Re: Wieland LS, Robinson KA, Dickersin K. Understanding why evidence from randomised clinical trials may not be retrieved from Medline: comparison of
indexed and non-indexed records. BMJ. 2012 Jan 3;344:d7501. doi: 10.1136/bmj.d7501. PubMed PMID: 22214757.

Readers of this article should recognize that the authors assumed no changes took place in the NLM indexing of Randomized Controlled Trial
[publication type]. In fact, NLM has made changes since 2005 that we think affect the conclusions and projections made in the article. These changes
are:

1. Since 2005, we conduct a monthly PubMed quality assurance search to review completed citations that are candidates for Randomized Controlled
Trial [publication type] but lack that tag. Appropriate edits are made to add that Publication Type when it has been missed (per the NLM definition
of Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type] which is “for original report of the conduct or results of a specific randomized controlled trial”).

2. Since 2007, we have broadened our indexing practice for Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type] to include follow-up, post hoc analysis
and the like of specific trials.

Together these two changes ensure that NLM indexers are appropriately tagging MEDLINE citations with Randomized Controlled Trial [publication type]
for the researcher and clinician audience.

Sincerely,
Lou Knecht
Deputy Chief, Bibliographic Services Division
National Library of Medicine

In PubMed the week, the Advanced Search page was updated. Terms entered in the Search Builder will automatically populate the search box, and MeSH term searching has been enhanced to include an autocomplete feature. See the full article for more details.

Another recent article announces new features for PubMed Health, NLM’s clinical effectiveness database. Change include enhanced information from the National Cancer Institute’s Physician Data Query database, two new full-text books about understanding heathcare decisions and treatments, and an improved display of medical encyclopedia search results. With the inclusion of the Database of Reviews of Effects (DARE) from the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination in England, PubMed Health is getting close to comprehensive coverage of reliable systematic reviews on clinical effectiveness.

Read the article here, and stay current with  email updates or an RSS feed.

Edit: a recording is now available at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p13016205/

Internally produced pocket guides, websites, posters, and intranets; all are used to disseminate institution-specific protocols and algorithms used in clinical practice.  Some information is unique to one format and some information is out-of-date, so where’s the authoritative source for finding this vital information?

Come join us on Wednesday, November 16, 2011 at 1pm Pacific time (Noon Alaska, 2pm Mountain) during our free monthly webcast at http://webmeeting.nih.gov/rendezvous to meet OCCAM (Online Clinical Care Algorithms & Messages), a web app designed specifically for UW Medicine that collects this information in a single, mobile-optimized format.  Amy Harper, Clinical Librarian at the University of Washington Health Sciences Library, will discuss how the idea for OCCAM first came about, how the web app and website were created and marketed, and future plans for OCCAM.

If you are unable to join us then, we invite you to view a recording of the webcast at the Rendezvous website later.

As part of our Federal agency services regarding electronic and information technology resources being accessible to people with disabilities, closed captioning is available on this and future RML Rendezvous webcasts.

For more information please visit How do I connect to the Rendezvous? to test your computer connection as a Flash update may be needed. We look forward to seeing you at the webcast!

This is an announcement from The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology’s listserv.

The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) is pleased to announce the launch of its new website, HealthIT.gov . This website is designed to become the leading national resource on health information technology (health IT) for both consumers and health care professionals.

Health is personal. It’s personal for the parent who has a child with asthma. It’s personal for the patient with a new cancer diagnosis. And it’s personal for the doctor who is responsible for caring for them. At its core, HealthIT.gov is about patients, and it’s about helping them get the information they need, connecting them to resources that empower them to make changes, and ultimately, improving the nation’s health—one person at a time.

Whether you are a parent who is wondering how an electronic health record (EHR) will affect her family’s privacy or a provider who is overwhelmed by the idea of transitioning to EHRs, HealthIT.gov has the resources to help answer your questions.

Visit HealthIT.gov today!

Three of the National Library of Medicine’s free mobile applications are now available for Android devices. They are Wireless Information System for Emergency Responders (WISER), Radiation Emergency Medical Management (REMM), and LactMed.

WISER is a tool to assist emergency responders with hazardous materials (HAZMAT) incidents. It provides a wide range of information on chemical, biological, and radiological agents, including substance identification, physical characteristics, human health and emergency medical treatment information, and containment and suppression assistance.

REMM provides guidance for health care providers, primarily physicians, about clinical diagnosis and treatment of radiation injury during radiological and nuclear emergencies. It provides just-in-time, evidence-based, usable information with sufficient background and context to make complex issues understandable to those without formal radiation medicine expertise.

LactMed is a database of drugs and other chemicals to which breastfeeding mothers may be exposed. It includes information on the levels of such substances in breast milk and infant blood, and the possible adverse effects in the nursing infant.

The National Library of Medicine offers more than a dozen free, mobile-friendly health information databases. To see them all, go to NLM’s Gallery of Mobile Apps and Sites.

photo by erix! on flickr

Here at NN/LM PNR, our mission is to improve access to quality information for health professionals and health consumers in the Pacific Northwest. We need your help! If you work in Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Oregon, or Washington and have a great idea for health information outreach or improving library services, we would love to provide the funds to set your project in motion. We’ve announced five new funding opportunities over the past few weeks, bringing our total number of available awards types to nine. To help you (and us!) keep it all straight, we are summarizing the possibilities for you here in one handy blog post. Here are our currently available awards listed in order of application deadline. Our funding page will be continuously updated with the latest information about available awards and descriptions of projects we’ve funded.

Outreach to Under-Connected Health Organizations
Amount:  up to $25,000,  2 awards available
Proposals due: Wednesday, August 10
PNR Contact: Cathy Burroughs, Associate Director

Technology Improvement Awards
Amount: up to $5000, 3 awards available
Proposals due: Friday, August 12
PNR Contact:  Cathy Burroughs, Associate Director

Community Preparedness Day Awards
Amount:  up to $5000, 2 awards available
Proposals due: Friday, August 12
PNR Contact: Gail Kouame, Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator

Express Outreach Awards
Amount: up to $15,000, 4 awards available
Proposals due: Friday, August 26
PNR Contacts: Gail Kouame, Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator or Alison Aldrich, Public Health Outreach Coordinator

Professional Development Awards
Amount: up to $1000, multiple awards available
Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis
PNR Contact: Patricia Devine, Network Outreach Coordinator

Electronic Fund Transfer System Awards
Amount: up to $200, multiple awards available
Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis
PNR Contact: Patricia Devine, Network Outreach Coordinator

Exhibit Awards
Amount: up to $500, multiple awards available
Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis
PNR Contact: Patricia Devine, Network Outreach Coordinator

Training Awards
Amount: up to $500, multiple awards available
Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis
PNR Contact: Patricia Devine, Network Outreach Coordinator

Assessment and Planning Awards
Amount: up to $2000, multiple awards available
Proposals are accepted on an ongoing basis
PNR Contact: Patricia Devine, Network Outreach Coordinator

The National Library of Medicine has formally launched MedlinePlus Connect. This free service allows health organizations and health information technology (HIT) providers to link patient portals and electronic health record (EHR) systems to MedlinePlus.gov, a trusted source of authoritative, up-to-date health information for patients, families and health care providers. MedlinePlus brings together information from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), other federal agencies, and reputable health information providers. MedlinePlus covers a wide range of health conditions and wellness issues, and includes key resources to inform patients about their health.

To learn more about MedlinePlus Connect please read the news release and visit http://medlineplus.gov/connect.

photo by K. Constant

We received the following report from Kathryn Constant, Librarian at Birthingway College of Midwifery, who received a Technology Improvement Award from NN/LM PNR in the spring of 2010. You can be like Kathryn! Proposals for the next round of Technology Improvement Award funding are due on August 12.

Birthingway College of Midwifery Library is a small, one-person-run library in a small non-profit accredited school in Portland, Oregon. Technology is not a word usually associated with midwives. So it really was astounding to receive a Technology Improvement Award from the NN/LM PNR in 2010 for Sharing the S.T.O.R.E. of midwifery-related material.

Sharing the S.T.O.R.E created a new digital health information collection and service to Birthingway College of Midwifery’s Library and the birth-related community the library serves. The project initiated the digitization of the 15 year plus collections of slides, original research-based student theses, sound and video instructional recordings, diagrams, handouts, etc. (S.T.O.R.E.) While this project is far from being completed, its debut has proved very successful.

The project really began with a revised Statement of Work from the NN/LM PNR reviewers. Their wisdom was immediately apparent and appreciated. The proposal was written to include digitization of everything and dissemination to all. The reviewers appreciated the enthusiasm and worthiness of this plan, but realized it was far beyond the scope of a one-year project. “Yes” to digitization of many, but the dissemination could wait. First lessons learned— keep it real and make good use of advice from experts.

In the beginning, the award check arrived and the spending was fun. The library acquired a lovely, fast new computer with a high quality wide screen monitor and an 8 TB Network Area Server (NAS), complete with cables to connect and distribute. It was set up library centric, shiny and new. Then, the technology-here-today-gone-tomorrow phenomena reared its ever-changing data. The all-in-one photo/slide/auto-fed document scanner budgeted for the project not only went up in price, but couldn’t be found in stock anywhere! The scanner, of course, was key to digitizing almost everything. Many deep breaths were had before a solution appeared. We had to get another brand, and it seemed we waited just long enough since an even better all-in-one-do-it-all scanner came down in price to make it within our budget. It even came with some software we knew we needed. Scanner in place, we purchased Adobe Acrobat Pro to covert, copyright-protect, watermark and make our student research projects/thesis Section 508 accessible. Additional modules for the library automation software also arrived and were installed to handle our new media types, tasks, and demands. Most pieces assembled, the digitization experiments began.Summer arrived and the scanning was fine! The tech dude and I giggled with glee with how easy this would be. The research project/thesis papers flowed through the scanner like water. Photographs and slides lit up the computer screen like sunsets. Tests run, we were ready to digitize the S.T.O.R.E.

At first, the copyright assistant for the college was enthused to gain permissions for the S.T.O.R.E. project. It was summer and slower at the college than usual. We would begin by asking for permission of the students to digitize and disseminate their completed thesis/research project papers. Students were emailed and many replied quickly in the affirmative. By the start of fall term, we had more than a dozen papers completed and available in digital format through the library catalog. Birthingway College Library had entered the 21st century!

Fall term was the perfect time to test our project. Fall term is the quarter I teach Research Methods to the advanced students. I use completed research projects as a teaching tool to provide examples of concepts and to show finished products. The problem with using the papers this way was that students always wanted to take the papers home to use as examples when completing their homework tasks. Library policy was that these papers did not circulate. In fact, the only time research papers were ever out of library was for one evening of Research Methods class each year. Students could look at them inside the library, but could not copy them without the authoress’ written permission, which they had to acquire themselves. The disconnect between resource sharing/protecting is obvious by now.

The “test” class started as usual. I walked in carrying an armload of research papers. At the appropriate moment, I passed the papers out to students and everyone started going through them with intense interest. They passed them between themselves. “This is so cool.” “They are all so different-you’d love to read this one.” “Now that I see them, I totally get the idea.” Before I even asked to collect the papers, it happened. “Kathryn, can we take these home with us?” For the first time, I didn’t feel dread when I answered this question. “Sorry to say you can’t take the originals home with you, BUT they are available online through the library catalog.” “No way! That’s awesome!”

And awesome it was and continues to be. Fall term the dozen papers were accessed over 45 times and there were only 8 students enrolled in the class. Without a doubt, I received the best quality assignments in the history of teaching Research Methods. The level of enthusiasm from the students was also remarkable. This class had often been sleeptime for over-tired midwives-in-training.

As the school year continued and these students moved forward into doing their research projects, an unforeseen benefit and measure of success appeared. “Now that my paper is going to be published on the Internet, I really want it to be excellent and meaningful. Midwives from all over the world could see it.” “I was so excited to show my family my research paper. When they saw it download from the library catalog, read it, and saw how much work went in it, they were really impressed and proud of me.” Success? I’d say so and this is just the beginning of Sharing the S.T.O.R.E.

binary by zebtron on flickr

The Health Data Initiative Forum, known informally as the Health Datapalooza, is a showcase for innovative technology projects that use data in new ways to support public health, wellness and/or patient care. This year’s event, which took place on June 9 at the National Institutes of Health, was co-sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services and the Institute of Medicine. Here are just a few of the more than 45 projects featured at this year’s Forum.

Asthmapolis

Physicians frequently expect asthma patients to keep detailed diaries about their symptoms, including when and where they need to use rescue inhalers. The Asthmapolis project aims to simplify this record keeping process for patients. GPS sensors are attached to the bottoms of  inhalers. When a patient uses his or her inhaler, date and location information is sent to a central database. The patient can use an online or mobile application to track his or her own symptom history. Physicians can use the data to see which of their asthma patients need additional support. Public health officials and scientists can use aggregated data generated by Asthmapolis to help identify environmental triggers that need to be addressed.

PatientsLikeMe

PatientsLikeMe is a social network, online support group, and data sharing platform for people living with medical conditions. It was founded in 2004 by the brothers and friend of a man with ALS, and today there are more than 107,000 members. PatientsLikeMe recently introduced a Clinical Trials Tool which integrates data from ClinicalTrials.gov to match PatientsLikeMe users with trials for which they are qualified. An associated service helps trial recruiters find volunteers. PatientsLikeMe won a “Best of the Plenary” award at the Forum.

Community Commons

This ambitious GIS-based networking project is set to launch this summer. Community Commons will map out a wide range of community health projects and provide ways for leaders of those projects to communicate and share best practices. This project is backed by numerous major funding organizations including federal agencies and private foundations.  The purpose is to help sustain successful projects by making it easier for project leaders to find resources and, conversely, to assist funding organizations in identifying projects that match their investment goals.

Two projects from the National Library of Medicine, MedlinePlus Connect and Pillbox, were also featured. MedlinePlus Connect provides a way to link quality consumer health information directly to an electronic health record or patient portal. The information is personalized through mapping to ICD-9, SNOMED CT and other standard codes. Pillbox brings together data from the FDA, MedlinePlus, and other sources to help users identify and learn more about unknown pills.

Recordings of the morning and afternoon sessions are posted in the NIH Videocasts Archive.

You can explore dozens of other health data applications in the Health 2.0 Apps Expo.

Here’s what some other bloggers had to say about the event:

• 5 Things That Caught My Attention at the Health Data Initiative Forum
• Innovators Go App Crazy
• Challenges Aired at Health Data Initiative Forum