October 28, 2008
Searching for images on the web
Internet for Image Searching
http://www.tasi.ac.uk/training/tutorials/imagesearching/
is a new, free-to- use online tutorial to assist staff and students within the education sphere in locating images for use in both teaching and learning. The emphasis of the tutorial is on finding copyright cleared images which are available free; facilitating quick, hassle-free access to a vast range of online photographs and other visual resources.
This tutorial has been created by TASI - the JISC Advisory Service for digital media http://www.tasi.ac.uk/ and Intute as part of the Intute: Virtual Training Suite http://www.vts.intute.ac.uk/.
Posted by S.Austin at 5:36 PM | Comments(0)
September 15, 2008
King's Fund - new publications
New publications from King's Fund:
Top-up payments for drugs in England
Briefing at:
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/briefings/topup_payments_for.html
NHS spending. Local variations in priorities: an update
Report at:
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/kings_fund_publications/nhs_spending.html
Posted by S.Austin at 5:16 PM | Comments(0)
August 12, 2008
Equality and Diversity in the North East - new report
Equality and Diversity in the North East : a statistical profile
NEEDP (North East Equality and Diversity Partnership)
August 2008
This report, prepared by the Centre for Public Policy at Northumbria University, provides an up-to-date and comprehensive statistical baseline of equality and diversity issues faced by different communities within the region. The full report, executive summary and appendices can be accessed on the NERIP (North East Regional Information Partnership) website at: http://www.nerip.com/reports_briefing.aspx?id=626
The report draws on a vast number of national and regional sources, enabling it to present statistical information about each of twelve identified population groups. It also describes the issues each group faces with regard to employment, crime and safety, education and skills, social capital, health and social care, housing and transport. The report concludes with a series of recommendations to improve the availability and quality of data relating to equality and diversity in the North East.
Posted by S.Austin at 4:16 PM | Comments(0)
June 27, 2008
NPCRDC QOF reports
National Primary Care Research and Development Centre
The 28 reports, in areas already included and considered for inclusion
in QOF 2008, are available to read and download.
Each report was written by one or more academic experts often supported
by a group of academics and clinicians with a special interest in the
area. This report leads comprise the QOF Expert Panel, a group of senior
primary care based academics, working across the United Kingdom. The
academic process has been led by a collaboration between the
Universities of Birmingham and Manchester, the Society of Academic
Primary Care and the Royal College of General Practitioners.
Each report follows a similar structure and includes a review of issues
generated by the nationwide 'call for evidence' to health professionals
and patient groups in Spring 2007 and the published evidence base. Each
report and set of indicators was also commented on by members of the
Royal College of General Practitioners Patient Participation Group and
IT experts to ensure that proposed indicators made sense to patients and
would work within primary care IT systems.
Posted by S.Austin at 9:52 PM | Comments(0)
June 24, 2008
Shifting the Balance of Care to Local Settings: The SeeSaw report
Shifting the balance of care to local settings: the SeeSaw report
King' Fund, June 2008
Read or download the report here.
The Department of Health commissioned The King's Fund, in partnership with Loop2, to undertake a simulation-based project to understand how a shift in the balance of care from hospital to community settings could take place. This report shares the learning that emerged from this project.
Posted by S.Austin at 9:42 PM | Comments(0)
Making it Happen: Next steps in NHS reform. Report of an expert working group
Making it happen: next steps in NHS reform. Report of an expert working group
King's Fund, June 2008
Read or download the report here.
The King's Fund set up an expert working group to examine how effective the current systems and incentives are in improving the NHS, focusing on the role of PCTs as commissioners and practice-based commissioning. This paper outlines specific proposals for government and the wider health care world.
Posted by S.Austin at 9:36 PM | Comments(0)
May 12, 2008
King's Fund - Improving Choice at End of Life
The King's Fund has launched a discussion paper entitled 'Improving choice at end of life'.
This paper provides a descriptive analysis of the Marie Curie Delivering Choice Programme. Delivery of care for patients at the end of their lives is becoming an increasing policy concern. Although the majority of people report that they would choose to die in their home, only a minority of patients achieve this wish.
The Delivering Choice Programme aims to develop and help provide the best possible service for patients at the end of their lives.
You can download the paper from the King's Fund website.
Posted by S.Austin at 6:33 PM | Comments(0)
April 27, 2008
National Library for Public Health (NLPH) launched
The National Library for Public Health (NLPH) is an online specialist library of the National Library for Health. It replaces the Public Health electronic Library (PHeL).
The NLPH was made available in mid-November 2007 with an initial focus on three key areas: Obesity, Alcohol, and Tobacco. The library was relaunched in April 2008.
The project is being directed by the North East Public Health Observatory on behalf of the Association of Public Health Observatories, as part of the Information and Intelligence Strategy published by the Department of Health.
The library can be accessed at: www.library.nhs.uk/publichealth
What is it?
The purpose of the NLPH is to be the central point of reference for research evidence and guidance on best practice relating to the health of the population. It covers all aspects of population health including:
* health inequalities
* health improvement
* quality and safety
* health protection
Who is it for?
The NLPH aims to provide resources relevant to:
* public health specialists
* commissioners
* academics
* professionals whose role includes certain public health goals but who are not themselves specialists
* members of the public with an interest in public health matters
We also hope that it will be of value to those working in non-health organisations whose role includes responsibility for services that have a direct or indirect impact on health including Police, Transport and Education.
What will I find in the library?
Resources identified for inclusion in the library are:
* national strategies
* policies
* guidelines
* systematic reviews and other research papers
* statistical information
* patient information
* current news and events
The National Library for Public Health is also holding its first National Knowledge Week (NKW) and Annual Evidence Update on childhood obesity from 28th April 2008.
Find out more at http://www.library.nhs.uk/publichealth/
Posted by S.Austin at 2:39 PM | Comments(0)
March 26, 2008
National Knowledge Week for TB: 24-28 March 2008
National Knowledge Week on Tuberculosis (Infection Specialist Library)
http://www.neli.org.uk/IntegratedCRD.nsf/NeLI_Home1?OpenForm
The National electronic Library of Infection is hosting its next National Knowledge Week from 24th March. It highlights important developments in tuberculosis in the last year, and includes a collection of recent, peer-reviewed publications, expert commentaries and links to useful resources. This is hosted by the National electronic Library of Infection (NeLI-www.neli.org.uk) and the National Knowledge Service for TB, and has been timed to link in with World TB day on 24th March 2008.
The National Library for Health (NLH) Specialist Libraries have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each NLH Specialist Library identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves. An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates and National Knowledge Weeks (NKWs). National Knowledge Weeks aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics - they consist of the good quality evidence from an Annual Evidence Update (a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period), plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in National Knowledge Weeks has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.
Posted by S.Austin at 4:40 PM | Comments(0)
March 10, 2008
NPCRDC annual report 2007
National Primary Care Research and Development Centre
The 2007 annual report it now available to download at:
http://www.npcrdc.ac.uk/PublicationDetail.cfm?id=247
Posted by S.Austin at 4:14 PM | Comments(0)
March 6, 2008
National Knowledge Weeks - 3 March 2008
ACNE VULGARIS and ENDOMETRIOSIS
National Knowledge Week on Acne Vulgaris (Skin Disorders Specialist Library)
http://www.library.nhs.uk/skin/
The NLH Skin Disorders Specialist Library is holding its second National Knowledge Week and Annual Evidence Update on Acne Vulgaris (common acne) from 3-7 March 2008.
This year the search for newly published evidence for the Annual Evidence Update has been extended to randomised controlled trials as well as systematic reviews. Also included is a range of commentaries that interpret the clinical significance of the new evidence, a mapping by topic of systematic reviews on acne published since 1999, and links to a range of other information sources on acne.
National Knowledge Week on Endometriosis (Women's Health Specialist Library)
http://www.library.nhs.uk/womenshealth/
The NLH Women's Health Specialist Library is also holding its next National Knowledge Week from 3-9 March. Focusing on endometriosis, this knowledge week aims to provide clinicians with the most up-to-date knowledge on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis. We know that it is very difficult for busy clinicians to keep up-to-date with the huge volume of literature that is published each year and so the Women's Health Specialist Library does this for you so that you don't have to!
Posted by S.Austin at 3:13 PM | Comments(0)
February 6, 2008
King's Fund Briefings on Patient Choice and Operating Framework 2008/09
OPERATING FRAMEWORK 2008/9
In December 2007, the Department of Health issued its third 'operating framework', which provides a set of priorities and guidance for the NHS for the next financial year. This briefing summarises the main points from both the operating framework and supporting documents and offers some analysis of their content.
Read the briefing
PATIENT CHOICE
This briefing looks at the development and impact of reforms to give patients a choice of provider for their planned hospital care. It is this aspect of choice that has received the most attention so far and has been a key part of the government’s wider reform programme for improving quality and efficiency in the NHS in England.
Read the briefing
Posted by S.Austin at 11:46 PM | Comments(0)
January 25, 2008
New King's Fund paper - Governing the NHS
The King's Fund has launched a new paper called:
Governing the NHS: Alternatives to an independent board
An independent NHS board has been advocated by a number of commentators, who believe it will reduce both micromanagement and day-to-day political interference in the running of the health service. This paper argues that an independent board would be limited in its ability to achieve these aims and suggests a number of alternative options that build on the increasing operational independence the recent reforms have offered.
Visit the KF website to download the paper.
Posted by S.Austin at 11:31 PM | Comments(0)
December 19, 2007
Commissioning - KF reading lists
Recent King's Fund Information & Library Service reading lists on commissioning:
Commissioning for primary care trusts - December 2007
Practice based commissioning - November 2007
Commissioning new providers - September 2007
See the complete list at:
http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/information_and_library_service/reading_lists/index.html
Posted by S.Austin at 5:53 PM | Comments(0)
September 17, 2007
National Knowledge Week 17 September 2007
Atopic Eczema National Knowledge Week (Skin Disorders Specialist Library)
http://www.library.nhs.uk/skin/
The Skin Disorders Specialist Library is holding its first National Knowledge Week on Atopic Eczema from 17th to 21st September 2007.
This event has been arranged to correspond with National Eczema Week.
The National Knowledge Week is particularly aimed at NHS health professionals, and will highlight sources of information and guidance on atopic eczema and its treatment.
Included will be the Library's first Annual Evidence Update on Atopic Eczema, with the results of a comprehensive search for systematic reviews on atopic eczema and eczema therapies.
There will also be commentaries from a range of invited experts.
Posted by S.Austin at 7:05 PM | Comments(0)
September 10, 2007
Annual Evidence Update 10 September 2007
Hepatitis B and C Annual Evidence Update (Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases Specialist Library)
http://www.library.nhs.uk/gastroliver/
The Hepatitis B and C Annual Evidence Update will include all high quality systematic reviews carried out from 2006 to present on Hepatitis B and C.
A panel of 6 leading clinicians will assess the systematic reviews for quality and relevance. To tie in with this, the Gastroenterology & Liver Diseases Specialist Library will attend the inaugural meeting of the British Viral Hepatitis group during the British Association of the Study of the Liver annual meeting to promote their library and their Annual Evidence Update.
Posted by S.Austin at 7:00 PM | Comments(0)
September 4, 2007
SDO publication: Review of research needs and priorities 2007
In 2006/07, the SDO Programme carried out an extensive review of research needs and priorities. The review began with an online survey that was completed by more than 1000 professionals and members of the public, and successfully captured a broad range of opinions on important issues relating to the delivery and organisation of NHS services and potential future research questions.
The survey results were used as part of a wider process of research needs identification and prioritisation that has resulted in six research priority areas, which will be the focus of SDO funding and commissioning over the coming years.
This review has now been published and is available to download from the SDO website at
http://www.sdo.lshtm.ac.uk/needspriorities.html
Posted by S.Austin at 2:41 PM | Comments(0)
August 31, 2007
National Knowledge Week 3 September 2007
Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures National Knowledge Week (Musculoskeletal and Trauma & Orthopaedics Specialist Libraries)
http://www.library.nhs.uk/musculoskeletal/ and
http://www.library.nhs.uk/trauma_orthopaedics/
The Osteoporosis and Fragility Fractures National Knowledge Week provides an opportunity for the Musculoskeletal and Trauma & Orthopaedics Specialist Libraries to present a comprehensive up-to-date collection of information on osteoporosis and fragility fracture.
Leading experts in this field who provided summaries for last year's National Knowledge Week have reviewed and updated their synopses. Links will be provided to relevant guidance, systematic reviews, clinical trials and patient information.
Posted by S.Austin at 6:55 PM | Comments(0)
August 16, 2007
NHS CFH Standard for elearning
From Health Informatics Community e-bulletin 101:
NHS Connecting for Health have published a best practice standard for the development and management of elearning. In response to feedback from stakeholders in the NHS, the document has been developed and launched as part of NHS CFH's suite of Education, Training and Development (ETD) standards.
More information and link at:
http://www.informatics.nhs.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=2442
Posted by S.Austin at 7:00 PM | Comments(0)
Management Briefing on Benefits Management
From Health Informatics Community e-bulletin 101:T
The next instalment of Faculty management briefings covers benefits management.
This is the difference between what people expect the benefits of a project or service to be compared to what the outcome is in reality. The briefing looks at ways to overcome the benefits realisation gap, and gives examples of good practice.
Further background information and briefing to download at:
http://www.informatics.nhs.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=2449
Posted by S.Austin at 6:44 PM | Comments(0)
July 30, 2007
Has Agenda for Change achieved its objectives? KF report
The King's Fund has just launched a new report:
Realising the benefits? Assessing the implementation of Agenda for Change.
Agenda for Change is the most ambitious pay reform introduced into the NHS. The report examines the progress in implementation based on interviews with key national informants and on case studies in 10 NHS trusts.
Visit the King's Fund website to read/download the report or to purchase a print copy.
Posted by S.Austin at 2:54 PM | Comments(0)
July 27, 2007
New PPI Specialist Library
The new Patient and Public Involvement (PPI) Specialist Library - managed by the King's Fund for the National Library for Health was officially launched today.
The library aims to support the implementation of patient, user, carer and public involvement in health care by providing access, in one location, to the best information which is available on the Web. Go to the PPI home page
Posted by S.Austin at 11:01 AM | Comments(0)
July 19, 2007
CHAINs
CHAINs - Contact, Help, Advice and Information Networks - are online networks for people working in health and social care. They are based around specific areas of interest, and give people a simple and informal way of contacting each other to exchange ideas and share knowledge. CHAINs are multi-professional and cross organisational.
CHAIN was established in 1997 as part of the NHS Research and Development Programme. Its aim is to support NHS staff and academics to share knowledge at both practical and theoretical levels.
There are currently three CHAINS. CHAIN 1 is for people with an interest in research development and evidence based practice. CHAIN 2 is for people interested in widening participation in learning. CHAIN 3 is for people interested in innovation and improvement in health care, and is sponsored by the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement.
Membership of CHAIN is free and open to all: for more information or to join go to http://chain.ulcc.ac.uk/chain/index.html
Posted by S.Austin at 5:18 PM | Comments(0)
June 26, 2007
Clinical Knowledge Summaries - updated CKS topics - June 2007
The following PRODIGY guidance topics have been reviewed and converted into CKS Topic Review structure, and are now available on the CKS website:
Adverse drug reactions
Palliative cancer care — cough
Palliative cancer care — general issues
Roundworm
Threadworm
To view a summary of changes to the updated topics please visit the Latest changes to clinical topics page of the CKS website.
Posted by S.Austin at 5:53 PM | Comments(0)
New NCCSDO research summaries
Two new publications from the National Co-ordinating Centre for NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Research & Development (NCCSDO):
The relative importance attached to cost-effectiveness, equity and access in the provision of health services
[Access to health care series]
Research summary of a study that looked at NHS decision-makers' understanding of the terms 'cost-effectiveness', 'equity' and 'access', and how they are prioritised and applied in the health services (Dolan et al).
The costs and benefits of managing low priority 999 ambulance calls by NHS Direct nurse advisors
[Evaluating models of service delivery series]
Research summary of a study that looked at an alternative method of responding to non-urgent 999 calls. The study found that the transfer of non-urgent 999 calls to nurse advisors for further advice may be an acceptable and cost-effective alternative to the current approach (Turner et al).
Posted by S.Austin at 12:08 PM | Comments(0)
June 21, 2007
Improved Elibrary for RCN members
"On 1 June the Library & Information Service at the RCN launched an improved Elibrary for RCN members on our website. In response to members' requests for access to more full text information, we have significantly increased the number of full text resources available remotely.
Members and staff now have access to more than 400 full text journals from Proquest and Ovid together with more than 200 e-books from Proquest and Netlibrary."
"As well as continuing to provide remote access to databases BNI, Ageinfo, Childdata and Maternity & Infant Care (MIDIRS) we have added access to the Proquest collection of over 400 nursing journals which includes core nursing titles together with wide ranging specialist titles.
Highlights in the improved e-library include over 100 UK published, peer reviewed/scholarly core nursing titles, access to the entire portfolio of RCN Publishing journals (coming soon) and access to Journal of Advanced Nursing back to 1976."
Login and find out more at:
http://www.rcn.org.uk/members/library/
Posted by S.Austin at 6:17 PM | Comments(0)
Never had it so good?
Never had it so good?
The North East under New Labour, 1997 -2007
Researched and written by Professor Fred Robinson of St Chad’s College, Durham University, with Ian Zass-Ogilvie, Michael Jackson.
Published May 2007
This wide-ranging – and very readable - study assesses how the North East of England has changed over the last ten years. Supported by the Millfield House Foundation, the report aims to provide the basis for informed debate about the region and its future development.
Contents:
Summary
1 Introduction
2 The North East Economy: Post-industrial revival
3 Employment, Unemployment and ‘Worklessness’
4 Income and Expenditure: Getting and Spending
5 Health: Life and Death in the North East
6 Education, Education, Education
7 Crime and Community Safety
8 A Green and Pleasant Land?
9 People, Places and Communities
10 Conclusion
Appendix (Individuals consulted)
You can read the report on St. Chad's website or download it here
Posted by S.Austin at 5:37 PM | Comments(0)