Health Resources Trainer Script

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Midwest Collaborative for Library Services, MeL Training Materials

MeL Health Resources Trainer Script

Some revisions May 2012 SR

1 INTRODUCTIONS AND HOUSEKEEPING DETAILS
2 WEBSITES
3 FINDING MAGAZINE AND JOURNAL ARTICLES, PAMPHLETS, REFERENCE SOURCES
4 NURSING RESOURCE CENTER
5 WRAPPING UP AND EVALUATIONS

INTRODUCTIONS AND HOUSEKEEPING DETAILS

1. Introduce self, go thru list of participants.

2. Go over housekeeping details: timeframe for today (start, stop), 10 minute breaks about on the hour, etc.

3. Review purpose and goals of this class.

WEBSITES

MeL includes health information resources for both health care professionals and consumers. We’re going to begin with information intended for the consumer or the student, but will later take a look at some of the “professional” literature available to us.

The first resources we’ll look at are directories to websites that are “free on the Internet.” There are many terrific sources of health information on the Internet, from brief summary or descriptive information, to single or multipage pamphlets, to government documents hundreds of pages long. Information sources include medical and health associations such as the American Medical Association and the National Kidney Foundation, as well as state and Federal agencies (e.g. CDC).

If we search a health topic on Google or another search engine, we’re likely to find millions of pages, but have no way of sorting the good from the bad except by opening and looking through it. Fortunately, librarians have taken the initiative to sort and organize good information at a number of meta-sites. We’ll look at two.

1. MeL Health and Wellness Gateway

a. Link from the mel.org page, click on the left side on HEALTH AND WELLNESS. Click on TOP HEALTH SITES to get to the reviewed websites.

The sites listed are from government agencies, medical & health associations, health care institutions, and universities. As a result, the information retrieved will likely be brief coverage of a topic. May include “pamphlets.” Watch for dates on the material. Consumer-oriented.

Show the CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL. Have them look at the URL to notice that this is a federal government site and is from an agency that is highly respected. Let them look at the type of information available on the home page.

Go back to the gateway and click on the link for CONSUMER HEALTH BROCHURES IN MULTIPLE LANGUAGES. Point out that the URL includes .edu so that we know this site is from a university. This site could be very useful for libraries serving a multilingual patron base.

Next, show MEDLINEPLUS. This is another federal government website.

Information in MedlinePlus is selected by medical librarians under contract to the National Library of Medicine.

Materials are available in English, Spanish, and other languages. Information sources include a medical encyclopedia, government agencies, and health associations such as the American Lung Association.

Look at main screen. Look at other types of information available (browse encyclopedia, drug information, directories.)

Do a sample search using the search box at the top of page: type in MRSA, click on SEARCH MEDLINEPLUS. Click on the MEDICAL ENCYCLOPEDIA link in the box on the left side. Click the ALL RESULTS link to get back to the results page. There will be a feature article in the middle of the page, usually with an image on the right side, and a "Read more" link. Click on the READ MORE link and just look through the type of information found there. Point out the "Go Local" drop down menu on the right side of the page.

FINDING MAGAZINE AND JOURNAL ARTICLES, PAMPHLETS, REFERENCE SOURCES

HEALTH AND WELLNESS RESOURCE CENTER WITH ALTERNATIVE HEALTH MODULE

This is aimed more at the consumer than at the health professional.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE HOME PAGE LAYOUT:

Begin by pointing out the features of home page explaining the layout of the page. It is quite intuitive and provides different ways for users to spot links to similar information -- this is good for the patron.

1. Bright green banner

Includes links for Help, Search Tips, Guided Tour, etc. The Guided Tour might be something librarians want to show to patrons or other staff, but we don’t do it in class – it's too long.

The MeL logo in the upper right hand corner

The Home tab and/or the big red apple will always bring users back to this page.

2. Tabs

There are nine tabs across the top of the page, right under the green banner. We will demonstrate all of the tabs; only some of them match a “box.”

3. Boxes

Six lightly outlined boxes make up the rest of the home page. Explain that we will demonstrate the ones that match tabs, and that we will just discuss the others at the end.

4. The HON Code icon

Located in the lower left hand corner. Explain what the icon means – This website contains trusted information that meets international standards for ethics and accuracy.

START DEMONSTRATION SEARCHING:

1. Diseases and Conditions

The tab and box are basically the same, but users will need to know to click on the "A-Z" link in the box to get to other disease articles if they need to. That is why I suggest that we teach people to use the tab because it brings up a better search screen.

Click on the tab for DISEASES & CONDITIONS. Make sure they understand that this section only searches in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine, no other parts of this database. This information is across the top of this screen.

Click on C, find CANKER SORES and click on that. Let them look at the type of information that is found in the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine.

2. Next, click on the tab for ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE. Click on any letter and select a disease or condition that looks interesting.

Point out that this section only searches the Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. If they scan through any article, they will probably find more information about prevention and treatment using herbs, acupuncture, etc. The articles are similar in format to the other encyclopedia, so we won't take time to look at it right now.

3. Drugs and Herbal Remedies

The tab and the box are basically the same, and we will demonstrate this by clicking on the tab. This section searches USPDI (United States Pharmacopoeia Dispensing Information), PDR (Physicians' Desk Reference), plus a variety of “alternative medicine” sources.

Type Ritalin in the drug box and click SUBMIT. Have them examine the results and point out the various types of sources. Click on the first article, which is usually the one most relevant to the topic. The other articles may mention the drug but not focus on it.

Next, click the DRUGS & HERBAL REMEDIES tab again. Type depression in the symptom box and do the search. Point out that the sources in this new results list are different and include more “alternative” types of sources. Select one article to view.

4. The Search Directories box and the corresponding tab for Directories are basically the same. Go to the HOME page and find the Search Directories box. Point out that in the box that there are only three choices for entering information. Type Sparrow in the first box, Lansing in the second box, and select MICHIGAN for the state using the drop down menu. Do the search and examine the results.

Explain that both the box and the tab for Directories will bring up results only from the the newest edition of the Medical and Health Information Directory that Gale makes available.

5. Search Box on the Home Page

Click on the tab for HOME or on the large apple to get back to the Home page because there is no tab for the basic search.

Once at the home page, have them look on the right side at the search box. This is where we really get into a lot of information in this database.

It defaults to a Keyword search with other options available. For most users, it will be a very helpful function to know about. I strongly recommend that they usually check the box for full text, and then type cholesterol in the box and click on SEARCH. (If you do not check the box for full text, you will get thousands of items which are abstracts, but count as “full text” because they are the full text of the abstract. Checking the box for full text before doing the search eliminates those results that are “not so useful” for the average user).

NOTE: Gale cannot reset the default to full text in this interface, so we need to teach people to check the box.

Point out the way that results are displayed. First, the banner/apple and all the tabs are still visible at the top of the page for ease of navigation.

For results, we are now seeing tabs for various types of sources, and each tab indicates how many items of that sort (all the previous searches we did turned up results with one type of source, such as the encyclopedias). Depending on the search, some tabs may show zero.

Along the left side, we see buttons for Update Marked List and Revise Search. In this database, anytime we mark an item, we must MUST remember to click the Update Marked List or we’ll lose the marks.

Have the class look carefully at the tabs for each type of source. The “front” tab is for Books & Fact Sheets and is basically reference materials. The other tabs’ labels pretty much explain what is found there. Have them look at the citations for several items listed for Books & Fact Sheets, pointing out the icons for full text and PDF for some items. Have them notice the different type of sources. Click the boxes to mark any 2 items, then click on UPDATE MARKED LIST.

Click on the MAGAZINES & JOURNALS tab. Let them look through the results list and mark any 2 items in the boxes, then click on UPDATE MARKED LIST.

Pick the first item listed and click on the title to get into the full text - or any article that looks most relevant to the class.

Once the user is at the full text of an item, Print, E-mail, and Download buttons display on the left side. Please also point out the related subject terms and/or see also terms that display on the left side. These will vary considerably depending on the search you did and the item you selected. Sometimes there is only one type, sometimes there is quite a long list of choices.

Point out that the search term is highlighted throughout the article. The tabs are still available across the top so the user can easily navigate to other types of resources.

6. Advanced Search

This is where a user can truly limit a search and narrow the results considerably. Many patrons probably won’t use this, but library staff may be asked to help them.

Point out all the limiting options with the drop down menus. Point out the boxes to check for Full text articles, Refereed publications, Consumer health, espanol, etc. Briefly explain that referred means reviewed by experts in the field. Many of the vendors use refereed and peer-reviewed interchangeably, although to a true academic researcher, there is a slight difference.

Type cholesterol in the first search box and change the drop down menu to SUBJECT. Next, type children in the second search box and leave the drop down menu at Keyword. Last, type screening in the third search box and leave the drop down menu at Keyword.

Check the boxes for FULL TEXT ARTICLES and REFERRED PUBLICATIONS. Do the search.

The results are displayed in the same manner as in our previous searches. Point out the much more “academic” nature of the article(s) because we checked Referred publications.

Mark 2 items, then click on UPDATE MARKED LIST.

Now, click on VIEW MARKED LIST to see what they get. If you have clicked two items each time, and have clicked on the Update button, your should have several items (6, if I counted correctly).

Explain that if they now click on E-mail, all the marked articles will be sent to them. Print works the same way, so they need to be aware of what they do.

7. Trusted Sites

Have the class click on the tab for TRUSTED SITES.

The first thing to point out is the very carefully worded disclaimer from Gale. Have the class read it.

Gale staff has looked at these sites and made an editorial/quality judgment to include them, and they meet the "Honor Code." Point out the major headings that organize the sites into large topics. Each major topic also has a "back to the top" link which is handy.

Scroll down to Disease Prevention and Wellness, then click on Community Preventive Services. This is just one example. If the class wants to see a couple more examples, do that if there is time.

8. Health Assessment

Sroll to the top of the page and click on the HEALTH ASSESSMENT tab. Point out the disclaimer again.

Find Calculators, then click on CALORIES BURNED as an example. Put in a favorite exercise and "fake" personal information and see how long it takes to work off that donut!

Close the tab or close the window click on the big apple to go back to the Home page.

9. Point out the box for Topics in the News. Explain that these change regularly, so we can never know what will display during each class. We won’t spend any time with these, we just want them to know it’s there.

10. Point out the Health Highlights box. Explain that these change frequently, so once again, we will not know what is going to be there during any particular class. We won’t spend any time with this, we just want them to know it’s there.

HEALTH REFERENCE CENTER ACADEMIC

Go to the alphabetical list of databases and click on HEALTH REFERENCE CENTER ACADEMIC. Point out that this uses the Gale PowerSearch interface, which should be familiar to many users. For MeL, the defaults are to basic Keyword search and full text, with limiting options available.

Explain that the content of this next database overlaps a bit with HWRC, which we just finished, but it offers some different options. The focus is more academic.

This database does not include many of the "alternative" types of materials found in HWRC, so it can be useful in academic settings. All 28 Michigan community colleges have nursing programs, so it would be useful for public libraries to know what's available to support them, for example. It offers some searching, sorting, citing, translating options not available in HWRC.

Note: According to Gale, this database will continue to become more and more focused on the academic and professional health user.

This uses the typical "powersearch" interface, so most of the features and the layout of the page will be familiar.

Type measles in the search box and do the search. Point out the list of types of sources on the left side of the page -- magazines, books, news, etc. Because this databases is academic nature, Journals display first. We could pull any specific type of resource to the "top" by clicking on one of those links.

Results are, by default, displayed in descending order publication date (newest first), but show that we can sort the list if we choose.

On the results page, point out the information for each article: title is a live link, bibliographic info, full-text link below that. Point out that the Lexile (reading) level is given for each article and that there is a small icon or note on the far right indicating what type of article this is.

Point out the "Limit by:" options on the left hand side of the screen. Clicking on one will display new results in the limited manor chosen. Any subject heading links displayed on the left side will execute a new search. Next, show the class what happens when you click on the drop down menu to have the options to change to Document Tupe or Publication Title.

Point out the orange bar across the top and click on Subject Guide Search. Type malaria in the search box and do the search. To the right of the the heading malaria, there is a Related Subjects link. To the left of the heading malaria, there is a plus sign. Have the class click on the plus sign to see the subdivisions. Select a subdivision to click on, then click on an article title that looks interesting.

Point out the Tools box. Find the Translate drop down menu, select a different language and click on TRANSLATE. Point out the new window that opens. Close the window. Click on CITATION TOOLS and look at what is in that window. Close the window to get back to the citation.

NURSING RESOURCE CENTER

10/11 SR

Description from Gale:

"Designed for nursing students, the Nursing Resource Center (NRC) brings together disease and drug overviews, care plans, relevant journal results and animated anatomy and physiology diagrams to complement the core encyclopedia texts. The information is written in accessible language for students completing class assignments and preparing for clinicals as they learn how to care for and treat patients. Search results are returned in tabs that correspond to steps in the nursing process."

It should be relatively intuitive to use for someone looking for that type of information.

Explain that the “basic” NRC is a citation-only database for journals, but our version (MeL) will pull full text journal articles from the related Nursing and Allied Health Collection that we have had for several years. As you look at results screens, each journal article will have a note that shows that. On each screen, you will see a title count statement something like this:

“The databases selected for searching offer a combined 2,944,807 articles and were last updated as recently as August 10, 2011” (obviously it changes every day).

The interface for the Nursing Resource Center resembles some of the older Gale/InfoTrac search screens, but it has features designed specifically for nurses and nursing students, so we want to make sure to point those out.

To begin, open NRC from the MeL Databases link. Point out that is has a unique interface – something like the older interfaces we used to see, but tailored to the nursing profession in its set up. Across the top is a dark blue title banner, and below that are some tools. If the tool is grayed out, it will not work at that point, but will light up at some other point during the search.

Most of those small links are self-explanatory, but we should point out these that will each open in a new smaller window:

NIC – Nursing Interventions Classifications

NOC – Nursing Outcomes Classifications

NANDA – basically a dictionary/glossary of terms

Nursing Toolbox – opens a small window with a set of links to a group of “appendices” (for lack of a better term)

We won’t spend much time with these, but we want people to at least see that they are there.

Next, point out the lighter blue bar with the various search types: basic, subject guide, publication, advanced. We’ll try to demonstrate at least a starting search in each of those as we move through the class.

On the right side of the screen are two boxes. One on “Common Drugs” will search the PDR Nurses’ Drug Handbook. The second one, “Common Diseases and Conditions,” will search the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine. Since those are very easy to use, we won’t demonstrate them in class.

To begin searching, point out that the screen is defaulting to a Basic search. Point out that we are also defaulting to a keyword search, but we could use the radio buttons to switch to subject or entire document. We could also uncheck “full text” or we could check “peer-reviewed.”

For our search, don’t change any of the defaults. Just type “heart attack” in the box and do the search. This search works well because it returns results of all types.

When you see the results screen, point out the various tabs. These are specific to nursing and related to the way in which nurses are trained to analyze and handle issues.

The first tab is Diseases and Conditions tab, with several articles from reference books – point out the various titles. Click on the title of the first article so show what a reference book source looks like.

Click on the Assessment tab and point out that now the results are articles on doing clinical overviews and medical assessments. They will still usually be coming from reference books in the NRC – point that out.

The next tab is Diagnostics, the next is Interventions, etc. You can click each tab and give the class a few minutes to look at the results page. It’s a logical flow of types of materials in an order that makes sense for nurses or nursing students.

Click on the Journals tab and point out that now we are pulling full text from the Nursing and Allied Health Collection. Click on the first title and let the class see what a journal article looks like, highlight search term, citation, etc.

Click on the Related Articles tab to show that results will come from a wide variety of sources.

During all of these examples, we have seen a box on the left side of the screen with Subject Terms and related links that will execute a new search. What we see in this box will be different for every search we do.

Click on Silent Myocardial Ischemia as a subject to do a new search. Point out that the results are now only in journals, and the other tabs are grayed out. Other subject searches could produce a different mixture of sources.

Now take the class back to the opening screen by clicking on Basic Search on the left side, just above the gold box (seems to be the only way back to that screen).

We want to do a Subject Guide Search next, so click on that link.

The Subject Guide Search will help a researcher who doesn’t know the exact terminology. It also gives us options for narrowing our results by date. For example, if we type in heart attack, it will display a list of subject headings along with subdivisions and related topics. Click on heart attack subdivisions to show the long list of subheadings that is found.

Click on the breadcrumb trail for Subject Guide (to go back one step), and now click on Related Subjects under Heart Attack. Point out the three tabs would be helpful for researchers needing to either look at a wider concept or to narrow their search to something more focused. If you think you have time, you can show each tab.

The Subject Guide Search also allows a researcher to limit results by a date range using the drop down menus.

Click on Advanced Search. This search has the typical combination of boxes for search terms, Boolean operators, and choices for changing from keyword to subject, title, etc.

Point out that on this page there are the two options for limiting a search by document type or publication subject area (based on the focus of the journals, etc.) You can scroll down and show what is in each of those boxes, but I would not do a search – when I was playing around with examples, many of them returned zero results, probably because it narrows down too much. But for someone with a very specific need, it could be a good option.