The NIH released a February 2012 document summarizing its public access policy…

“WHAT IS AT STAKE UNDER THE PUBLIC ACCESS POLICY:  Opening up to the public 90,000 new scientific articles each year reporting research that U.S. taxpayers have funded through NIH’s annual 32 billion dollar investment in biomedical research…

HOW IT WORKS:  The NIH policy honors, and is consistent with, U.S. copyright law.  The author, as the creator of the work, holds the copyright in the original paper.  The author gives NIH a non-exclusive right to distribute the paper in PMC and may transfer to the publisher the balance of his rights, including an exclusive copyright for the final published version of the paper…

SUPPORT FROM PUBLISHERS:  Publishers representing about 1000 journals voluntarily submit the full content of their journals to PMC, regardless of whether the issue contains an article subject to the NIH Public Access Policy…

NO HARM TO PUBLISHERS IS EVIDENT:  The Public Access requirement took effect in 2008.  While the U.S. economy has suffered a downturn during the time period 2007 to 2011, scientific publishing has grown:  [1] The number of journals dedicated to publishing biological sciences/agriculture articles and medicine/health articles increased 15% and 19%, respectively.  [2] The average subscription prices of biology journals and health sciences journals increased 26% and 23%, respectively.  [3] Publishers forecast increases to the rate of growth of the medical journal market, from 4.5% in 2011 to 6.3% in 2014…”

The NIH public access policy:  http://publicaccess.nih.gov/public_access_policy_implications_2012.pdf.

The National Library of Medicine Training Center is bringing their PubMed for Trainers course to Syracuse, NY, April 16-30, 2012.  The course requires attendance at all sessions, both online and            in-person:

• Online session:                                 April 16, 2012 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET)
• Online session:                                 April 18, 2012 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET)
• In-person session in Syracuse, NY:             April 24, 2012 (9:30 am – 4:30 pm ET)
• Online session:                                 April 30, 2012 (10:00 am – 12:00 pm ET)

Seating is limited.  For class details and to register, see:  http://nnlm.gov/ntcc/classes/schedule.html#class359.Pubmed for Trainers.

Introduction and Invitation for Public Comment

The Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) is an independent, non-profit health research organization.  Its mission is to fund research that offers patients and caregivers the information they need to make important healthcare decisions.  PCORI focuses on “comparative clinical effectiveness” research.  These are studies that compare options for preventing disease and providing treatment and care.  PCORI does so by:

1. Identifying national priorities for research.
2. Creating a research agenda based on identified priorities.
3. Funding research consistent with these priorities and agenda.
4. Providing patients and their caregivers with useful research information.

Visit the following to see the draft presented for public comment:  http://www.pcori.org/assets/PCORI-Draft-National-Priorities-and-Research-Agenda-2.pdf.

Posted January 12, 2012:  http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/jf12/jf12_hsr_pm_queries.html.  NLM Technical Bulletin 2012 Jan-Feb; (384):e4.

In this edition:

Breaking Bad Habits
Why It’s So Hard to Change
If you know something’s bad for you, why can’t you just stop? NIH-funded scientists have found clues to why bad habits are so difficult to kick. And they’re developing strategies to help us make the changes we’d like to make.
Read more about breaking bad habits.

Mindfulness Matters
Can Living in the Moment Improve Your Health?
Trying to enjoy each moment may actually be good for your health. Studies suggest that the ancient practice called mindfulness may help people manage stress, cope better with serious illness and reduce anxiety and depression.
Read more about being mindful.

Health Capsules:

• Delaying Treatment for Prostate Cancer
• Rats Show Empathy, Too
• Featured Website: NIH Clinical Research Trials and You

Click here to download a PDF version for printing.

Visit our Facebook wall to suggest topics you’d like us to cover, or start a discussion about how you use the newsletter.  We want to hear what you think!

Please pass the word on to your colleagues about NIH News in Health.  We are happy to send a limited number of print copies free of charge for display in offices, libraries or clinics.  Just email us or call 301-435-7489 for more information.

What is fracking?  What are uranium tailings and how can they affect my health?  Answers to these questions can be found in Tox Town’s new US Southwest Scene.

http://www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/flash/southwest/flash.php  (English)

http://www.toxtown.nlm.nih.gov/flash/southwest/flash_sp.php (Spanish)

This scene, developed in conjunction with Diné College in New Mexico, highlights locations associated with environmental health concerns impacting the Navajo and others living in the Southwest region of the United States.  New Tox Town locations found in this scene include:

1. Abandoned Mines
2. Coal-Fired Power Plants
3. Dust Storms
4. Hydraulic Fracturing
5. Irrigation Canals and Ditches
6. Oil and Gas Fields
7. Sheep Ranching
8. Uranium Tailings
9. Water Wells
10. Windmills

Regardless of where you live, you will definitely want to visit this new neighborhood and learn about possible environmental health risks in this part of the country.

July 9 – 13, 2012
Dolce Hayes Mansion, San Jose, CA

Applications now being accepted (through March 2nd)

One of the most critical issues impeding improvements in public health today is the enormous gap between what we know can optimize health and healthcare and what actually gets used and implemented in every day practice.  The science of dissemination and implementation (D&I) seeks to address this gap by understanding how to best ensure that evidence-based strategies to improve health and prevent disease are effectively delivered in clinical and public health practice.

Institute Goals

The Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research, National Institutes of Health, in partnership with the National Cancer Institute, the National Institute of Mental Health, and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, is sponsoring this 5-day training institute to provide participants with a thorough grounding in conducting dissemination and implementation research in health.  Faculty and guest lecturers will consist of leading experts (practitioners and teachers) in theory, implementation and evaluation approaches to D&I, creating partnerships and multi-level transdisciplinary research teams, research design, methods and analyses appropriate for D&I investigations and conducting research at different and multiple levels of interventions (e.g., clinical, community, policy).

Participant Eligibility Requirements

This training is designed for investigators at any career stage interested in conducting Dissemination and Implementation (D&I) research.  To be eligible, participants must NOT have received R18, R01 or R01-equivalent funding as a principal investigator for D&I research.  Note, investigators who have received an R01 or equivalent are eligible, as long as the funding was not specifically for D&I research.  Preference will be given to applicants who demonstrate experience with, or potential for, working effectively in transdisciplinary teams and who have strong partnerships with—or are embedded within—healthcare delivery or community-based organization settings. We seek a balance of both junior and senior investigators, with the overall goal of bringing new people into the field of D&I research.

In addition, to be eligible, participants must meet all of the following criteria:

• Hold a doctoral level degree (PhD, ScD, MD, DrPH, DO, DVM, DNSc, DrPH, etc.).
• Have demonstrated experience and expertise in health science (e.g., medicine, behavioral medicine, nursing, medical anthropology, health economics, health policy).
• Have a feasible D&I research concept to bring to the institute and develop throughout the week. This should be a project the applicant is seriously interested in conducting and/or submitting for funding.
• Federal employees are not eligible with the exception of individuals whose position allow them to receive grants and function as independent researchers (e.g., VA research investigators).
• Be willing and able to attend the entire training 5-day institute, if accepted.

Applicants are NOT required to be citizens, permanent residents, or non-citizen nationals of the United States.  However, expenses will only be paid for domestic travel within the U.S. (domestic air/train fare, lodging during the institute, government per diem rate for meals not provided, and domestic ground transportation/airport transfers).  For more information and instructions for how to apply, please visit our webpage: http://conferences.thehillgroup.com/OBSSRinstitutes/TIDIRH2012/index.html.

NLM will be closed on Monday, January 16 in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

J Med Internet Res. 2011 Nov 21;13(4):e97.

Public access and use of health research: An exploratory study of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy using interviews and surveys of health personnel

O’Keeffe J, Willinsky J, Maggio L.

Abstract

BACKGROUND

In 2008, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Public Access Policy mandated open access for publications resulting from NIH funding (following a 12-month embargo). The large increase in access to research that will take place in the years to come has potential implications for evidence-based practice (EBP) and lifelong learning for health personnel.

OBJECTIVE

This study assesses health personnel’s current use of research to establish whether grounds exist for expecting, preparing for, and further measuring the impact of the NIH Public Access Policy on health care quality and outcomes in light of time constraints and existing information resources.

METHODS

In all, 14 interviews and 90 surveys of health personnel were conducted at a community-based clinic and an independent teaching hospital in 2010. Health personnel were asked about the research sources they consulted and the frequency with which they consulted these sources, as well as motivation and search strategies used to locate articles, perceived level of access to research, and knowledge of the NIH Public Access Policy.

RESULTS

In terms of current access to health information, 65% (57/88) of the health personnel reported being satisfied, while 32% (28/88) reported feeling underserved. Among the sources health personnel reported that they relied upon and consulted weekly, 83% (73/88) reported turning to colleagues, 77% (67/87) reported using synthesized information resources (e.g., UpToDate and Cochrane Systematic Reviews), while 32% (28/88) reported that they consulted primary research literature. The dominant resources health personnel consulted when actively searching for health information were Google and Wikipedia, while 27% (24/89) reported using PubMed weekly. The most prevalent reason given for accessing research on a weekly basis, reported by 35% (31/88) of survey respondents, was to help a specific patient, while 31% (26/84) were motivated by general interest in research.

CONCLUSIONS

The results provide grounds for expecting the NIH Public Access Policy to have a positive impact on EBP and health care more generally given that between a quarter and a third of participants in this study (1) frequently accessed research literature, (2) expressed an interest in having greater access, and (3) were aware of the policy and expect it to have an impact on their accessing research literature in the future. Results also indicate the value of promoting a greater awareness of the NIH policy, providing training and education in the location and use of the literature, and continuing improvements in the organization of biomedical research for health personnel use.

PMID: 22106169

[PubMed - in process]

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