Health Sciences Library Research Articles

Research Tools and Services by Health Science Libraries to Support Researchers

Research Tools and Services by Health Science Libraries to Support Researchers

Motorways to boreens: the story of the Irish Health Sciences Libraries Group virtual journal club

Boreens (from the Gaelic bóthairín meaning little road) are the narrow roads that twist through the Irish countryside. Travel is slower than the busy major roads that cut straight through, but these routes enable the traveller to easily change course as options arise and to discover hidden opportunities for exploration. It is in this context that we share how we moved from the idea of a journal club for health librarians to the reality of an active knowledge sharing group. Through the story of the governing committee and our first three presenters, we explain what is required to drive this kind of club. At the beginning there were so many options and decisions it felt like moving quickly along a busy motorway, often changing lanes to avoid snarl-ups, and watching out for tolls. However, as we settled in for the long haul, we decided to take our own quieter but ultimately more interesting route. We found that if you are clear about your destination, ensure you have sufficient resources, plan carefully but are flexible about how you get there, then you may just enjoy the journey.

It’s Not Where You Start or Where You Finish - It’s How You Get There

A career in librarianship may start in a library science master’s program, but the path to and/or between career opportunities builds and shifts with time. This commentary discusses the career paths followed by two librarians who each attended the same master’s program and are currently both health science librarians at the same institution. While these similarities exist, the unique journeys each followed have helped to shape their approaches to their current jobs, roles within their careers, and their approaches to librarianship. From library school and first jobs, to current positions, this piece discusses how every step along the way has had a lasting impact on the authors’ careers.

Planning and Promoting events in Health Sciences Libraries: Success Stories and Best Practices (book review)

Planning and Promoting events in Health Sciences Libraries: Success Stories and Best Practices (book review)

COVID-19 pandemic: brief recommendations in dental practice

The SARS-CoV-2 virus, which causes COVID-19, can be transmitted directly, by contact and by air. In this context, dental practice presents risks of contamination, as it involves very close communication between professional and patient, frequent exposure to saliva, blood, and other body fluids, as well as aerosols and droplets generated in oral procedures. Objective: Aiming to contribute to increase the professionals and their patients’ safety, the purpose of this review was to conduct a brief overview of SARS-CoV-2 infection, its pathogenesis, diagnosis, transmission, and control routes in dental practice, in addition to recommendations for clinical care. Material and methods: The bibliographic search was performed using the descriptors “COVID-19”, “security measures”, and “dental care” in the databases: PubMed, MEDLINE, Latin-American and Caribbean Health Sciences (Lilacs) and Scientific Electronic Library Online (SciELO), without language restriction and published between 2000 and 2020. Results: The review of the scientific literature revealed that a careful anamnesis of the patient should be performed before any dental treatment. However, in the face of the current pandemic, if it is not possible to postpone dental intervention, procedures should be performed following recommendations that aim to decrease the generation of aerosols and droplets seeking to increase individual protection. Conclusion: According to the current context and scenario, the universal measures of infection control must be maintained, reviewed, and reinforced during any dental care. Further studies are needed to investigate and validate additional protective measures not only for dental professionals, but also for their patients.

Health sciences librarians' engagement in open science: a scoping review.

Objectives:To identify the engagement of health sciences librarians (HSLs) in open science (OS) through the delivery of library services, support, and programs for researchers.Methods:We performed a scoping review guided by Arksey and O'Malley's framework and Joanna Briggs' Manual for Scoping Reviews. Our search methods consisted of searching five bibliographic databases (MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, LISTA, and Web of Science Core Collection), reference harvesting, and targeted website and journal searching. To determine study eligibility, we applied predetermined inclusion and exclusion criteria and reached consensus when there was disagreement. We extracted data in duplicate and performed qualitative analysis to map key themes.Results:We included fifty-four studies. Research methods included descriptive or narrative approaches (76%); surveys, questionnaires, and interviews (15%); or mixed methods (9%). We labeled studies with one or more of FOSTER's six OS themes: open access (54%), open data (43%), open science (24%), open education (6%), open source (6%), and citizen science (6%). Key drivers in OS were scientific integrity and transparency, openness as a guiding principle in research, and funder mandates making research publicly accessible.Conclusions:HSLs play key roles in advancing OS worldwide. Formal studies are needed to assess the impact of HSLs' engagement in OS. HSLs should promote adoption of OS within their research communities and develop strategic plans aligned with institutional partners. HSLs can promote OS by adopting more rigorous and transparent research practices of their own. Future research should examine HSLs' engagement in OS through social justice and equity perspectives.

Knowledge sharing practices among African health sciences librarians.

Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate knowledge sharing practices among health sciences librarians in African countries.Methods:A cross-sectional survey design was employed. The study population consisted of African health sciences librarians that attended the 16th Biennial Conference of the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa on October 14–18, 2019, at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria. Data were collected using a questionnaire and analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results:The types of knowledge most commonly shared by respondents were information on conferences, workshops, and seminars as well as information on new trends and technologies in librarianship. The main avenue of knowledge sharing was face-to-face interaction. Unwillingness to share knowledge and a lack of awareness about current trends and issues were the top identified challenges to knowledge sharing.Conclusion:These survey results establish the existence of a low level of knowledge sharing among health science librarians in Africa and suggest that concerted efforts should be made to overcome barriers to knowledge sharing within and across African countries.

Proving the proverbial gadfly: situating the historical and racial context of Southern medical works by Mary Louise Marshall.

Health sciences librarianship has historically benefited from avoiding critical conversations around the role of race in the profession, reflected through a select few number of articles on the topic. The purpose of this study was to add to this body of literature and apply a critical librarianship framework on the early scholarly record of health sciences librarianship and the legacy of integration within the Medical Library Association (MLA). Three Southern medical works and the integration views of Mary Louise Marshall, the longest-serving president of MLA from 1941 to 1946, were thematically and textually analyzed to redress the profession's long-standing legacy with Whiteness and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) representation. In reframing the historic past of MLA both through Marshall's works and her views, the goal is to acknowledge ways in which the profession has impeded progress and present steps to remedy appropriate outreach for the future.

Gloria Werner, 1940–2021

Gloria Werner, successor to Louise M. Darling at the UCLA Louise M. Darling Biomedical Library, university librarian emerita, and eighteenth editor of the Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, died on March 5, 2021, in Los Angeles. Before assuming responsibility in 1990 for one of the largest academic research libraries in the US, she began her library career as a health sciences librarian and spent twenty years at the UCLA Biomedical Library, first as an intern in the NIH/NLM-funded Graduate Training Program in Medical Librarianship in 1962–1963, followed by successive posts in public services and administration, eventually succeeding Darling as biomedical librarian and associate university librarian from 1979 to 1983. Werner's forty-year career at UCLA, honored with the UCLA University Service Award in 2013, also included appointments as associate university librarian for Technical Services. She was president of the Association of Research Libraries in 1997, served on the boards of many organizations including the Association of Academic Health Sciences Library Directors, and consulted extensively. She retired as university librarian in 2002.

Sharing electronically and accessibly in library-led instruction.

The electronic information and technology accessibility project is a strategic overhauling of the digital instructional materials of the Health Sciences Library System (HSLS) to comply with the accessibility standards established in a 2020 University of Pittsburgh policy. Though these technologies have existed for quite some time, library instructors were not skilled in the actual creation and design of documents, web content, and presentations with accessibility in mind. Over the past year and a half, a team within HSLS developed detailed guidance and education on universal design and creating an inclusive online learning environment. These guidelines were developed in accordance with Section 508 and the WCAG2.1, with a focus on an improved experience for the D/deaf community and those with visual impairments. We initially made accessibility improvements to online subject guides, in-person presentations, and digitally shared class materials. The COVID-19 pandemic and complete shift to virtual instruction then necessitated the evaluation of platforms used in remote learning (such as Zoom and Panopto), where accessibility best practices needed to be incorporated. This article highlights going beyond in-program accessibility checkers and describes how library technology experts and content creators worked together to bridge the gap of accessibility in the information we share.

Analyzing University of Virginia Health publications using open data, Python, and Streamlit.

As part of a larger project to understand the publishing choices of UVA Health authors and support open access publishing, a team from the Claude Moore Health Sciences Library analyzed an open data set from Europe PMC, which includes metadata from PubMed records. We used the Europe PMC REST API to search for articles published in 2017–2020 with “University of Virginia” in the author affiliation field. Subsequently, we parsed the JSON metadata in Python and used Streamlit to create a data visualization from our public GitHub repository. At present, this shows the relative proportions of open access versus subscription-only articles published by UVA Health authors. Although subscription services like Web of Science, Scopus, and Dimensions allow users to do similar analyses, we believe this is a novel approach to doing this type of bibliometric research with open data and open source tools.

Piloting a Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Needs Assessment to Explore Patron Perceptions at a University Health Science Library

Objective:
 A pilot diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) needs assessment was conducted at a health sciences library. The objectives were to 1) quantitatively assess patrons’ attitudes towards the existing DEI climate in the library and 2) qualitatively identify contextual factors influencing patrons’ perceptions.
 Population:
 The assessment was led by a DEI Team at the University of Florida’s Health Science Center Libraries (HSCL). HSCL serves the university’s six health science colleges from two sites, Gainesville and Jacksonville. HSCL Gainesville was selected as the study location, due to higher annual footfall within the physical library.
 Methods:
 Two “HappyOrNot” customer satisfaction machines were placed by library exits. Twelve DEI-related questions were displayed on the machines, one question per week, for the duration of 12 weeks total. Additionally, a box for open-ended comments was placed by each machine.
 Findings:
 The total number of responses was 3,445, with 7 written comments. Overall, respondents felt happiest with the library’s welcoming and home-like environment. The library was perceived by many as a physically safe space. Most also felt that the library demonstrates a commitment to DEI and that they are treated fairly, equitably, and with respect by library staff. Areas of concern were a perceived lack of respect from other library visitors, as well as library services for patrons with disabilities and non-native English language speakers.
 Conclusions:
 The project enabled the HSCL to gather important information concerning patrons’ perceptions of the library’s DEI climate and their associated needs. The HappyOrNot machines provided a straightforward and convenient method for patron feedback, resulting in an impressive number of responses. However, limitations of the pilot included the inability to obtain participants’ demographic information, as well as the anecdotal evidence indicating that some respondents did not read the questions. Future plans therefore involve a follow-up online survey with detailed demographic questions.

Global trends health science libraries: Part 1.

This is the first of three articles based on articles published in the Health Information and Libraries Journal's Regular Feature (International Perspectives and Initiatives). Key trends from 12 countries in Europe, North America, Africa and Asia were identified. In this issue, two trends are described: emergence of new roles and challenges for library staff; supporting researchers engaging in research data management and maintaining institutional repositories. Readers are challenged to compare these trends with their own experiences.J.M.

LGBTQ+ health research guides at North American health sciences libraries: a survey and content analysis

Objectives:Current literature recommends online research guides as an easy and effective tool to promote LGBTQ+ health information to both health care providers and the public. This cross-sectional study was designed to determine how extensive LGBTQ+ health guides are among hospital and academic libraries and which features are most prevalent.Methods:In order to locate LGBTQ+ health guides for content analysis, we searched for guides on the websites of libraries belonging to the Association of Academic Health Sciences Libraries (AAHSL) and the Canadian Association of Research Libraries (CARL). Additionally, we searched the Springshare interface for LibGuides with the word “health” and either “LGBT” or “transgender.” Content analysis was performed to identify major characteristics of the located guides, including target audience and the information type provided.Results:LGBTQ+ research guides were identified for 74 libraries. Of these, 5 were hospital libraries, and the rest were academic libraries. Of 158 AAHSL member libraries, 48 (30.4%) had LGBTQ+ guides on their websites. Nearly all guides (95.9%) provided general LGBTQ+ health information, and a large majority (87.8%) also had information resources for transgender health. Smaller percentages of guides contained information on HIV/AIDS (48.6%) and women's health (16.2%).Conclusions:Even though literature recommends creating LGBTQ+ health guides, most health sciences libraries are missing an opportunity by not developing and maintaining these guides. Further research may be needed to determine the usage and usefulness of existing guides and to better identify barriers preventing libraries from creating guides.

Quantitative Sensory Changes Related to Physical Activity in Adult Populations: A Scoping Review.

Exercise-induced hypoalgesia related to physical activity produces sensory adaptations, but its mechanism remains unclear. Quantitative sensory testing is an effective measurement tool to identify sensory changes, but the extent of evidence linking quantitative sensory testing and physical activity has not been explored. The purpose of this scoping review is to synthesize the evidence on using quantitative sensory testing to evaluate psychophysical changes related to physical activity in adult populations. The researchers developed a comprehensive search strategy with a Health Sciences Librarian using the Arksey and O'Malley Methodological framework. Four databases (Medline [PubMed], CINAHL, Web of Science, and Embase) were searched for peer-reviewed primary research. After 2790 articles were evaluated, 196 studies were included for final review. More than half of studies used randomized controlled trial design (50.5%), followed by quasi-experimental (24.0%) and observational (25.5%) strategies. Healthy adults (42.9%) and individuals with chronic health conditions (20.9%) were examined most frequently. Aerobic (27.6%) and strength (21.4%) physical activity types were most commonly studied. Static quantitative sensory testing measures of pressure pain threshold (84%) were used most frequently. The findings of this scoping review demonstrate available evidence for quantitative sensory testing as a measurement tool of neuromodulation related to physical activity in adult populations. A systematic review is warranted to examine outcomes and recommendations.

HF01-19 FRANCISCO DIAZ: THE FORGOTTEN FATHER OF UROLOGY

You have accessJournal of UrologyHistory of Urology Forum I (HF01)1 Sep 2021HF01-19 FRANCISCO DIAZ: THE FORGOTTEN FATHER OF UROLOGY Randy Casals, and Matvey Tsivian Randy CasalsRandy Casals More articles by this author , and Matvey TsivianMatvey Tsivian More articles by this author View All Author Informationhttps://doi.org/10.1097/JU.0000000000001992.19AboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissionsReprints ShareFacebookLinked InTwitterEmail Abstract INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVE: Francisco Diaz’s 1588 Treatise on all the Diseases of the Kidneys, Bladder, of Growths on the Penis, and of Urine, was the first written work focused on the diagnosis and treatment of genitourinary disease. It is arguably the origin of urology as a field, yet Diaz is largely forgotten outside his native Spain. We argue that he deserves international recognition for his role as the “Father of Urology.” METHODS: The authors searched for sources focused on the life of Francisco Diaz via PubMed, Google Scholar, and internal searches through the Augustus C. Long Health Sciences Library of Columbia University Irving Medical Center and the Coy C. Carpenter Library of Wake Forest University School of Medicine. Sources were omitted if in a language other than English or Spanish. RESULTS: Diaz was born in Spain in the early 16th century and had an illustrious career. He was awarded the degree of Surgeon to His Majesty, King Philip II of Spain and held the post until his death. Diaz wrote the Compendio de Chirugia in 1575 prior to writing the Treatise on all the Diseases of the Kidneys, Bladder, of Growths on the Penis, and of Urine in 1588. It was the first written work dedicated to what would become the field of urology and compiled all urologic knowledge to that point. He made the noteworthy decision at the time to publish it in Spanish, which made this knowledge accessible to average physicians and surgeons who could not read most medical texts at the time written in Latin. In it, he addressed known treatments as well as describing techniques and surgical instruments that he invented, including what is the first known urethrotome, his cisorio, and the speculum pudenda, a device to capture urethral calculi. He was a close friend of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, who paid tribute to Diaz by writing him a sonnet after treatment for renal colic. His royal court appointment led him to be questioned on whether a transgender male surgeon Eleno de Cespedes was a cisgender man, which he initially confirmed, allowing Cespedes to live and practice in peace. However, during a retrial, Diaz was forced to admit this supposed “mistake”. CONCLUSIONS: Francisco Diaz began the history of urology by writing its first text. Though he is honored in Spain, he deserves more worldwide recognition as one of the founders of our field and a shining example of the best parts of urology: innovative, well-rounded, and humanistic. Source of Funding: None © 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 206Issue Supplement 3September 2021Page: e235-e235 Advertisement Copyright & Permissions© 2021 by American Urological Association Education and Research, Inc.MetricsAuthor Information Randy Casals More articles by this author Matvey Tsivian More articles by this author Expand All Advertisement Loading ...

New to health sciences librarianship: strategies, tips, and tricks.

Three new librarians highlight their varied pathways into health sciences librarianship and offer insight into how they are navigating the challenges and successes of being new to the profession. The authors define a new health sciences librarian as a person who has fewer than five years of experience in health sciences librarianship specifically, having either recently graduated from library school or entered the health sciences from another type of librarianship. Jamia Williams speaks about her journey from new MLS graduate to health science librarian; Kelsa Bartley details her transition from library professional to health science librarian; and Jahala Simuel shares her experiences moving from academic librarian to health science librarian. This commentary provides strategies, tips, and tricks that new health sciences librarians may use to hone their craft and explore opportunities for professional development.

Multicenter randomized comparative trial of Micromedex, Micromedex with Watson, or Google to answer drug information questions.

Objective:The purpose of this study was to compare pharmacy students’ ability to correctly answer drug information questions using Micromedex with Watson, Micromedex without Watson, or Google.Methods:This multicenter randomized trial compared pharmacy student responses to drug information questions using Micromedex with Watson, Micromedex without Watson, or Google from January to March of 2020. First- to fourth-year pharmacy students at two institutions were included. The primary outcome was the number of correct answers. Secondary outcomes were the time taken to answer the questions and differences in number of correct answers by pharmacy student year and institution.Results:The analysis included 162 participants: 52 students in the Micromedex group, 51 students in the Watson group, and 59 students in the Google group. There was a significant difference among groups in the total number of questions answered correctly (p=0.02). Post-hoc analysis revealed that participants in the Micromedex group answered more questions correctly than those in the Google group (p=0.015). There were no significant differences between Micromedex and Watson groups (p=0.52) or between Watson and Google groups (p=0.22). There was also no difference in time to complete the questions among groups (p=0.72).Conclusion:Utilizing Google did not save students time and led to more incorrect answers. These findings suggest that health care educators and health sciences librarians should further reinforce training on the appropriate use of drug information resources.

Understanding the information-seeking behavior of pharmacy college faculty, staff, and students: implications for improving embedded librarian services.

Objective:Research was conducted on the embedded librarian program at The University of Arizona College of Pharmacy and the Health Sciences Library to understand how this service is relevant to users and identify the potential for further improvement. This study examined users’ information-seeking behaviors and considered the implications for the effectiveness of the embedded librarian service.Methods:The authors conducted 18 semi-structured interviews of faculty, researchers, and students at the College of Pharmacy to obtain descriptive accounts of how they seek information, manage information, and use the library and library services. The authors examined the interview transcripts through qualitative descriptive analysis.Results:The interview responses confirm that users seek information outside of the physical library and tend to ask their peers for information or assistance in obtaining information. They mostly feel comfortable in searching, but some of them may lack sufficient search skills and tend to use a few known databases. While those who are familiar with the librarian seek the librarian's assistance more often, others tend not to seek the librarian's assistance. The ways they manage information vary, which requires customized assistance.Conclusions:The close proximity of a physically embedded librarian is beneficial to users and positions the librarian to provide proactive assistance in the existing user information-seeking behavior environment. While some users do not seek assistance, the embedded librarian can provide proactive assistance in such areas as making users aware of other database options and helping them choose relevant databases and effectively manage information.

Digital Health Interventions: New opportunities for health science librarians.

This article acquaints health science librarians with digital health interventions (DHIs) and suggests ways they can become involved with initiatives in their own organisations. Examples of DHIs are provided and the risks and benefits of these applications are examined, including increasing accuracy of diagnosis & treatment, and health care efficiencies within legal and ethical frameworks. The WHO Guideline on digital interventions for health system strengthening is a useful resource which highlights ways that countries can use digital health technology to improve people's health and essential services. JM proposes the creation of a road map to assist health science librarians in becoming involved in digital health, providing practical suggestions to inform the development of action plans within your local service provision. J.M.