 The Cochrane Library

One of the things that I am hoping to use this blog for is to promote some of the information resources that I think provide the best evidence for students, staff and researchers in the Med School.

So, I thought I'd tell you what my top 10 resources are, including some old favourites and also a few obscure gems. Take a look and post your comments in terms of ease of use, quality of information and whether you have a preferred alternative to find the same information. I'm kicking off with the Cochrane Library because, if you haven't used this before, it's time you did ...

The Cochrane Library

What is it?

The Cochrane Library contains a number of databases, the primary one being the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. These reviews are produced by Cochrane Groups which bring together the world's healthcare experts to systematically search for and appraise every clinical trial on a given topic. Those that meet the stringent appraisal criteria will then be synthesised together to produce one document of best evidence. Cochrane reviews are widely seen as the gold standard in evidence for healthcare due to their rigorous research methods. The Cochrane Library also gives access to DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects), a resource which aims to index all other well conducted systematic reviews. Finally, a word of warning about systematic reviews. Not all have been well researched and all too often I will see a simple review being published under the guise of  a systematic review.  So, if it's not from Cochrane or DARE, make sure you appraise it well...

Connecting to Cochrane:

www.thecochranelibrary.org gives access from any network connection in the UK. No password is required.

Searching:

Simple, advanced and MeSH searches are all available but because the number of individual documents is much smaller than in a database such as Medline, retrieval is fairly straightforward.

That's all for now,

Vic