Pillbox, DailyMed, MedlinePlus and more! The National Library of Medicine hosts a suite of drug information resources, each with a different slant. Where to begin?

Come join us on Wednesday, February 15, 2012 at 1pm Pacific time (Noon Alaska, 2pm Mountain) during our free monthly webcast at http://webmeeting.nih.gov/rendezvous for a session presented by Gail Kouame, PNR Consumer Health Outreach Coordinator where she will help demystify where to go for what type of drug information. Feel free to share any pearls you’ve discovered along the way too!

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!

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

Edit: A recording of the webcast is now available at https://webmeeting.nih.gov/p97232219/

Below are the resources mentioned in the presentation, and they are also accessible via the LinkOut section of our website:

LinkOut Home: Journal Lists, Provider Lists, Library Submission Utility, etc.
FAQ on LinkOut: LinkOut for Libraries Frequently Asked Questions.
LinkOut Help: National Center for Biotechnology Information Help Manual.
How LinkOut Works For Libraries: Detailed Information on How to Register for LinkOut and Manage Holdings.
Training and Educational Resources: Animated Tutorials, LinkOut Presentations from MLA Meetings.
Promotion: Materials to Assist Libraries in Training Users and Promoting LinkOut.

Are you curious about LinkOut? Do you have questions? Are you interested in what’s changed?

Come join us on Wednesday, January 18, 2012 at 1pm Pacific time (Noon Alaska, 2pm Mountain) during our free monthly webcast at http://webmeeting.nih.gov/rendezvous  for a LinkOut Refresher session presented by Patricia Devine, PNR Network Outreach Coordinator. She will cover the benefits of LinkOut, getting started with LinkOut, the Submission Utility and which vendors provide holdings, and getting statistics from LinkOut.

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!

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.

The 2012 Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference will take place April 10-12, 2012 at the Greater Tacoma Convention and Trade Center.  It is the largest and most successful regional emergency preparedness conference in the Pacific Northwest.  Partners in Emergency Preparedness annually hosts nearly 700 people representing business, schools, government, the nonprofit sector, emergency management professionals, and volunteer organizations.

The Partners in Emergency Preparedness Conference attracts top-notch speakers with expertise that includes lessons learned from recent worldwide events like earthquakes, work place violence, current hazards research, contingency planning, school preparedness, techology, media interactions, and public health issues.  speakers and exhibitors provide cutting-edge information on subjects such as business continuity planning, school safety, public health preparedness, homeland security, and public information.

Effective emergency management can only be accomplished through partnerships.  This conference offers you the opportunity to develop those relationships and gain necessary information to fulfill your preparedness needs, to understand the importance of preparedness education and planning, and to meet your future partners in preparedness.  This conference attracts individuals representing government, non-profit sector, private, businesses, schools, volunteers, and emergency management professionals.

For more information, visit the conference web site: https://www.cm.wsu.edu/ehome/piepc/39774/

You can also contact Dana Colwell, Conference Coordinator at: 253-445-4575 or Dana.Colwell@wsu.edu

PubMed class

The previous one-day PubMed class is being replaced with a hybrid PubMed for Trainers class. This hands-on course consists of lectures, individual exercises, group work and discussions in four sessions, with independent work before or after each session. The course consists of three 2 hour online sessions and an in-person session. NLM or NTC trainers will deliver the lectures and facilitate discussions.

The objectives of the class are for current and future PubMed trainers to discover and develop:

1. functional knowledge of the MEDLINE® database,
2. understanding of the structure and use of the Medical Subject Heading (MeSH®) vocabulary in MEDLINE/PubMed,
3. expertise in the use of features and functions of the PubMed system, and
4. techniques and best practices in MEDLINE/PubMed instruction with fellow trainers.

The class is intended specifically for those who train, or will train, others to use PubMed. This class could be for you if you teach PubMed to large groups, small groups, or one-on-one training. We look forward to lively discussions on PubMed instruction and adult education best practices.

The first NTC PubMed for Trainers class was held in October 2011 in Bethesda, MD. NTC will be offering PubMed for Trainers classes in five different locations from February through April 2012. The locations are Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; Chapel Hill, NC; Chicago, IL; and Syracuse, NY. The class will be offered in the Pacific Northwest Region later in 2012 (dates to be announced).

TOXNET and Beyond class

We will continue to offer the one-day TOXNET and Beyond class. This course is designed to convey the basics of searching TOXNET, a Web-based system of databases in the areas of toxicology, environmental health, and related fields. The course also teaches students how to use the NLM Environmental Health and Toxicology portal which provides resources beyond the TOXNET® databases. Students learn the content and structure of files covering toxicology data, toxicology literature, toxic releases, and chemical nomenclature. The databases highlighted are TOXLINE, the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB), the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS), the Toxic Release Inventory (TRI), and ChemIDplus. The course includes lectures, online demonstrations, and hands-on exercises.

NTC has TOXNET and Beyond classes scheduled beginning in February 2011 in Los Angeles, CA; Houston, TX; and Chicago, IL.

Plans for Online Training

In addition to the hybrid PubMed class and in-person TOXNET and Beyond class, NTC will be offering shorter online Adobe Connect classes for delivery later this year. In conjunction with the Pacific Southwest Region, we are also developing a Moodle version of the “Effective Training Design: Teaching with Technology” class (see http://cech.mlanet.org/node/576).

In the next few months, we will be conducting a needs assessment to identify gaps in the current Web-based training offerings. After the needs assessment is completed we will be developing additional Web-based training.

Wait, there’s more…

The NTC blog features regularly published short articles about teaching technologies, adult education, and upcoming activities. You can also follow us on Twitter where we are posting links to resources related to education and NLM products. Please visit the NTC Web site at http://nnlm.gov/ntc/ for more information, to register for classes and to follow the NTC blog or Twitter 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!

Hope Leman, MLIS, research information technologist with the Center, accepted the award and a $1,000 check in Chicago at the Interlending and Document Supply (ILDS) Conference, “Resource Sharing in the Digital Age.”

The award monies will be used to advance scholarly research by Samaritan employees. Congratulations to librarian Hope Leman and the rest of the team!