Library News

Writing in plain language matters. In Canada, it’s reported that nine million people have limited literacy skills, with over half of Canadians reading below a high school level. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to offer additional support to patients and families with easy-to-read, straightforward patient pamphlets. For more information about creating or updating patient pamphlets, please visit the Patient Education Resources Toolkit. Contact Pamphlets@nshealth.ca with any questions. You can search for pamphlets by title or keyword in the pamphlets catalogue, or view the complete listing of active titles in our Print Code Index.

The following pamphlets were updated or created in August 2025. 

Arabic Translations
AR85-2153 Ethics Tool - Help with Ethical Issues [Arabic] (English: WX85-2056, French: FF85-2142, Simplified Chinese: CH85-2168)
AR85-2512 NEW Getting Ready to Start Your Insulin Pump [Arabic] (English: WK85-2491)

Cardiovascular System 
WG85-1393 What is a MIBI (Sestamibi) Test?
                      Previous title: What is a MIBI? QE II

Chinese (Simplified) Translations
CH85-2168 Ethics Tool - Help with Ethical Issues [Simplified Chinese] (English: WX85-2056, En français: FF85-2142, Arabic: AR85-2153)

Digestive System 
WI85-0225 Living With Advanced Liver Disease
WI85-0601 Waiting for Your Liver Transplant (En français: FF85-1123)

Emergency & Public Health 
WA85-2509 NEW Sepsis 

Endocrine System 
WK85-1037 My Diabetes Record

French Translations (en français)
FF85-2082 Programme de gestion du sang périopératoire (GSP) (English: WH85-1396)
                     Previous title: Service de gestion du sang périopératoire
FF85-2183 Vos droits en vertu de la Loi sur le traitement psychiatrique involontaire (English: WX85-1146)
                    Previous title: Vos droits - En vertu de la loi sur le traitement psychiatrique obligatoire
FF85-2142 Outil d'éthique - Aide pour les enjeux d’éthique (English: WX85-2056, Arabic: AR85-2153, Simplified Chinese: CH85-2168) 
FF85-2107 Délirium après une chirurgie cardiaque (English: WG85-1480)
FF85-2202 Interaction des contraceptifs avec les médicaments – sugammadex et/ou aprépitant (English: WP85-2076)
                    Previous title: Interaction des contraceptifs avec le sugammadex (Bridion™)
FF85-1786 Après l’extraction des dents ou l’extraction des dents de sagesse (English: WU85-0646)
FF85-2505 NEW Parler de vos objectifs de soins et choisir un niveau d'intervention (English: WX85-2208)
FF85-2515 NEW Préparation pour l’utilisation de votre pompe à insuline (English: WK85-2491, Arabic: AR85-2512)

Geriatrics 
WT85-2519 NEW Geriatric Assessment Clinic - Soldiers’ Memorial Hospital

Gynecology & Reproductive Health
WP85-2285 High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy - South Shore Regional Hospital

Hospital Information
WX85-2056 Ethics Tool - Help with Ethical Issues (En français: FF85-2142, Arabic: AR85-2153, Simplified Chinese: CH85-2168)
WX85-2514 NEW Find Patient Education Resources Online

Laboratory Pathology
QY85-1976 24-Hour Urine Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1971 Stool Collection for Ova and Parasites - South Shore Regional Hospital

Medications
QV85-2262 Benzodiazepines for Alcohol Withdrawal
QV85-2269 Disulfiram for Alcohol Use Disorder
                      Previous title: Disulfiram for Alcohol Dependence

Nutrition & Food
LC85-0510 Vegetarian Variety
LC85-2513 NEW Counting Carbohydrates and the Glycemic Index
LC85-2518 NEW Prehab: Eating Well Before Surgery

Pain Management
PM85-1654 Halifax Pain Self-Management Program 

Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation
WB85-1672 Active Cycle Breathing Technique (ACBT) (En français: FF85-2200)

Urogenital System
WJ85-2501 Urine Testing After Surgery
WJ85-2510 NEW Mid-stream Urine Collection - Valley Regional Hospital and Yarmouth Regional Hospital

The following pamphlets were archived in August 2025:
WD85-2038 Understanding Grief - Palliative Care Unit: Aberdeen Hospital

If a pamphlet that has been archived is still needed, please let us know as soon as possible and we will work with you to make it available again.
 

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

We keep in mind health care workers' busy schedules, offering sessions on a variety of dates and times. There is sure to be a session suitable for you. Register for one or several classes below, offered from September through December:

• Accessing Full Text
  It can be challenging enough to find the journal articles that you need, but then accessing the full text of the article can also be difficult. Library Services pays for several subscriptions to give you access to many articles. This session will help you access them. The session will also help you get the full text of articles to which Library Services doesn't provide access.
• Developing Patient Education Pamphlets
  This session highlights how easy-to-read and up-to-date patient education materials can support patient care and safety. Learn how to get started, what is involved in developing and updating pamphlets, and how to find, use and share pamphlets effectively.
• Find it Fast
  This session focuses on navigating core library tools and resources, including the catalogue, ejournals and ebooks, and databases. Learn how to access library resources and services through this virtual tour.
• Finding Free-to-use Images: Public domain, open licenses, and more!
  In this hands-on session, you’ll work with a sample search to find free-of-charge or open-licensed photographs, illustrations, and more in Google Images, Microsoft products, as well as reputable online sources. You’ll learn to interpret how images are licensed and how to cite them appropriately.
• Introduction to Covidence
  Covidence is now available through Nova Scotia Health’s institutional license. Covidence is an online software that allows research teams to collaborate through each stage of a knowledge synthesis project (e.g. systematic reviews).
• Introduction to Knowledge Synthesis
  Library Services has a new, free service to support researchers in their knowledge synthesis projects (e.g. systematic reviews, scoping reviews, etc.). This session will outline how the service works, who can access it, and what the librarians can do for your team.
• Managing Citations with Zotero NEW
  Tired of manually formatting references or losing track of your sources? In this session, we’ll cover how to install Zotero, collect references from websites, databases, and PDFs, organize your library with folders, and generate in-text citations and bibliographies in multiple styles.
• Using Generative A.I. NEW
  Generative A.I. (also called Gen A.I.) is a term for any A.I. that creates text, images, video, and audio to meet and/or respond to your prompts. Gen A.I. is growing increasingly popular, with some of the most well-known Gen A.I. tools being ChatGPT, Microsoft CoPilot, and DALL-E. This session will give a general overview of generative A.I., including what to consider before, during, and after you use a Gen A.I. tool.

Amanda Andrews

Librarian Educator, Education & Training Lead
Eastern Zone - Cape Breton, Guysborough, Antigonish

Both Zotero and Covidence can store, manage, and deduplicate citations. However, they differ significantly in their application and scope.

What is Zotero?

Zotero is a free citation management software that includes a desktop application and a browser extension.

What you can do with Zotero:

• Save bibliographic information from any page on the internet.
• Import citations through various file types (e.g. BibTeX, RIS, Zotero RDF).
• Sort your citations into folders and sub-folders.
• Create a single citation or an entire reference bibliography in any citation style.

Learn more about accessing and using Zotero:

• Visit our Citation Management subject guide for more information about accessing and using Zotero.
• Visit the Zotero website for tutorials and information on how to make the most out of Zotero.
• Visit the Zotero blog and forums to troubleshoot very specific issues that you may encounter.

TIP: You can use Google to search within the Zotero blog and forum by adding site: forums.zotero.org/discussions or site: zotero.org/blog/ after your Google search query. This limits your search to only those sites. For example, to learn how to add full-text PDFs to your saved citations, search full text pdf site:zotero.org/blog/.

What is Covidence?

Covidence is a web-based software that lets members of a research team collaborate through the various stages of a knowledge synthesis project (such as a systematic review). Nova Scotia Health has an institutional license to Covidence, which means Covidence is now free to use for Nova Scotia Health staff!

What you can do with Covidence:

• Upload citations
• Screen titles and abstracts
• Screen full-text articles and resources
• Complete data extraction

Learn more about accessing and using Covidence:

• To create an account or join your existing account to our license, follow the steps outlined on our Institutional Subscriber page or our Knowledge Synthesis and Covidence subject guide.
• For articles, books, and training webinars, visit Covidence Academy
• For troubleshooting and detailed walkthroughs, visit Covidence Knowledge Base
• For both shorter and longer video content (including recorded webinars) that are accessible to the public, visit Covidence’s YouTube Channel

What’s the difference?

Zotero is great for organizing literature sources, creating reference lists, and assisting with in-text citation. You will likely find Zotero more useful for everyday research needs.

Covidence is best for conducting knowledge synthesis projects with a team that will lead to a published review article. Outside of scholarly publications, Covidence could also be used by a team to screen through a large amount of potentially relevant literature to find those that are most relevant to your specific needs.

Both tools have distinct features that make them suitable for different purposes. The table below lists the different strengths of each tool, depending on your project needs:

Interested in learning more about knowledge synthesis? Check out our Knowledge Synthesis and Covidence subject guide!

Reach out to LitSearch@nshealth.ca with your questions.

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Halifax Infirmary, Central Zone

Vinson Li

Librarian Educator
Yarmouth Regional Hospital, Western Zone

UPDATED: July 28, 2025.   Original Post: November 8, 2017

Developing a clear question is an important first step when researching information to guide your work and/or decision-making, and when preparing for a potential research project. In health care, practitioners and researchers are faced with complex questions which make starting the research process a daunting task. A well-built question is clear, focused, and summarizes the issue to be investigated. Determining the type of question will help you select the best resource to consult for your answer.

Background vs. Foreground Questions

Background questions are used to gather general information, typically asking the 5Ws: Who? What? When? Where? Why? To answer these questions, start with general resources, such as overview textbooks, summaries, medical directories, etc.

Example: Looking for general information on diabetes care? Search for resources using Library Services' Discover search. Use the filters on the left-hand side of the page to retrieve results for books to find general information on the disease and its presentation.

Other helpful resources for answering background questions include Library Services’ Subject Guides, which contain best bets on library resources for specific topics in healthcare research. Need resources that inform patient care? Our collection of Clinical Practice Supports highlights information and tools for clinical staff.

Building Foreground Questions

Foreground questions are specific and complex. They often consider multiple factors to guide decision making and/or inform further research.

Example: In women with migraine and aura, how does use of combination birth control pills affect risk of stroke compared to progestin-only birth control?

Clearly articulating a foreground question and identifying key components can be challenging. Using the PICO(T) model can help you identify your key concepts and build your question before examining the literature.

PICO Example:

This Evidence Based Practice module from Dalhousie University's Kellogg Library takes you through the steps of creating an answerable clinical question using PICO.

Structuring your Search

Using PICO to develop your question will help you identify key search concepts. Tools like a search planning grid can help you plan and organize your PICO criteria into search terms. Once identified, additional terms can be derived from synonyms and related concepts to expand your search results.

Once you have determined the key terms for your search, you will be able to search databases and search engines by combining your terms using Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT).

Still have Questions?

Visit Library Services’ Searching guide for more tips and assistance. Book a one-on-one consultation with a Librarian Educator to discuss building effective research questions or request a custom education session on the topic. Want to get started on searching? Try out your question-building skills by submitting a literature search request. We bet your results will be more relevant!

Happy searching!

Selena MacDonald

Librarian Educator
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone

Writing in plain language matters. In Canada, it’s reported that nine million people have limited literacy skills, with over half of Canadians reading below a high school level. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to offer additional support to patients and families with easy-to-read, straightforward patient pamphlets. For more information about creating or updating patient pamphlets, please visit the Patient Education Resources subject guide. Contact Pamphlets@nshealth.ca with any questions. You can search for pamphlets by title or keyword in the pamphlets catalogue, or view the complete listing of active titles in our Print Code Index.

The following pamphlets were updated or created in July 2025. 

Cardiovascular System 
WG85-2502 Your Passport to Cardiovascular Health
WG85-0636 Catheter Ablation (En français: FF85-1914)
WG85-0698 Dobutamine® Stress Echocardiogram

Diagnostic Imaging 
WN85-1171 Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CCTA) - Halifax Infirmary
                    Previous title: Coronary Computed Tomography Angiography (CTA) - Halifax Infirmary
WN85-1370 Getting Ready for a Computed Tomography (CT) Virtual Colonoscopy

French Translations (en français)
FF85-2103 Bloc nerveux pour gérer la douleur pendant l’opération (English: PM85-1377)
                   Previous title: Anesthésie par bloc nerveux pour supprimer la douleur pendant l’opération
FF85-2104 Analgésie épidurale après une opération (English: PM85-1378)
FF85-2061 Pneumonie (English: WA85-0368)
FF85-2080 Constipation (English: WA85-0692)
FF85-1898 Après une chirurgie de la main (English: WO85-0588)
FF85-2507 NEW Comprendre les dernières semaines, journées et heures de la vie (English: WD85-2450)
FF85-2508 NEW Se préparer à la fin de vie et à la mort (English: WD85-2457)

Gynecology & Reproductive Health
WP85-1928 Hand Expressing Breast Milk Before Your Baby is Born

Hematology
WH85-2136 Phlebotomy
WH85-1247 Intravenous Immunoglobulin (IVIG)
WH85-2506 NEW Intravenous (I.V.) Iron Infusions - Medical Day Unit

Hospitals
WX85-2046 Harbour View Hospital Adult Day Program
WX85-0436 Sleep Disorders Laboratory
WX85-1620 Choosing a CPAP Provider
WX85-2504 NEW Community Outreach Team - West Bedford Transitional Health 

Infectious Disease
WC85-0602 Clostridioides difficile (C. diff) (En français: FF85-1852)
WC85-1036 Hand Hygiene (En français: FF85-1781)
WC85-1382 Viral Gastroenteritis - Diarrhea and Vomiting (En français: FF85-1855)
WC85-1441 Infection Prevention and Control (En français: FF85-1216)
WC85-1551 Respiratory (Breathing) Infections (En français: FF85-1552)

Intensive Care Unit
IC85-2069 Intensive Care Unit Getting You Moving - Cape Breton Regional Hospital (En français: FF85-2148)

Laboratory Pathology
QY85-1977 Stool Collection for Culture - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1978 Sputum Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1980 Semen Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1984 Stool Collection for Clostridium difficile (C. diff) - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1985 24-Hour Urine Collection for Porphyrins - South Shore Regional Hospital 
                     Previous title: Urine 24-Hour Porphyrins Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1988 24-Hour Urine Collection for Catecholamines, 5HIAA, VMA, and Metanephrines - South Shore Regional Hospital
                     Previous title: Urine 24-Hour Catecholamines, 5HIAA, VMA, and Metanephrines Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1993 48 or 72-Hour Fecal Fat Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
                     Previous title: Stool 72-Hour Fecal Fat Collection - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1994 Stool Collection for Occult Blood - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1995 Skin, Hair, and Nail Collection for Culture - South Shore Regional Hospital
QY85-1996 Urine Collection for Chlamydia - South Shore Regional Hospital 

Mental Health & Addictions
WM85-0761 Bipolar Disorder
WM85-0766 Depression

Musculoskeletal System
WE85-1582 Pressure Injury (Ulcer) Prevention (En français: FF85-1795)

Nephrology
WQ85-1032 Tunneled Hemodialysis Catheter
WQ85-1093 Non-tunneled Hemodialysis Catheter

Nutrition & Food
LC85-1206 Gastroparesis Meal Planning

Ophthalmology
WW85-0464 YAG Laser Capsulotomy (En français: FF85-1947)

Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation
WB85-2055 Gradient Compression Stockings - Eastern Zone
WB85-1450 Exercises After Elbow Injury
 

The following pamphlets were archived in July 2025:
FF85-1657 Prévention des chutes : liste de contrôle (English: WB85-1649)
WX85-1850 Need a primary health care provider?
FF85-1947 Capsulotomie au laser YAG (English: WW85-0464)

If a pamphlet that has been archived is still needed, please let us know as soon as possible and we will work with you to make it available again.

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

UPDATED: July 21, 2025.   Original Post: May 27, 2019

True or false: Healthcare literature that is more than five years old has no value.
Answer: It depends.

Healthcare professionals seeking answers to clinical questions for patient care need the most current available evidence. This type of medical information is continually evolving. For example, drug information can become outdated – and possibly outright dangerous – in as little as a year or two.

Other types of healthcare information change less frequently. Older anatomy and physiology textbooks and atlases, for example, may still include accurate information but may lack diverse representation and accessibility features found in newer editions.

Sometimes, older medical literature is valuable because of its historical perspective. One current example is case studies of past public health efforts to eradicate infectious diseases that are now resurging, such as measles. Lessons from past immunization campaigns, both successful and unsuccessful, can inform current and future strategies (Infante, 2025). They can provide insights such as (Hebert, 2012; Eddy, 2023; Infante, 2025):

• The vaccination coverage rate needed for herd immunity.
• The roles that socioeconomical, political, and cultural factors play.
• Approaches to help overcome challenges and barriers such as vaccine hesitancy and misinformation.

Other examples of historical medical information that still has merit include:

• Literature that illustrates the evolution of current medical knowledge and practices, and healthcare policies.
• Literature that involves practices that have withstood the test of time and are still relevant (e.g., hirudotherapy).

Where to find the most current clinical information

• Clinical Practice Supports
• BMJ Best Practice
• ClinicalKey
• Dynamic Health
• Pharmacist’s Letter Canada
• CPS

Where to find older medical literature

• PubMed can retrieve citations going back to the early 20th century for some publications.
• PsychINFO® contains historical psychological abstracts dating back to the 1800s.
• Library Services’ Ovid® journals collection contains titles dating back to 1946.

Older back issues of many journals can also be found by:

• Searching Library Services’ ejournal and print journal collection
• Applying publication date filters to results from Library Services’ Discover search

If you’re unsure of where to find the information you need, current or historical reach out to Library Services at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca or book a consultation with a library team member.

References:

1. Infante, D. (2025). Immunization strategies: What lessons can we learn from successful campaigns? News-Medical.Net. https://www.news-medical.net/health/Immunization-strategies-What-lessons-can-we-learn-from-successful-campaigns.aspx

2. Eddy, J.J., Smith, H.A., & Abrams, J.E. (2023). Historical lessons on vaccine hesitancy: Smallpox, polio, and measles, and implications for COVID-19. Perspectives in Biology and Medicine, 66(1), 145-159. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2023.0008

3. Hebert, C.J., Hall, C.M., & Odoms, L.N.J. (2012). Lessons learned and applied. Human vaccines & immunotherapeutics, 8(5), 560-568. doi: 10.4161/hv.19204

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Pictou/Colchester-East Hants/Cumberland Region

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy digest posts summarize updates over the past month about:

• Clinical Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules
  • Get the latest on clinically relevant, local guidance published through policies, care directives, guidelines and/or learning modules.
  • Identify competencies relevant to your/your team’s practice.
• Dynamic Health (DH)
  • Stay informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, including recent updates to Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills.
• Clinical Practice Support (CPS) Subject Guides
  • Learn about recently published and updated CPS subject guides, where you/your team can find relevant resources across DH, policies, care directives, guidelines and learning modules. CPS subject guides also include Key Practice Points and additional educational and guidance resources to support implementation and competency maintenance.

Original posts on the above topics can be accessed by Nova Scotia Health Employees through The Compass > Clinical Resources News.

NOTE CPP Digest posts will take a break over the summer and resume in September.

Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules

• NEW CARE DIRECTIVE: Management of Anaphylaxis (Outside Emergency Departments)
  • CD-CL-030 is supported by and includes several Dynamic Health (DH) skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new care directive, DH links and more support resources in the Management of Anaphylaxis Clinical Practice Support subject guide.
• NEW POLICY and PROCEDURES: Assess, Treat, and Release
  • CD-EC-090 has been updated and includes several DH skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new policy, related procedures, DH links and more support resources in the Assess, Treat, and Release Clinical Practice Support subject guide.

Dynamic Health Updates

• New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills
  • New notes have been created for a range of skills, including but not limited to: Caring for tracheostomy, Educating about pregnancy hypertension, Performing closed bladder irrigation, and Treating head lice and nits.
  • View the list of New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills for June 2025.
• Revised Workplace Notes
  • Workplace Notes about a range of skills have been revised, including but not limited to: Administering medication to obstetric patients, Inserting indwelling urinary catheters, Performing postpartum fundal assessment, and Monitoring sepsis transfusion reaction.
  • View the list of Revised Workplace Notes for June 2025.
• Custom Workplace Skills
  • NEW
    • Corking or Capping a Tracheostomy
  • UPDATED
    • Dialysis: Blood Sample Collection from a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter
    • Dialysis: Changing a Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Catheter Dressing
    • Dialysis: Infusion of Alteplase in a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC) during Hemodialysis
    • Dialysis: Performing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) / Twin Bag Exchange in Adults
    • Dialysis: Performing the Modified Shower Technique for Peritoneal Dialysis Dressing Change
    • Dialysis: Post-Dialysis Lock and Dwell Using Alteplase in Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC)
    • Dialysis: Short Dwell Method of Alteplase in a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter (CVC)

Clinical Practice Support Subject Guides

• NEW
  • Assess, Treat, and Release
  • Management of Anaphylaxis
  • Respiratory Therapy Skills and Procedures
• UPDATED
  • Blood Product Administration - Transfusion Medicine
  • Occupational Health and Safety: Continuing Care
  • Renal Dialysis - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures

Site Visits and Dynamic Health Scavenger Hunt Winners

Thank you to all staff who spoke with Clinical Practice and Policy during our recent site visits in Eastern and Northern Zones and at each Zone’s Quality Summit! We received a lot of positive feedback, and suggestions or questions that will lead to positive improvements.

A special thank you to all the practice leads, clinical nurse educators and site managers who met with us in person to help navigate throughout specific locations and visit frontline staff on their units.

During our visits, we hosted a digital scavenger hunt for each site. Everyone who completed the scavenger hunt form entered a draw to win a $50 Amazon gift card provided by EBSCO. Remember to check your inbox (and spam/junk folder) or The Compass > Clinical Resources News to see if your name was picked!

Get in Touch!

Connect with Clinical Policy and Practice about this content update and opportunities to collaborate by emailing AskIPPL@nshealth.ca.

Find guidance about using Dynamic Health, setting up a personal account, exporting CE (Continuing Education) Credits, and more in the Dynamic Health Support guide.

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

AskIPPL@nshealth.ca

Writing in plain language matters. In Canada, it’s reported that nine million people have limited literacy skills, with over half of Canadians reading below a high school level. This is just one of the reasons why it is important to offer additional support to patients and families with easy-to-read, straightforward patient pamphlets. For more information about creating or updating patient pamphlets, please visit the Patient Education Resources subject guide. Contact Pamphlets@nshealth.ca with any questions. You can search for pamphlets by title or keyword in the pamphlets catalogue, or view the complete listing of active titles in our Print Code Index.

The following pamphlets were updated or created in June 2025. 

Arabic Translations
AR85-2391 prideHealth (rack card) [Arabic] (English: WX85-1634, En français: FF85-2392)

Breast 
WS85-1205 Lymph Node Dissection - QE II
                      Previous title: Lymph Node Dissection at the QEII

Digestive System 
WI85-2297 After a Liver Transplant - Changes in Your Mental Health
WI85-2286 Advanced Liver Disease - Changes in Your Quality of Life

French Translations (en français)
FF85-2392 Fierté-Santé (rack card) (French) (English: WX85-1634, Arabic: AR85-2391)
FF85-2062 Opération de la cataracte (English: WW85-0135)
FF85-2146 Parler de la mort et du deuil aux enfants - Informations pour les parents, les tuteurs et les aidants (English: WD85-2024)
                    Previous title: Parler de la mort et du deuil aux enfants - Information pour les parents et les personnes qui s’occupent des enfants

Gynecology & Reproductive Health
WP85-1625 After Your Vulvar Biopsy or Excision
                      Previous title: After Vulvar Biopsy or Excision
WP85-1586 After Your Cervical Biopsy
                      Previous title: Instructions After Your Cervical Biopsy
                      Not in catalogue (print order reference only)
WP85-2076 Birth Control Medication Interactions - Sugammadex and/or Aprepitant (En français: FF85-2202)
                       Previous title: Birth Control Medication Interaction with Sugammadex (Bridion®)

Hematology
WH85-0618 Therapeutic Apheresis
WH85-0724 Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (TTP)
WH85-2499 NEW Bone Marrow Harvest - QE II

Hospitals
WX85-1634 prideHealth (rack card) (Arabic: AR85-2391, En français: FF85-2392)

Infectious Disease
WC85-0057 Water Rules (En français: FF85-1716)

Medications
QV85-0250 Diuretics
QV85-0251 Nitroglycerin Patch (En français: FF85-1911)

Nephrology
WQ85-2271 Finding a Living Kidney Donor
WQ85-2272 Writing to Your Anonymous Living Kidney Donor
WQ85-2273 Writing to Your Anonymous Kidney Transplant Recipient

Nutrition & Food
LC85-1440 Esophageal Soft Eating Guidelines
LC85-2500 NEW Nutrition Guidelines for Diabetes - Fasting for Ramadan

Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation
WB85-2020 Things You Can Do to Help Your Arthritis
                       Previous title: Top Things You Can Do For Your Arthritis
WB85-2503 NEW Common Hip and Knee Exercises

Surgery 
WO85-2223 Guidelines After General Surgery (En français: FF85-2224, Arabic: AR85-2225)
WO85-2233 Post-op Patient Care Card
                       Not in catalogue (print order reference only)

Urogenital System
WJ85-2501 NEW Urine Testing After Surgery

The following pamphlets were archived in June 2025:
FF85-2196 Boire de l’eau entre les repas
FF85-2175 Lignes directrices pour s’alimenter sans danger
WC85-2220 COVID-19 Discharge Checklist (En français: FF85-2254, Arabic: AR85-2257)
FF85-2254 COVID-19 – Liste de vérification pour le congé (English: WC85-2220, Arabic: AR85-2257)
AR85-2257 COVID-19 Discharge Checklist (Arabic) (English: WC85-2220, En français: FF85-2254)
NSCCP-0074 After a Cancer Diagnosis: Engaging in Physical Activity is Important!
FF85-2236 TumsMD (carbonate de calcium) et maladies rénales
FF85-2187 Programme d’évaluation des conducteurs - Questions fréquentes
FF85-2160 Exercices à faire après une blessure au poignet (English: WB85-1349)
FF85-1766 Exercices pour les jambes (English: WB85-0956)
FF85-1744 Échocardiogramme
FF85-1902 Préparer votre peau avant une chirurgie à cœur ouvert (English: WG85-1574)
FF85-1893 Télésurveillance (English: WG85-0006)
FF85-1657 Prévention des chutes : liste de contrôle (English: WB85-1649)

If a pamphlet that has been archived is still needed, please let us know as soon as possible and we will work with you to make it available again.
 

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

Podcasts can be an excellent, convenient way for healthcare providers to stay current on valuable information for their field. Research shows that healthcare podcasts have great potential as tools for continuing education and professional development in the ever-evolving landscape of healthcare information (Kiernan et al., 2023).

Are you interested in listening to healthcare podcasts, but are not sure where to start or which ones to trust? This post is for you!

The following podcasts are from credible content creators, who engage and inform their audiences:

Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ) Podcasts

Drs. Mojola Omole and Blair Bigham discuss advances and issues at the forefront of Canadian healthcare, including real stories of healthcare professionals and their patients.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, SoundCloud, Amazon Music
• We liked: Stepping up: Canadian research in the shadow of cuts in the United States

Surgery 101

Surgery 101 provides brief introductions of surgical topics for medical students, with easily digestible 10- to 20-minute episodes broken into chapters and key points of the topic.

• Produced with the help of the University of Alberta
• Available on LibSyn, Apple Podcasts, Spotify
• We liked: #422: Reflections on Surgical History

The Clinical Problem Solvers: Antiracism in Medicine Series

This podcast series from The Clinical Problem Solvers equips listeners from all healthcare backgrounds with tools to practice antiracism in their everyday practice.

• Available on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube, Google Play
• We liked: Episode 282: Anti-Racism in Medicine Series – Episode 20 – Medical Racism and Indigenous Peoples

Canadian Health Information Podcast

Host Avis Favaro provides in-depth conversations about Canadian healthcare with the people who know it best: those who work on the front lines or behind the scenes, and the patients accessing healthcare. From the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI).

• Available on Spotify, Apple Music, YouTube, Amazon Music
• Some episodes available in French
• We liked: Nowhere Else to Go: Why Canadians Are Ending Up in Emergency Departments — Shelley Petit and Dr. Howard Ovens

White Coat Black Art with Dr. Brian Goldman

ER doctor Brian Goldman facilitates deep conversations with healthcare professionals and patients to explore what is and is not working in Canada’s healthcare landscape.

• Available through CBC Listen, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music
• We liked: Measles in Canada: Where we’re at and how we got here

The Gritty Nurse Podcast

Canadian nurses Sara Fung and Amie Archibald-Varley tackle the raw realities of working in healthcare through gritty, humorous storytelling. They share experiences and offer stories of hope and resilience while amplifying voices traditionally silenced in healthcare spaces.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeartRadio, YouTube
• We liked: We Need Another Leader: Navigating Difficult Times with Authentic Leadership, Courage and Clarity

Calling All Nurses

A passionate group of newly retired Canadian nurses use their lived experience to help listeners navigate the challenges and opportunities of today’s nursing practice.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Overcast
• We liked: Kent Soltys and Lenora Marcellus: Supporting Early Career Nurses through Collaboration

EyeCan Podcast: Canadian Lens on Ophthalmology

Hosted by Dr. Guillermo Rocha, Dr. Setareh Ziai, Dr. Mona Dagher, and Dr. Hady Saheb, this series examines all aspects of being an ophthalmologist in Canada. The hosts speak with leaders in the field about their lived clinical experiences and explore current techniques and technologies.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, Overcast
• From the Canadian Ophthalmological Society
• We liked: EyeCan Season 5, Episode 3 - Ethics in Ophthalmology with guest Dr. Chryssa McAlister

Frankly Speaking About Family Medicine

A weekly podcast series covering newsworthy topics in primary care medicine.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio and more
• We liked: From Diagnosis to Dialogue: Managing Measles in Primary Care

Emergency Medicine Cases

Providing education on emergency medicine for physicians, residents, students, nurses and paramedics.

• Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Android
• We liked: Episode 200 - How EM Experts Think: Strategies for Pre-Shift, Arrival Ritual, Staying Focused, Managing Interruptions, Cognitive Load & Negative Emotions, Resuscitation Mindset, Post-Resuscitation Recovery

Evaluating Healthcare Podcasts

How do I know if the information provided in healthcare podcasts is trustworthy and authoritative?

Following and listening to podcasts is an engaging way to learn and stay current, but you need to make sure the information you hear is credible and trustworthy. Whether you’re trying to decide what to listen to, or you’re already actively listening to something, keep these questions in mind:

• Do the authors have clinical credentials?
• Do the guests have relevant clinical credentials or lived experience related to the healthcare topic?
• Is the information evidence-based? Is the information based on results from medical research? Are appropriate study methodologies cited and interpreted? Are references included?
• Is the content recent? Reliable podcast episodes will provide the date the episode was released, so you can ensure you’re not listening to outdated information. Any cited references for the podcast episode should be relevant and up to date.
• What is the overall quality of the information? Are the tone and content unbiased, objective, and balanced? While some podcasts provide entertainment through personal and subjective experiences, any healthcare information presented should be unbiased and evidence-based. Refer to the hosts’ professional credentials and the description of the podcast episode.

If you are ever unsure of the quality of information being presented in a healthcare podcast, feel free to reach out to Library Services staff who are happy to discuss in a one-on-one consultation. Be sure to let us know which healthcare podcasts you enjoy listening to.

Happy listening!

References

Kiernan, M. A., Mitchell, B. G., & Russo, P. L. (2023). The power of podcasts: Exploring the endless possibilities of audio education and information in medicine, healthcare epidemiology, and antimicrobial stewardship. Antimicrobial Stewardship & Healthcare Epidemiology, 3(1), e98. https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2023.178.

Selena MacDonald

Librarian Educator
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy digest posts summarize updates over the past month about:

• Clinical Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules
  • Get the latest on clinically relevant, local guidance published through policies, care directives, guidelines and/or learning modules.
  • Identify competencies relevant to you/your team’s practice.
• Dynamic Health (DH)
  • Stay informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, including recent updates to Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills.
• Clinical Practice Support (CPS) Subject Guides
  • Learn about recently published and updated CPS subject guides, where you/your team can find relevant resources across DH, policies, care directives, guidelines and learning modules. CPS subject guides also include Key Practice Points and additional educational and guidance resources to support implementation and competency maintenance.

Original posts on the above topics can be accessed by NS Health Employees through The Compass > Clinical Resources News.

Policies, Care Directives, Guidelines and Learning Modules

• NEW GUIDELINE: Management of Extravasation Events
  • CL-SR-060 is supported by and includes several Dynamic Health (DH) skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new guideline, DH links and an educational poster for front line staff in the Vascular Access Clinical Practice Support subject guide.
  • Please note: Extravasations of Systemic Therapy for Cancer medications are outside the scope of this guideline.
• LEARNING MODULES: Pathways for Electrocardiography (ECG), Archived and Revised Modules
  • Resulting from the addition of the new Electrocardiography (ECG) page on the Nursing Skills and Procedures Clinical Practice Support subject guide, please note the following changes:
    • Archiving of LMS modules around lead placement and adoption of Dynamic Health skills
    • Creation of two learning pathways: Introductory and Interpretation
  • As of May 20th, 2025, modules listed below have been developed, revised or archived, through the NS Health eLearning system (LMS – Medworxx).

    • New or Revised eLearning (LMS)

      Course Title	LMS Code	Status
      Diabetes 1: Diabetes 101	0137	Revised
      Diabetes 2: Starting Insulin in Hospital	0138	Revised
      Insertion and Care of i-Gel Supraglottic Advanced Airway Device	1065	Revised
      Medication Independent Double Check	0203	Revised
      National Early Warning Score Series: Acute Care	1079	Revised
      Protections for Persons in Care	1285	News
      Transfusion Therapy: Administration and Adverse Events	0543	Revised to align with policy changes
      Transfusion Therapy: Transfusion 1 Blood Basics	0542	Revised to align with policy changes

    • Archived eLearning and Replacement Resources  

      Archived Course Title	LMS Code	Replaced With
      Administration of Epinephrine in the Treatment of Anaphylaxis	0040	Coming soon: Policy: Management of Anaphylaxis Clinical Practice Supports Subject Guide: Management of Anaphylaxis
      Delirium in the Elderly - Acute Care	0136	Delirium: Assessing Adults for Delirium Using 4AT Assessing Neurological Status in Adults
      Enteral Feeds	0166	Enteral - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures
      Infusion Pump Training - Kangaroo e-Pump	0206	Enteral - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures

• NEW POLICY: Allergy Skin Testing
  • CL-AS-010 is supported by and includes several Dynamic Health (DH) skills. Leadership and Clinical Educators can find this new policy and DH links in the Allergy Testing Clinical Practice Support subject guide.

Dynamic Health Updates

• New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills
  • New notes have been created for a range of skills, including but not limited to: Implanted Ports, Bolus Injections, PICC lines, Central Venous Catheters, Procedural Sedation, Intraperitoneal Chemotherapy and Post-operative Care.
  • View the full list of New Workplace Notes and Reviewed Skills as of May 2025.
• Revised Workplace Notes
  • Workplace Notes about a range of skills have been revised, including but not limited to: Medication Administration, Changing and Flushing/Locking PICC or CVAD, Removing Sutures, PPE, Blood and Fluid Warmers.
  • View the list of Revised Workplace Notes as of May 2025.
• Custom Workplace Skills
  • Dialysis: Administering Intra-Peritoneal (IP) Medication
  • Dialysis: Blood Culture Collection from a Hemodialysis Central Venous Catheter
  • Dialysis: Performing the Modified Shower Technique for Peritoneal Dialysis Dressing Change
  • Dialysis: Sampling Peritoneal Effluent (Fluid) for Suspected Peritonitis
  • Dialysis: Termination of a Hemodialysis Session in the Event of an Evacuation Procedure
  • Dialysis: Warming Dialysate for Peritoneal Dialysis (Twin Bag or Cycler)
  • Performing In-Vehicle Specimen Collection

Clinical Practice Support Subject Guides

• NEW
  • Electrocardiography (ECG) - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures
  • Medication Administration
• UPDATED
  • Renal Dialysis - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures
  • Vascular Access (CVAD, Peripheral) - Clinical Practice Supports: Nursing Skills and Procedures

Connect with Clinical Policy and Practice about this content update and opportunities to collaborate by emailing AskIPPL@nshealth.ca.

Find guidance about using Dynamic Health, setting up a personal account, exporting CE (Continuing Education) Credits, and more in the Dynamic Health Support guide.

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

AskIPPL@nshealth.ca