Friday, 15 August 2008

Happy birthday to NewhamKnowledge

It is exactly a year since the creation of this blog.

One of the handy things about publishing updates and news this way is that people can readily go back and see what we have been saying.

If you go to the blog proper rather than reading it on NewhamCat (or in your RSS Reader) then you can search all the past entries, browse the archive or use the quick subject labels to retrieve a set of entries - all our new book updates for example.

We enter similar labels on all the books and ebooks we add to NewhamCat. This should make it a lot more likely that you will find what you need. What we can also do is add a special label to identify a collection of resources. So for example if you wanted people to find a particular group of documents on team management we can provide a simple way to retrieve these. Drop us a line to find out more.

Thursday, 14 August 2008

Comments welcome

A common feature of blogs like this one is the ability to make comments. The Knowledge & Library Service team are always keen to receive comments via any means email, phone (020 7363 8016) or just by popping in for a chat.

Thus far we have received precious few comments in responses to posts here - maybe because most of you read us on the front page of NewhamCat or on our website where the comment option is not immediately apparent. But if you ever feel the urge - just select the title of the item you want to comment on and scroll down to "Post a comment". You do not need to be logged in and we read all comments.

So let us know if you think we should have bought different books, or offered a different picture or maybe if you want to hear about something else.

Friday, 8 August 2008

I want the blue one...

We are pleased to announce a new and improved version of NewhamCat with added book cover images. While you cannot yet search for the blue one you may find it easier to recognise if the item you have found is the one you wanted.

For those new to this blog NewhamCat is the way you can search our collection of books and ebooks via the Newham UHT and PCT Intranets. You can also renew your books and reserve items you may need.

Tuesday, 5 August 2008

Finding search

By now I hope most of you will have noticed that you no longer have access to the DIALOG interface to search for journal articles (see blog posts past).

From the
1st of August the main entry point for finding journal articles is via http://www.library.nhs.uk/ and more specifically the Books, Journals and Healthcare Databases section of that site.

To search you will need to be logged in using your
Athens username (self register from any NHS based computer). We recommend that you then use the Healthcare Databases Advanced Search Mode to search a single database at a time as this will give you the most control over your search.

If you were a confident DIALOG user you may find the following Q & A helpful -

Q. How do I search for a phrase?

A. DIALOG did this by default if you entered multiple words - NOW - you should place any phrases in "". For example "Newham General Hospital". If you enter multiple terms without quotes then you will retrieve articles that include all of the words but not necessarily in the order you requested.

Q. How do I truncate a term?

A. Truncation is handy when you want to retrieve a number of words with the same root. DIALOG did this by adding a $ sign. NOW - you should use an asterisk (*). For example diabet* will retrieve diabetic, diabetes, diabetologist etc.

Q. Why am I not getting any keyword results?

A. DIALOG automatically included keyword results alongside the results of subject searches. To acheive the same effect NOW you should complete two searches - one with and one without the "map to thesaurus" option checked and then combine the two sets of results using OR.

Q. How does the new system handle plurals and UK versus US spellings?

A. DIALOG used to automatically try plurals and alternate American spellings. NOW - you need to add these yourself. Truncation (*) can be a simple way to do this for the plurals but for ae or ou words you will need to search for both. Eg paediatric* OR pediatric*

Q. How do I combine sets of search results?

A. DIALOG required you to type the set number plus AND / OR. NOW - you can still use set numbers or you can tick the sets you wish to combine and use the Combine sets button provided.
Q. How do I limit by publication date?

A. This is much simpler with a pair of drop down boxes located below the main search box. Select your dates and all searches will be limited to these years till you remove the limit. You can apply any limit to any set by selecting it and then running a search on the set number.

If this is all sounding rather confusing - get in touch and we will be glad to guide you through it.

Friday, 18 July 2008

New Books for June 2008

The Library's New Books list for June has just been published. This shows the latest selection of resources available to you from the library. To see more, visit our catalogue at NewhamCat from any Newham University Hospital NHS Trust or Newham PCT networked computer.

We now have the new 17th edition of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine and the 9th edition of The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines. For obstetricians & gynaecologists there are the latest editions of Progress in Obstetrics and Gynaecology and Yearbook of Obstetrics and Gynaecology.

And we have purchased a copy of Evans & Tippins Foundations of nursing: an integrated approach, for which Newham's very own Andrew Frazer has written a chapter.

You will also find links from NewhamCat to the final report of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review High quality care for all and to other key new NHS documents. The King's Fund SeeSaw Report on Shifting the Balance of Care to Local Settings, and Under One Roof, their report regarding Polyclinics, are also linked from NewhamCat.

We are in the process of adding titles to NewhamCat from the nationally available NHS Core Content electronic book collection, eg Cardiology in Family Practice, Clinical Handbook of Pediatric Infectious Disease, Adult Psychopathology and Diagnosis to name a few, and we will add more over the coming weeks. These titles are accessed with your NHS Athens log-in, and can also be accessed from the National Library for Health.

Do contact us if you need help with Athens registration, or have any comments or suggestions for new titles.

Image: Reading by rachel sian (c) Creative Commons attributed

Tuesday, 1 July 2008

Darzi Next Stage Review - knowledge update

Yesterday saw the publication of the Next Stage Review - High Quality Care For All. This entry will gather together the main documents and a selection of the coverage. The coverage includes a number of good summaries.

There were three main documents published at this point

1) High quality care for all: NHS Next Stage Review final report (30th June 2008) Professor the Lord Darzi of Denham KBE


The final report of Lord Darzi's NHS Next Stage Review. It responds to the 10 SHA strategic visions and sets out a vision for an NHS with quality at its heart. This link includes the full document and a summary version. For a very brief summary Darzi review: At-a-glance BBC or Main points of the Darzi report FT.

2) The National Health Service Constitution - a consultation paper (30th June 2008)


The proposed NHS Constitution published today, marking 60 years of the NHS, is about safeguarding its core principles and values for the next generation, whilst setting a clear direction for the future. It reaffirms rights to NHS services, free of charge and with equal access for all, and it enshrines patient rights to choice and to NICE-approved drugs recommended by clinicians. A selection of documents related to the consultation are presented.

3) A high quality workforce: NHS Next Stage review (30th June 2008)


More detail on the workforce recommendations in the NHS next stage review.


The main publications from the next stage review are gathered here.
This includes the current documents, visions for better healthcare from the 9 SHAs outside London and interim guidance.

London was already covered by
Healthcare for London: A framework for action (paper copies in library)

Responses

The King's Fund


Related materials from King's Fund
- Follow up Briefing (added 14 July 2008)



The NHS Confed

- Follow up Briefing (added 14 July 2008)

Related materials from NHS Confed

The British Medical Association


Royal College of Nurses


Democratic Health Network - registration required

This briefing provides an initial summary and commentary on these documents with particular reference to local accountability and the interface between the NHS and local authorities.

Picker Institute - Added 5 July

Conservative Party - no comment yet on website but likely to appear at this link


Labour


Liberal Democrats


Unison - no comment yet on website likely to appear here



Media coverage

BBC
Quality ranking key to NHS funds

Cash-for-quality in new-look NHS

Darzi review: At-a-glance



Viewpoints: Darzi review of NHS

BMJ - updated 5 July

Reward hospitals for improving quality, Darzi review says
Government publishes a constitution for the NHS
Up to 500 patients with long term conditions will have their own personal budgets next year
Right of patients to drugs recommended by NICE is strengthened
NHS must pioneer public health drives if it is to survive
GPs face more competition after Darzi's review
Annual "quality accounts" will help improve services and increase choice for patients, says Lord Darzi
Darzi backs new body to oversee medical education in England


HSJ

Specific Darzi coverage

Daily Mail
General

Prof Karol Sikora - stop treating NHS like a national religion

Comment: A wasted Chance


Financial Times
NHS plans to raise quality of care

Main points of the Darzi report

Broad welcome from business


Guardian
Summary

NHS review: Darzi plan offers patients more choices and more information

Editorial: a promising prescription

Much more coverage


Independent
Pick your own surgeon

Leader: The right medicine, but far too mild a dose

Comment: Well-informed patients will make better decisions


The Telegraph
Bonuses for NHS hospitals and GPs that are highly rated by patients

Comment: does review live up to expectations


The Times
NHS review: hospitals that provide poor care to be fined

Analysis: a classier NHS, but choice still an illusion

Leader: The NHS: World Class Care Costs

More health news coverage


E-health insider - Darzi review stresses choice and information


Lighter comment

Simon Hoggart in the Guardian on Jargon

Simon Carr in the Independent on administrative drivel




Tuesday, 10 June 2008

New books in the Library May 2008

The list of new titles added to the Library over the past couple of months is now available.

We are constantly updating our stock and this is just the latest selection of the resources available to you from the library. To see more, visit our catalogue at NewhamCat from any Newham University Hospital NHS Trust or Newham PCT networked computer.
Among the titles are the latest editions of Magee - Orthopedic physical assessment, Cameron - Current surgical therapy , Jarvis - Physical examination & health assessment & Tidy's Physiotherapy. In response to input from the orthopaedic dept we have also purchased Schatzker & Tile - Rationale of operative fracture care . For those finding life as a new doctor confusing, Parbhoo's - What they didn't teach you at medical school might answer a few questions! And for nurses we have the new NMC code, which is also available electronically.

If you have any comments, or would like to suggest titles for stock, please contact us.

Image: The Time to Read is any Time - (c) Creative Commons Attributed