The National Library of Medicine’s WISER for Android 2.0 is now available and can be installed directly from the Google Play Store. New features in this release include: 

• Emergency Response Guidebook data is now updated to the ERG 2012; WISER for Android includes a custom ERG 2012 tool; and
• WISER now fully integrates content from the Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) website.

This integration includes:

• New hospital provider and preparedness planner profiles;
• Acute care guidelines for six known mass casualty agents/agent classes;
• The addition of a wealth of CHEMM reference material; and
• CHEMM Intelligent Syndrome Tool (CHEMM-IST); a new help identify tool designed to diagnose the type of chemical exposure after a mass casualty incident.

These exciting additions are coming soon:

• Updates to the Windows and WebWISER platforms to include CHEMM integration, ERG 2012 data, and more;
• Data updates for all WISER platforms; and
• WISER for Android 3.1, which adds Help Identify Chemical and protective distance mapping to this popular platform.

WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents. WISER provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances, including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has announced a funding opportunity for small projects to improve access to disaster medicine and public health information for health care professionals, first responders, and others that play a role in health-related disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. NLM is soliciting proposals from partnerships that include at least one library and at least one non-library organization that has disaster-related responsibilities, such as health departments, public safety departments, emergency management departments, prehospital and emergency medical services, fire/rescue, or other local, regional, or state agencies with disaster health responsibilities; hospitals; faith-based and voluntary organizations active in disaster; and others. Contract awards will be offered for a minimum of $15,000 to a maximum of $30,000, for a one-year project. The deadline for responses is Thursday, June 20, 2013, at 11 am PT. Responses are limited to six pages plus supplemental materials such as resumes, letters of support, and a budget.

NLM is looking for innovative proposals that enhance mutually beneficial collaboration among libraries and disaster-related agencies. For example, projects may increase awareness of health information resources, demonstrate how libraries and librarians can assist planners and responders with disaster-related information needs, show ways in which disaster workers can educate librarians about disaster management, and/or include collaboration among partners in developing information resources that support planning and response to public health emergencies. Summaries of projects funded in 2011 and 2012 are available for viewing. The solicitation notice can be found on FedBizOpps. Visit NLM’s Disaster Information Management Research Center web site for additional information and instructions about the “Disaster Health Information Outreach and Collaboration Project 2013.”

The federal government’s Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) has developed a free resource to help health care providers learn more about the evidence supporting eight quality improvement strategies. “Closing the Quality Gap: Revisiting the State of the Science” (CQG Series) is a new series of eight evidence reports that focus on various aspects of health care quality. This series not only expands the topic terrain beyond that covered in the initial 2004-2007 collection of reports, but also marshals the knowledge of eight Evidence-based Practice Centers (EPCs), with the goal of applying and advancing the state of the science for improving the health care system for the benefit of all patients. AHRQ’s evidence reports offer an unbiased analysis of available research on specific health care topics. The individual reports are:

• “Bundled Payment: Effects on Health Care Spending and Quality” 12-E007-1
• “The Patient-Centered Medical Home” 12-E008-1
• “Quality Improvement Interventions to Address Health Disparities” 12-E009-1
• “Medication Adherence Interventions: Comparative Effectiveness” 12-E010-1
• “Public Reporting as a Quality Improvement Strategy” 12-E011-1
• “Prevention of Healthcare–Associated Infections” 12(13)-E012-1
• “Quality Improvement Measurement of Outcomes for People With Disabilities” 12(13)-E013-1
• “Improving Health Care and Palliative Care for Advanced and Serious Illness” 12(13)-E014-1

To order the set, request publication OM 13-0014 from the AHRQ Publications Clearinghouse at 1-800-358-9295 or ahrqpubs@ahrq.gov.

NLM’s TOXNET TRI and TOXMAP now include the 2011 Toxics Release Inventory data, the most current US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) data available. The Toxics Release Inventory (TRI), a resource of the EPA, is a set of publicly available databases containing information on releases of specific toxic chemicals and their management as waste, as reported annually by U.S. industrial and federal facilities. This inventory was established under the Emergency Planning and Community Right to Know Act of 1986 (EPCRA). TRI’s data, beginning with the 1987 reporting year, covers air, water, land, and underground injection releases, as well as transfers to waste sites. In agreement with the Pollution Prevention Act of 1990, source reduction and recycling data is also included in TRI. 20,927 facilities reported to the EPA TRI program in 2011, with almost 80,000 submissions. A complete list of TRI chemicals required to be reported can be found on the EPA web site. TOXMAP maps the TRI chemicals reported to the EPA as required by EPCRA. TOXMAP covers on-site TRI releases only, and also includes EPA Superfund data.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) Value Set Authority Center (VSAC), in collaboration with the Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has published the annual update for the 2014 Eligible Hospital Clinical Quality Measure (CQM) Value Sets. The update includes revised value sets to address deleted and remapped codes in the latest terminology versions, as well as new codes for addressing CQM logic corrections and clarifications. The NLM update of the VSAC coincides with the CMS posting of the official updated 2014 Eligible Hospital CQMs.

The value sets provide lists of the numerical values and individual names from standard vocabularies used to define the clinical concepts (e.g. diabetes, clinical visit) used in the CQMs. The content of the VSAC will gradually expand to incorporate value sets for other use cases, as well as for new measures and updates to existing measures. The VSAC offers a Downloadable Resource Table (DRT), accessible from the “Download” tab on the VSAC Web page, that provides prepackaged downloads for the most recently updated and released 2014 CQM Value Sets, as well as to previously released versions. Access to the Value Set Authority Center requires a free Unified Medical Language System® Metathesaurus License. NLM also provides the Data Element Catalog that identifies data element names (value set names) required for capture in Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology, certified under the 2014 Edition of the ONC Standards and Certification Criteria.

The following resources are available to help health care providers and vendors navigate the 2014 CQMs:

• NLM: Value Set Authority Center (VSAC) Provides downloadable access to all official versions of vocabulary value sets contained in the 2014 Clinical Quality Measures.
• AHRQ: United States Healthcare Knowledge Database (USHIK) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s website with 2014 eCQMs and other health information technology resources. This site provides a number of formats for viewing, downloading, and comparing versions of eCQMs and their value sets.
• CMS: Clinical Quality eMeasure Logic and Implementation Guidance v1.3 Guidance for understanding and using the electronically specified Eligible Professional (EP) and Eligible Hospital (EH) Clinical Quality Measures.
• ONC: Clinical Quality Measure Feedback System ONC encourages the EHR technology developer and user communities to provide feedback regarding the implementation, structure, intent, and data elements pertaining to CQMs.
• Questions? Contact NLM Value Set Authority Center Help.

The National Library of Medicine’s WISER for iOS 3.1, a universal app for Apple iOS devices, is now available. It can be downloaded and installed directly from the Apple App Store. Here’s a look at what’s new in this release:

• WISER now fully integrates content from the Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) website. This integration includes:
  • New hospital provider and preparedness planner profiles
  • Acute care guidelines for 6 known mass casualty agents/agent classes
  • The addition of a wealth of CHEMM reference material
  • The new CHEMM Intelligent Syndrome Tool (CHEMM-IST), a help identify tool designed to diagnose the type of chemical exposure after a mass casualty incident
• Emergency Response Guidebook data is now updated to the ERG 2012; WISER for the iPhone includes a custom ERG 2012 tool

In addition, look for these exciting developments in the coming months:

• WISER for Android 1.1, which includes the same CHEMM integration and ERG 2012 updates detailed above
• Updates to the Windows and WebWISER platforms to include CHEMM integration, ERG 2012 data, and more
• WISER for Android 3.1, which adds Help Identify Chemical and protective distance mapping to this popular platform

WISER is a system designed to assist first responders in hazardous material incidents. It provides a wide range of information on hazardous substances; including substance identification support, physical characteristics, human health information, and containment and suppression advice.

Dr. C. Everett Koop died on February 25, 2013, peacefully at his home in Hanover, NH. He was 96. After a 35-year career as an internationally acclaimed pediatric surgeon, during the 1980s Dr. Koop turned a federal office with a minimal budget and staff, the office of the U.S. Surgeon General, into the most authoritative platform from which to educate the nation on matters of health promotion, disease prevention, and emerging health threats, including smoking, domestic violence, disability rights, and, most urgently, AIDS.  Dr. Koop helped the nation face this most fearsome emerging infectious disease. On this and other issues he often surprised supporters and critics alike.  “I had the privilege of working with Dr. Koop, and seeing firsthand his commitment to public health, when as Surgeon General he served on the National Library of Medicine Board of Regents,” said NLM Director Dr. Donald A.B. Lindberg. “It is especially fitting that his papers are part of the Library’s online collection, Profiles in Science, given that he was such a strong advocate of health information for the public and the use of the Internet for disseminating it.”

Through NLM’s Profiles in Science Web site, which is dedicated to the lives and works of 20th-century leaders in science, medicine, and public health, visitors may view a selection of the C. Everett Koop Papers, including correspondence, speeches, lecture notes, published articles and editorials, photographs, and audiovisual recordings, illustrating Dr. Koop’s tenure as U.S. Surgeon General, from 1981 to 1989.  Visitors to the site can view, for example, a transcript of Dr. Koop’s press conference announcing the release of his seminal report on AIDS in October 1986, as well as photographs from his career as a pediatric surgeon. Profiles in Science also places Dr. Koop’s accomplishments as Surgeon General in the context of the medical advances, political debates, and cultural developments of the 1980s.  As a special feature of this site, Dr. Koop provided introductions to many of his speeches in which he describes their context, setting, and impact.  The Reports of the Surgeon General, including those authored by Dr. Koop, are also available online through NLM.

Individuals interested in conducting research in the C. Everett Koop Papers are invited to consult the finding aid to the collection and/or contact the National Library of Medicine. In addition, Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., Director, National Institutes of Health, has issued a statement on the passing of Dr. Koop.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Disaster Technical Assistance Center (DTAC) has just announced release of the Disaster Response Template Toolkit, a new installment in the Disaster Behavioral Health Information Series. It contains a comprehensive collection of online resources and materials, as well as editable templates that can be easily tailored to meet the needs of any disaster response program.

The Printed Materials section contains customizable public education materials for use by disaster behavioral health response programs to provide outreach, psycho-education, and recovery news for disaster survivors. These materials, geared toward the general public, provide information about common disaster reactions and ways to cope. The Messaging through Other Media section contains tips for writing television, radio, and newspaper public service announcements (PSAs), as well as samples of print and radio PSAs. There are also links and examples of disaster response program websites, social networking pages, and blogs.

Within each section of this toolkit, “do it yourself” templates are provided in various formats, with space provided for each program to incorporate its own logo or contact information. You will find templates for the following products:

• Brochures for adults, older adults, or children, about common disaster responses and ways of coping;
• Door hangers with common signs of disaster stress, ways to reduce stress, and common reactions to trigger events, such as the holidays;
• Editable tip sheets with information on managing stress, coping with disaster anniversaries, and helping children cope with the disaster;
• Newsletters, wallet cards, and postcards, with broad messaging and room to add your program’s contact information.

It is hoped that the Disaster Response Template Toolkit will be a helpful resource for the disaster response programs in your institution!

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Electronic Data Methods (EDM) Forum have announced the official launch of eGEMs (Generating Evidence and Methods to improve patient outcomes). eGEMs is a new peer-reviewed, open access journal designed to curate a knowledge base of emerging lessons learned, focusing on using electronic clinical data to advance research and quality improvement, with the overall goal of improving patient and community outcomes. Authors are welcome to submit papers, images, or other media focused on the four themes of data methods, informatics, governance, and the learning health system. Submissions are published upon acceptance.

NIH’s Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR) launches The Connector, a new blog featuring OBSSR Director Dr. Robert M. Kaplan’s commentary, Director Connection.

Through The Connector, NIH OBSSR will maintain an active commitment to delivering fresh and frequent coverage of important public health issues and the research being conducted to address them. Dr. Kaplan’s blog will explore a broad range of topics such as mHealth, systems science, dissemination and implementation research and the NIH Toolbox. It will also explore achieving better population health through improved dissemination of evidence-based interventions. The Connector will keep readers informed of the office’s activities, trainings, educational resources and funding opportunity announcements, as well as podcasts and videos of conversations with engaging behavioral and social sciences.

The Connector is available at http://connector.obssr.od.nih.gov/.