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Results are reported of a questionnaire survey on medical library interns who had participated in MLA-approved internship programs. Forty of forty-five interns to whom the questionnaire was sent responded.
The information needs of practicing physicians in seventeen counties of upstate New York were surveyed by questionnaire. A 45.6% response, or 258 usable replies, was obtained. Computer-aided market analysis indicated that the areas of greatest need for improved information were new developments in specialties and government regulations relating to health care. Sources most frequently used were journal papers, colleagues, and books, in that order. Specialty-related differences occurred with both specific information needs and source use. Degree date, geographical location, and type of practice (hospital, nonhospital, private, and so on), and involvement in research or education were also analyzed in relation to information needs and sources. Implications for library service are discussed.
In June 2000, the Biomedical Library at the University of South Alabama introduced Prospero, an electronic desktop document delivery service. From June 2000 to November 2002, Prospero delivered 28% of interlibrary loan requests and 72% of document delivery requests. In November 2002, the library conducted a user satisfaction survey of the Prospero service. Forty-two surveys were used. Fifteen responses were received from affiliated faculty, staff, and students, who generally expressed satisfaction with the service. Twenty-seven responses were received from unaffiliated users, comprised of medical libraries, individual users, and businesses. Based on the survey results, the library deemed the Prospero service a success. To better support users, the library's Web page was updated to include hardware and software requirements for successful use of the Prospero service, as well as screen shots of the Prospero process.
This article presents the results of a survey conducted over the summer of 1992 on the use of information sources by professionals in the field of aging. In particular, factors affecting the use of electronic information sources were investigated. The data provide a demographic profile of North American gerontologists, with a predictably wide range of disciplines and types of practice represented. Several factors were found to have an impact on the gerontologists' utilization of electronic information sources. Respondents who used a larger-than-average number of computer applications were found to make relatively more use of electronic sources, including online searches, CD-ROM indexes, library OPACs, and other databases searched by remote access. Attendance at library workshops was found to increase the amount of end-user searching but not the amount of library-mediated searching. Respondents also reported which databases they used and which they considered most important. MEDLINE was the most frequently mentioned database across all disciplines, including the health and social sciences. Computer databases were ranked least important out of six listed sources of information, and only 5% of respondents reported having used an electronic current awareness profile.
A summary of some of the issues concerned with charging for library services (particularly information services and services provided by medical libraries) is given. The results of a survey carried out in July 1992 are presented. The survey asked respondents to indicate which library services they charged for, the level of charges and the extent to which charges to those outside the organization and those within it differed. Twenty-five libraries (response rate of 69%) replied to the survey. Some further areas for research and discussion are indicated.
In 1984, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) issued recommendations for the reform of medical education. One recommendation was that information sciences be incorporated into the medical curriculum. In fall 1996, a survey was conducted to learn more about computer use by medical students at the Rockford regional site of the University of Illinois at Chicago College of Medicine. The purpose of the survey was to gather information not only about computer skills, but also about overall comfort level in using computers and about expectations for enhancing computer skills while attending medical school. Over a two year period, 208 students representing four classes received this survey in their e-mail. Non-respondents received a follow-up print copy in their student mailboxes. Results, based on a 60% response rate, showed a majority of Rockford students entered medical school with good skills in using e-mail and word processing, but many lacked the skills necessary to search the medical literature or to use computer-assisted instructional programs. Overall, 80% of students expected to learn more about computers while attending medical school. Results contributed to an increased effort to integrate computer applications into the medical curriculum and to use computers as a means of communicating with students.
Using the results of the 1993 Medical Library Association (MLA) Hospital Libraries Section survey of hospital-based end-user search services, this article describes how end-user search services can become an impetus for an expanded information management and technology role for the hospital librarian. An end-user services implementation plan is presented that focuses on software, hardware, finances, policies, staff allocations and responsibilities, educational program design, and program evaluation. Possibilities for extending end-user search services into information technology and informatics, specialized end-user search systems, and Internet access are described. Future opportunities are identified for expanding the hospital librarian's role in the face of changing health care management, advances in information technology, and increasing end-user expectations.
The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill evaluated five curricular models designed to improve education for health sciences librarianship. Three of the models enhanced existing degree and certificate programs, and two were new programs for working information professionals. Models were developed with input from experts and a Delphi study; the marketability of the models was tested through surveys of potential students and employers; and recommendations were made as a guide to implementation. The results demonstrated a demand for more specialized curricula and for retraining opportunities. Marketing data showed a strong interest from potential students in a specialized master's degree, and mid-career professionals indicated an interest in postmaster's programs that provided the ability to maintain employment. The study pointed to the opportunity for a center of excellence in health sciences information education to enable health sciences librarians to respond to their evolving roles.
This study investigated information-seeking behavior, including use of major bibliographic tools by medical, pharmacy, nursing, and science faculty at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The study assessed the impact of availability of locally mounted databases, determined needs for modification of instructional programs, identified the need for promotional material, and established a baseline for subsequent studies. Results reflected a wide variation in the number and format of secondary services used by faculty. Over 70% of all faculty from the colleges of medicine, pharmacy, and nursing used Index Medicus or MEDLINE. There were statistically significant differences between colleges in their use of mediated and end-user searching of MEDLINE. Colleges exhibited significant differences in use of Current Contents, PsycLIT, ERIC, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), Chemical Abstracts, and Science Citation Index. Statistically significant differences also were found among several clinical departments. The study concluded that, as new formats to bibliographic tools become available, traditional formats continue to be used; training sessions must be tailored to the audience; and the availability of local resources and their use by faculty needs to be understood.
BACKGROUND: The amount of reliable information available for complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) is limited, and few authoritative resources are available. OBJECTIVE: The objective is to investigate the information-seeking behavior of health professionals seeking CAM information. METHODS: Data were gathered using a Web-based questionnaire made available to health sciences faculty affiliated with the University of California, San Francisco. RESULTS: The areas of greatest interest were herbal medicine (67%), relaxation exercises (53%), and acupuncture (52%). About half the respondents perceived their CAM searches as being only partially successful. Eighty-two percent rated MEDLINE as a useful resource, 46% personal contacts with colleagues, 46% the Web, 40% journals, and 20% textbooks. Books and databases most frequently cited as useful had information about herbs. The largest group of respondents was in internal medicine (26%), though 15% identified their specialties as psychiatry, psychology, behavioral medicine, or addiction medicine. There was no correlation between specialty and patterns of information-seeking behavior. Sixty-six percent expressed an interest in learning more about CAM resources. CONCLUSIONS: Health professionals are frequently unable to locate the CAM information they need, and the majority have little knowledge of existing CAM resources, relying instead on MEDLINE. Medical librarians need to educate health professionals in the identification and use of authoritative CAM resources.
A bovine genomic DNA library was surveyed with respect to the template activity for RNA-primed DNA synthesis by calf thymus DNA polymerase alpha-primase complex. About 7% of the single-stranded DNA clones contained distinct initiation sites consisting of pyrimidine clusters of pyrimidine-rich sequences. The initiation sites were located at or near the 3'-end of the pyrimidine clusters. One of these sequences, containing a 10-mer pyrimidine cluster with major initiation sites, was analyzed in detail. By the successive substitutions of pyrimidines in the cluster with oligodeoxydenylate [(dA)n] in the 5' to 3' direction, the minimum length of the initiation sequence was estimated to be as long as the 7-mer. In contrast, when one or three pyrimidines at the 3'-end of the cluster were replaced with (dA)n, the priming activity was largely lost, indicating that these pyrimidine residues were indispensable for priming. Furthermore, base substitutions of upstream or downstream sequences outside the pyrimidine cluster also decreased the total priming frequencies. Interestingly, the base substitutions inside or outside of the pyrimidine cluster sometimes caused a shift in the major priming sites. These results indicate that the minimum priming unit of the CTPPS1 template for RNA-primed DNA synthesis consists of a pyrimidine cluster (6-mer) with one purine at its 3'-border and that both the 3'-downstream 6-bases and the 5'-upstream 17-bases modulate the priming by enhancing the priming frequency and/or slightly shifting the sites of initiation of primer synthesis. It was also revealed that the lengths of the product RNA primers became shorter as the length of pyrimidine cluster was shortened by substitution with (dA)n. The gel retardation assay further showed that the complex formation between DNA polymerase alpha-primase and the DNA templates was strongly in competition with poly(dC), poly(dG), and poly(dT) but not with poly(dA). Furthermore, template activities as well as the pyrimidine contents of a series of base-substituted DNA correlated well with their affinities to the enzyme, as measured by both gel retardation assay and their Km values for the priming reaction. Apparently, DNA polymerase alpha-primase primarily recognizes the minimum priming unit consisting of a pyrimidine cluster with a purine at the 3'-boundary of purine, but the initiation of primer RNA synthesis can be modified by pyrimidine residues outside of the minimum priming unit.
In this paper, we present the academic genealogy of American field primatologists. The genealogy has been compiled to formally document the historical record of this young field. Data have been collected from three main sources: 1) e-mail surveys, 2) library and Internet research, and 3) verbal communication through forums such as American Association of Physical Anthropology meetings. Lineages of primatologists have been graphically displayed using Microsoft Visio. As of September 2005, 672 names and 239 affiliated universities, organizations and institutions have been recorded in 19 lineages. Five hundred and thirty-eight of the 672 names, 80.1%, are field primatologists. The Hooton/Washburn lineage is the largest; 60.6% of the recorded field primatologists are linked to this lineage. In addition, four of the five professors who have mentored a comparable number of field primatologists at American universities since Washburn are linked to the Hooton/Washburn lineage; and the school where Washburn mentored a majority of his students, UC-Berkeley, continues to have the highest overall graduation record for this subdiscipline. However, the field of primatology has been diversifying since the 1960s, and different universities are now responsible for graduating a substantial number of primatologists. We conclude that while the Hooton/Washburn lineage has remained remarkably homogenous in its anthropological focus, the field is also becoming increasingly enriched by primatologists who have had training in fields such as zoology, psychology, and ecology both in the United States and abroad.
BACKGROUND: Most systematic reviewers aim to perform an intention-to-treat meta-analysis, including all randomized participants from each trial. This is not straightforward in practice: reviewers must decide how to handle missing outcome data in the contributing trials. OBJECTIVE: To investigate methods of allowing for uncertainty due to missing data in a meta-analysis. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: The Cochrane Library was surveyed to assess current use of imputation methods. We developed a methodology for incorporating uncertainty, with weights assigned to trials based on uncertainty interval widths. The uncertainty interval for a trial incorporates both sampling error and the potential impact of missing data. We evaluated the performance of this method using simulated data. RESULTS: The survey showed that complete-case analysis is commonly considered alongside best-worst case analysis. Best-worst case analysis gives an interval for the treatment effect that includes all of the uncertainty due to missing data. Unless there are few missing data, this interval is very wide. Simulations show that the uncertainty method consistently has better power and narrower interval widths than best-worst case analysis. CONCLUSION: The uncertainty method performs consistently better than best-worst case imputation and should be considered along with complete-case analysis whenever missing data are a concern.
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An overview of the information needs of nurses is followed by a description of the findings of the Information Seeking Behaviour of Nurses Project. A brief comparison is made with the perceptions that librarians have of nurses' information-seeking activity followed by a more detailed discussion of the ways that librarians consider that nurses' use of libraries could be improved. It is concluded that library provision and use can be improved only by co-operation between nurses, students, educators, librarians and managers.
The last few years have been a period of transition not only for hospitals and their governance but also for post-graduate medical education in Hong Kong. Both trends have a direct impact on the information market place. This article starts by studying the provision of medical and health-related information in Hong Kong. The two university medical and dental libraries, together with the hospital and health sciences libraries in government hospitals and the Department of Health, house the major collections on medicine and health care. The demand for medical and health care information is increasingly felt with the takeover of 39 hospitals by the statutory Hong Kong Hospital Authority in 1991. The major problems and issues in planning for library information services are the historically uneven development of libraries, discrepancies in funding, the changes in organizational and management structure, and the competition with higher development priorities within the organization. In view of current technology and the availability of rich external resources, the adopted strategies tend towards the formation of 10 library service networks, development of integrated library information systems on the Health Authority-wide area network, and the devolution of management responsibilities. The future challenges in store for the information professional are examined.
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