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Books & Bytes

Volume 5, Number 10    July-August 1993

Books & Bytes is produced by the HSLIC Library Staff for Health Sciences Center personnel. Copyright University of Washington.

Table of Contents

  1. Libraries Support Clinical Information Needs of House Staff
  2. Welcome to House Staff!
  3. Checklist of Standard Information Services
  4. Research Assistants' Class
  5. New Hot Topic: Residency Training Issues
  6. Orientations for House Staff and Fellows

Libraries Support Clinical Information Needs of House Staff

by Ellen Howard, K.K. Sherwood Librarian and
    Sherry Dodson, Clinical Medical Librarian

Clinical librarians are now assigned onsite at both the UW Medical Center (UWMC) and Harborview Medical Center (HMC) to support clinical services. The primary goal for Sherry Dodson, UWMC Clinical Medical Librarian, and Ellen Howard, K.K. Sherwood Librarian at HMC, is to provide patient care information to all members of health care teams in a timely fashion. While the librarian roles are similar, the programs at each hospital have been individualized to best meet the needs of each institution.

Patient care teams are encouraged to call Ellen or Sherry whenever they have problems that can be answered using library-based information sources. After a brief interview the librarian will find and deliver the needed information, often within hours, using MEDLINE and other databases, such as AIDSLINE, CANCERLIT, or MICROMEDEX to locate relevant articles or book chapters.

Users may also wish to learn how to conduct their own online searches. Group training is available by appointment in the library or in your own department, and self-service searching terminals are available in both libraries, with assistance available whenever the reference areas are staffed.

Focused orientations to information sources and services are available to groups upon request. For example, onsite instruction at a work station in the hospital can be arranged for a Medicine team that wants to learn how to do quick searches of UW's locally mounted databases, including the Libraries Online Catalog.

Both clinical librarians currently attend Medicine's Morning Report four mornings a week in their respective hospitals. This allows them to know the context of patient care questions, and to do searches and provide documents related to specific problems. In addition, each librarian can provide or direct users to specialized services. For example, if you are at Harborview and need to check out textbooks or obtain materials that are beyond the scope of the small working collection at the hospital, Ellen can arrange for the materials to be retrieved from the main campus libraries and delivered to you at Harborview. If you are at UWMC and want to use audiovisual materials, Sherry will inform you of the media resources available in the Teaching Learning Center.

Need further information about clinical information services at your hospital? Contact Ellen Howard at 223-3360 or by email to ehh@u.washington.edu, or Sherry Dodson at 543-7493 or sdodson@u.washington.edu.

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Welcome to House Staff!

The Health Sciences Library and Information Center (HSLIC) welcomes all new and returning house staff to the University of Washington. This issue of Books & Bytes focuses on the services available to clinicians at both Harborview and UWMC hospitals.

For the past year, HSLIC has made clinical librarians available at both sites for personal assistance with patient care problems. In addition, clinicians can take advantage of several online search options (do-it-yourself or librarian-performed). A new bibliographic service, Hot Topics, may also be of interest. MEDLINE demonstrations are scheduled regularly, and specialized consultations or house calls by librarians can be arranged. Read on for more detailed descriptions of the array of library services available to meet your clinical information needs.

Books & Bytes regularly publishes searching tips and updated information about library services and resources. To be added to the mailing list, call Administrative Services (543-5531).

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Checklist of Standard Information Services

by Ellen Howard, K.K. Sherwood Librarian

As residents rotate through various hospitals in the Seattle area during their training, basic library information services will be found at all sites. Due to different hospital administrative structures and financial resources, methods for accessing these services will vary; but information and library materials for solving immediate patient care problems can be obtained with minimal effort and paperwork. Commonly available services include:

Depending upon the site, other library services may be available onsite, such as access to CD-ROM databases or use of computer-based instruction materials. When an information need arises, call the library at the hospital where you are on rotation; if the hospital librarian can't answer your question, it will be referred to the appropriate location. With the increased use of computers and related technologies, even the most modest-sized hospital library offers a full range of clinical information services.

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Research Assistants' Class

by Lisa Oberg, Information Services/Education Librarian

An in-depth library orientation course for research assistants and secretaries will be offered on August 10 from 1 to 3 pm in HSLIC's Rare Book Room. The class will introduce users to especially useful materials in the Reference Collection, the services available at the circulation and reference desks, document delivery and interlibrary loan options, and Computerized Searching Services. For more information, call Lisa Oberg at 543-7492 or send an email message to lisanne@u.washington.edu. To register for the class, call 543-3395.

Users interested in searching bibliographic databases available through the campus network are encouraged to attend one of the weekly UWIN demonstrations. See the Information Management Education schedule for dates and times.

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New Hot Topic: Residency Training Issues

by Sherry Dodson, Clinical Medical Librarian

A new Hot Topic on Residency Training Issues is now available. Hot Topics are one-page bibliographies prepared by the Information Services staff on health-related subjects of current interest. Sample citations from the most recent Hot Topic:

Bell, BM. Supervision, not regulation of hours, is the key to improving the quality of patient care. JAMA 1993 Jan 20. 269(3): 403-404.

Rich, EC, et al. Residency reform and health care research. J Gen Intern Med 1993 Mar. 8(3): 165-7.

Subjects of other Hot Topics include Multidrug-Resistant Tuberculosis; E. coli 0157:H7 Outbreaks; Health Effects of Powerlines and Electromagnetic Fields; Sick Building Syndrome; and Women's Health Issues. Each bibliography also includes a search strategy to guide those who wish to perform in-depth searches on the topic.

Copies are available for viewing in several locations, including the bulletin board outside the second floor HSLIC entrance, the Reference Desk, and the K.K. Sherwood Library. You may also request a copy from the Document Delivery/Photocopy Service at standard photocopy rates, either in person or via HSLIC's electronic mail service (hsl at u.washington.edu).

Additional Hot Topics will appear on an irregular basis. To suggest a topic, call the HSLIC Reference Desk, the K.K. Sherwood Library or your departmental library liaison.

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Orientations for House Staff and Fellows

Library orientations for many new house staff and fellows have been scheduled during the summer months. These one-hour orientations, which are designed to meet the special needs of house staff and fellows, will highlight the efficient use of library services and offer some instruction in using MEDLINE. Check with your department to see if an orientation is currently scheduled for you; or call Sherry Dodson at 543-7493 to set up a session.

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