Current research

Compiled by Gillian Griffith

Garde S, Harrison D, Hovenga E. Skill needs for nurses in their role as health informatics professionals: a survey in the context of global health informatics education. *Int J Med Inform.* 2005 Dec;74(11–12):899–907. PMID: 16081316.

In the process of developing global health informatics ed-
ucation, a common understanding of educational outcomes
is required. Therefore, an educational framework for health
informatics professionals is desirable to support student mo-
bility, transnational and borderless education. Nurses form a
significant part of the health workforce and need to be prop-
erly educated for their roles in health informatics. To ascer-
tain their perceptions of needs and priorities, we developed a
Web-based questionnaire and surveyed Australian nurses on
the preferred knowledge/skills set for health informatics pro-
fessionals. Among others, the questionnaire is based on the
International Medical Informatics Association's (IMIA) set
of recommendations on education and IMIA's scientific map.
Benner's five levels of competencies were applied to measure
the degree of competency required for each skill/knowledge.
Together, 82 Australian nurses completed the questionnaire.
The nurses' perceived degree of competency required for a
total of 74 specific skills and knowledge in five skill catego-
ries is presented in this paper as well as the overall results
for each of the five categories. Further, significant differences
between the nurses' primary roles and primary interest in
health informatics are discussed. The development of a com-
prehensive health informatics education framework needs to
take into account nurses as well as other health professionals.
Repeating the survey in other countries and for various professions
is essential to develop an international educational framework.

Garfield E. The history and meaning of the journal impact factor. JAMA. 2006 Jan 4;295(1):90-3. PMID: 16391221.

No abstract available.

Madge B, Plutchak TS. The increasing globalization of health librarianship: a brief survey of international trends and activities. *Health Info Libr J.* 2005 Sep;22 (Suppl 1): 20–30. PMID: 16109025.

**Background and purpose:** Throughout his career, Leslie Morton was interested in international developments in health librarianship. In memory of the work he did in this field, the authors examine current developments in international health librarianship and describe some current themes. **Procedures:** The authors draw from their combined experience in international activities and the published information available from selected library associations and related organizations. **Findings:**

Although many of the major health library associations around
the world are tackling agendas specific to their own country,
issues of international concern are emerging in common.
These are grouped around globalization, partnerships and
cooperation, electronic access, especially open access, and
working with the developing world in a number of different
ways. Of course, the basis of all of these initiatives is to im-
prove the health of the population by providing the best possible
access to materials. **Conclusions:** Professional associations
can provide a useful institutional infrastructure for address-
ing issues of international interest. Librarians should encourage
their associations to develop these international initiatives
and to seek out new and innovative ways to work together
across international boundaries.

Maheswari U. Document delivery service at a Scottish primary care hospital library: Maria Henderson Library, Glasgow. *Health Info Libr J.* 2005 Dec;22(4):286-90. PMID: 16293171.

No abstract available.

Shen B. Ecologies, outreach, and the evolution of medical libraries. *J Med Libr Assoc.* 2005 Oct; 93(4 Suppl):S86–92. PMID: 16239963.

**Question:** What are some of the forces shaping the evolu-
tion of medical libraries, and where might they lead? **Data
sources:** Published literature in the fields of library and in-
formation sciences, technology, health services research, and
business was consulted. **Main results:** Medical libraries cur-
rently have a modest footprint in most consumers' personal
health ecologies, the network of resources and activities they
use to improve their health. They also occupy a relatively
small space in the health care, information, and business
ecologies of which they are a part. Several trends in knowl-
edge discovery, technology, and social organizations point to
ways in which the roles of medical libraries might grow and
become more complex. **Conclusion:** As medical libraries
evolve and reach out to previously underserved communi-
ties, an ecological approach can serve as a useful organizing
framework for the forces shaping this evolution.

Steinbrook R. Searching for the right search — reaching the medical literature. N Engl J Med. 2006 Jan 5;354(1):4–7. PMID: 16394296. [No abstract available. NEJM extracted the first 100 words].

Web-based search engines are transforming our use of the
medical literature. Although we continue to read the print is-
sues of journals and to browse current issues online, we are
now using links from Google — the flagship search engine of the Mountain View, California, company of the same name — and other search engines, as well as citation links in other articles, to gain direct access to the articles we want. For example, by quickly searching by the title of an article, an author, or a specific topic, we can often link to a bibliographic citation, the abstract, or the ...

Turtle KM. A survey of users and non-users of a UK teaching hospital library and information service. *Health Info Libr J.* 2005 Dec;22(4):267-75. PMID: 16293169.

**Background:** The Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust was formed in 2002 with the merger of two existing trusts. The library services unified to create a new expanded service with 11 staff. **Objectives:** The librarians wanted to test out users' opinions of the service, as a basis for a developmental strategy. They also wanted to find out to what extent they were offering a multidisciplinary service, available to all staff. Therefore, it was decided to include both users and non-users in the survey. **Methods:** A 20-question questionnaire was sent out to a 10% sample of registered users in

all staff categories. The same questionnaire was sent out to a 10% sample of non-users, with the help of the Human Resources Department. **Results:** The library staff and facilities were generally well regarded. The stock needed expansion in various areas, especially allied health and biomedical science. Non-users were, in fact, often occasional or remote users. Other non-users needed informing that they were entitled to use the service. **Conclusions:** Further research is required, especially concerning the information needs of allied health and scientific staff. There is a need for stock expansion. A marketing strategy is required to capture the interest of potential users.

Crews K. *Copyright Law for Librarians and Educators: Creative Strategies and Practical Solutions*. 2nd ed. Chicago: American Library Association; 2005.

Copyright in the world of digital information is changing at a fevered pace, even as educators and librarians digitize, upload, download, draw on databases, and incorporate materials into Web-based instruction. It's essential to stay abreast of copyright law and fair use without information overload.