Library News

Ethics Nova Scotia Health can provide input at any stage of the policy development process. In this blog post, we outline how we help policy developers and working groups with ethics input at different stages of the process.

Ethics support during the initial policy development stage

It may be useful to reach out for ethics support early in the policy development process if you are developing or revising a ‘high stakes’ policy, e.g.:

• A policy that affects equity-seeking populations
• A policy that involves curtailing the liberty of patients, or other kinds of value-based tensions

At this stage, our team can assist with assessing policy options from an ethics lens. We can work with you to identify how well these options align with our organizational principles and values, as well as other relevant principles and values. Depending on the complexity of the policy (or the complexity of the related ethics issues), it may also help to include a member of Organizational Ethics and Policy Support on the policy development group.

Ethics support during the policy writing stage

It is not always easy to identify and weigh the principles and values that should inform a policy. We can assist policy working groups to identify and formulate relevant principles and values specific to the policy they are developing.

We can also support your group to facilitate a discussion if there is disagreement about how different values should be weighted within the policy, especially if some of these values are in tension with each other.

To help you determine the type of ethics support that may be most beneficial for your working group, or when to reach out to Ethics Nova Scotia Health for ethics support with a policy, visit:

How can Ethics Nova Scotia Health help you develop policies?

You can learn more about the role of ethics in health policy development in Nova Scotia Health Ethics Network’s (NSHEN) Fireside chat with Policy Manager, Michelle Helliwell. The video comes with a discussion and resource page, for use in facilitating discussions or for further reflection.

Another useful resource is NSHEN’s Ethics and Health Policy: The Nuts and Bolts. While this guide is written for a general audience and is not specific to Nova Scotia Health’s policy development process, it provides useful guidance around ensuring that the policy process is ethics-informed, including:

• Addressing power dynamics
• Managing conflicts
• Identifying and considering relevant principles and values

Ethics review of a policy

If you are sending out a draft policy for feedback, you may want to include Ethics Nova Scotia Health in the collaborating-partners feedback survey.

Organizational Ethics and Policy Support, a core function group with Ethics Nova Scotia Health, meets on the second Friday of each month. At these meetings, we review draft policies from an ethics lens. We summarize both general and section-specific feedback and highlight any potential ethical implications or concerns that the group may have. We are always happy to answer questions and are available to assist with implementing our feedback.

Please submit your policy review request according to our submission deadlines. Requestors can expect to receive feedback about one week after the meeting date.

For ethics input on a policy:

Complete our Ethics Input on Policy request form

Email: ethicssupport@nshealth.ca

For more information about ethics support:

Visit: Ethics Nova Scotia Health

Phone (toll-free): 1-833-392-1413

Lisbeth Witthoefft Nielsen

Ethics Program Manager, Ethics Nova Scotia Health

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 Content Creator Toolkit. Please 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 November 2024. 

Cardiovascular System 
WG85-2043 Heart Transplant
                    Previous title: Heart Transplant: A Guide for Patients and Families

French Translations (en français)
FF85-1114 Après votre opération de la rétine (English: WW85-0463)
FF85-1782 Vaporisateur de nitroglycérine (nitro) (English: QV85-0278)
                   Previous title: Vaporisateur sublingual de nitroglycérine (nitro)
FF85-1505 Sigmoïdoscopie à sonde souple - Site VG (English: WI85-0188, Arabic: AR85-1478, Chinese: CH85-2438)
                   Previous title: Sigmoïdoscopie à sonde souple
FF85-2451 Avant et après votre opération de la colonne vertébrale - Halifax Infirmary (English: WL85- 1732)
FF85-1506 Coloscopie - Site VG (English: WI85-0211, Arabic: AR85-1479, Chinese: CH85-2431)
                   Previous title: Colonoscopie - Site du VG
FF85-2456 Manométrie œsophagienne (évaluation de la motilité œsophagienne) - Site VG (English: WI85-0273, Chinese: CH85-2430)

Gynecology & Reproductive Health
WP85-1907 Hysterectomy (En français: FF85-1921)
WP85-2455 NEW Preventing Falls in the Hospital After Giving Birth

Hematology
WH85-0934 Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant - Victoria General (VG) Site, QE II
                    Previous title: Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant

Laboratory Pathology
QY85-2089 Blood Collection Tips for Children - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine (En français: FF85-2149)
                    Previous title: Blood Collection Tips for Parents: Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
QY85-1674 Stool Collection for H. pylori, C. difficile, or Viral Detection - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Halifax Area
QY85-2226 Semen Collection - Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Halifax Area

Mental Health & Addictions
WM85-2017 Welcome to the Mood Disorders Clinic
WM85-2453 NEW Mental Health and Addictions Day Hospital - Western Zone
WM85-2454 NEW Welcome to Mental Health and Addictions Day Hospital - Western Zone

Musculoskeletal System
WE85-2025 8.3 Orthopedics: Going Home - Halifax Infirmary (HI)
                    Previous title: 8.3 Orthopedics: Going Home

Nervous System
WL85-2228 Initiation and Motivation After an Acquired Brain Injury (ABI)

Palliative Care
WD85-2457 NEW Preparing for Death and Dying

The following pamphlets were archived in November 2024:
NSCCP-0038 Oral Systemic Therapy
NSCCP-1489 Prostate High Dose (HDR) Brachytherapy - Pre-treatment Package
WP85-0434 Laparoscopic Hysterectomy (En français: FF85-1896)
FF85-1896 Hystérectomie laparoscopique (En français: WP85-0434)
PM85-1909 Yarmouth Pain Self-Management Program

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

Dynamic Health round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health. They highlight any new priority projects and events as well as updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills.

Dynamic Health Updates

We receive feedback submissions on an ongoing basis through the Suggest an Edit form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the following customizations have been added:

New Workplace Note

• Assessing Neurological Status in Adults
• Assessing Urinary Output
• Assisting With Voluntary Admission to a Psychiatric Unit
• Collecting a Urine Specimen From an Indwelling Urinary Catheter in Adults
• Collecting a Urine Specimen From an Intermittent Urinary Catheter
• Conducting a Post-Fall Assessment in Long-Term Care
• Inserting a Coudé Catheter in Adults With a Penile Urethra
• Inserting a Coudé Catheter in Adults With a Vulvar Urethra
• Inserting an Indwelling Urinary Catheter in Adults With a Vulvar Urethra
• Inserting Indwelling Urinary Catheters in Adults With a Penile Urethra
• Performing Negative Pressure Wound Therapy
• Performing Suprapubic Catheter Care
• Removing a Suprapubic Catheter

Revised Workplace Note

• Administering Oxygen Therapy: Respiratory Therapy
• Administering Pump-Assisted Enteral Nutrition to Adults
• Administering Subcutaneous Chemotherapy
• Assisting With Chest Tube Insertion in Infants to Adolescents
• Changing Chest Tube Dressing in Adults
• Inserting a Small-Bore Feeding Tube
• Inserting EZ-IO Intraosseous Infusion Systems
• Monitoring Pulmonary Artery Pressure in Adults
• Performing Urinary Catheter Care Following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
• Providing Emergency Care of Open Fractures
• Removing EZ-IO Intraosseous Infusion Systems

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Identifying Postoperative Depression
• Managing Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Adults
• Providing Perineal Care for Postpartum Patients
• Removing Nasal Packing

Custom Workplace Skills

• Administering Allergy Patch Testing in Adults and Pediatrics
• Administering Allergy Skin Prick Testing in Adults
• Performing the Shower Technique for Peritoneal Dialysis Dressing Change

Archived Policy Documents

As of November 13, 2024, all outdated, former DHA policy and related documents listed in this memo have been archived. This change is the result of a consultative process involving IPPL leadership, the Policy Office, the IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy Program, and Clinical Nurse Educators with expertise in specific clinical areas where required.

As part of our ongoing commitment to supporting practice and learning, we are actively working to empower staff through a procedure-first approach to creating and managing clinical practice supports, pointing to current procedural guidance in Dynamic Health (when appropriate) or supporting clinical teams with custom solutions where gaps exist, or organizational alignment is required. If you have any questions about the recently archived documents and wish to provide a review with additional notes on any of the Dynamic Health skills that replace outdated guidance, please email the IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy team.

Focused Search Results in Dynamic Health

There’s a lot of evidence-based guidance summarized across Dynamic Health’s Topic Sections – from Diseases & Condition Summaries to Skills. The only content that can be annotated with a Workplace Note is labelled as a Skill. Understanding how to Filter Results can help you make the most of your time searching and ensure you have all the relevant information you need if you plan to adopt one or multiple skills from Dynamic Health.

Let’s say you are looking for skills about taking blood pressure in adults:

1. From the main page of Dynamic Health, enter “blood pressure” in the search box.
   Do not choose one of the autosuggestions that populate as you type.
   Click the spy glass to run the search.
2. To the left of the results page, note the Filter Results column. Under CONTENT TYPE check off Skills. Note the filter is applied immediately, resulting in fewer results.
3. Under PATIENT POPULATION, check off Adult. Note that results are reduced further and that the Skills and Adult filters are highlighted at the top.
4. Click the X on each filter at the top of the results page to remove them.

Health Promotion in December and Dynamic Health Topics

December 2024 marks the promotion of:

• World AIDS Day - December 1
• International Day of Persons with Disabilities- - December 3
• National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women - December 6

In recognition of these health promotion events, we encourage you to engage with the curated list of Dynamic Health content below.

If you spot any Skills below that you feel need a Workplace Note, consider being a reviewer! Fill out our Suggest an Edit form with your notes and we will get in touch!

World AIDS Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • HIV/AIDS, Adult
  • HIV/AIDS/Pediatric
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Fatigue, Adult
  • Fever, Adult
  • Lymphadenopathy, Adult
• Skills
  • Promoting Adherence to Antiretroviral Therapy Regimen
  • Educating About HIV Infection
• Patient Handouts
  • HIV Infection and AIDS
  • HIV Antibody

International Day of Persons with Disabilities

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Trisomy 21 (Down Syndrome)
  • Intellectual Disability, Adult
  • Intellectual Disability, Pediatric
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Hemiplegia
  • Atonic Seizure, Adult
• Skills
  • Helping Patients Cope with Chronic Illness and Disability
  • Communicating With and Counseling Clients With Visual Impairment: Social Work
  • Communicating With and Counseling Clients who are Deaf or Hard of Hearing: Social Work
• Patient Handouts
  • Intellectual Disability

National Day of Remembrance and Action on Violence Against Women

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Intimate Partner Violence
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Pelvic Pain, Female
  • Depression, Adult
• Skills
  • Screening for Intimate Partner Violence in Adults
  • Screening and Reporting Abuse for Adults in Ambulatory Care
  • Communicating With Patients Who Are Anxious
• Patient Handouts
  • Intimate Partner Violence - Recognizing Abuse

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy

Gloria Connolly, RN, BScN, NCA, WOCC(c), GNC(c)
Clinical Nurse Educator
Interprofessional Practice and Learning

Leah MacDonald, RN, BSc, BScN
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice and Learning, ERIN Network

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice and Learning, ERIN Network Hub, Library Services

Margaret Poitras
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Valorie Shaddick, BNRN, CCNP, CVAA (c)
Clinical Nurse Educator
Interprofessional Practice and Learning

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice and Learning, Library Services

Anatomy images are a valuable tool for sharing information in health care. They can help explain a procedure to a patient or teach a provider a new skill.

Finding a cost-free, copyright-compliant anatomy image that serves your needs can be challenging. Library Services recommends starting your search with the following resources, accessible through Library Services' Databases A-Z list and the Copyright subject guide:

• AnatomyTOOL
• Anatomy.tv

AnatomyTOOL

AnatomyTOOL (Topic Oriented Open Learning) is a platform that provides open-access materials for teaching and learning anatomy. It includes a collection of anatomy images that may be downloaded. Most are in the public domain or have Creative Commons licenses.

How to Find and Use Images in AnatomyTOOL:

For assistance using AnatomyTOOL, book a consultation with a Librarian Educator.

Anatomy.tv

Anatomy.tv is a multimedia resource featuring a robust collection of interactive 3D models of human anatomy. It is a subscription-based resource published and maintained by Teton Data Systems (TDS Health). Library Services provides access to Anatomy.tv for Nova Scotia Health staff and physicians.

You can customize Anatomy.tv images by:

• Rotating them
• Adding or removing anatomical layers
• Highlighting anatomical structures
• Adding labels

Nova Scotia Health staff and physicians may download Anatomy.tv images and use them for educational purposes, including:

• printed or digital course packs and other educational materials
• LMS courses
• presentations
• patient education materials (including patient pamphlets)

When using Anatomy.tv images, you must acknowledge the source and retain the copyright information (Primal Pictures logo) embedded on the downloaded image file.

How to Find and Use Images in Anatomy.tv:

For assistance using Anatomy.tv:

• Visit the Anatomy.tv help page.
• Book a consultation with a Librarian Educator.
• Check our Learning Opportunities calendar for regularly offered Anatomy.tv education sessions.

You can find links to these and other trusted image sources on the Copyright subject guide’s Using Images page. If you have questions about using images in your content, please contact us at Copyright@nshealth.ca.

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Pictou/Colchester-East Hants/Cumberland Region