Library News

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

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

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 April through June:

• 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.
• Evaluating Information: Can I trust this source? NEW
  Now more than ever, the ability to examine information sources carefully and systematically is important. In this session we'll explore what critical appraisal is and why it is important. We will cover critical appraisal tools that can be incorporated into your research process, to help appraise academic literature and grey literature systematically and 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! NEW
  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.
• Health Literacy in Healthcare
  This session will explore how low health literacy can impact not only patients, but the entire health care system. You'll learn about the current Canadian literacy landscape and ways you can mitigate the challenges for your patients (and their support persons) for increased patient-centred care and safety.
• Introduction to Covidence NEW
  On April 1, 2025, Covidence became available through Nova Scotia Health's institutional license. Covidence is a software that allows research teams to collaborate through each stage of a knowledge synthesis project (e.g. systematic reviews).
• Introduction to the Knowledge Synthesis Service NEW
  On April 1, 2025, Library Services launched a new service to support researchers in their knowledge synthesis projects (e.g. systematic reviews). This session will outline how the service works, who can access it, and what the librarians can do for your team.
• Intro to LMS: Creating an eLearning Course
  This session will introduce you to the process and standards you’ll need to follow to ensure your online course reflects high quality content with optimal readability and performance in Nova Scotia Health’s LMS.
• Patient Education Pamphlets for Administrative Professionals
  Administrative professionals play a vital role in helping patients and their support persons get the information they need to navigate our health care system. This session will go over how to find Nova Scotia Health patient pamphlets, how to order, print and share pamphlets in your service area and how to ensure materials in your area are kept up to date.

Amanda Andrews

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

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 January through March:

• 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.
• Anatomy.TV
  Anatomy.TV provides a moveable 3D model of the human body that allows you to explore different layers of various body systems. The diagrams include annotations to help you learn more about specific body parts. Learn how to navigate this powerful tool to improve your understanding of human anatomy.
• Copyright à la carte (on demand)
  Do you or your team need an introduction to copyright? Maybe you need a refresher on how copyright applies to your work with Nova Scotia Health? We can cover the copyright topics that matter to you, at a time that works for you. Suggested topics include copyright basics for content creators, finding free-to-use images, and when, how and why you need to get permission to reuse content. Reach out to Copyright@nshealth.ca to schedule a session.
• 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 with Library Services Online
  This session focuses on navigating core library tools and resources, including the catalogue, ejournals and ebooks, and databases.
• Get the most from your literature search request NEW
  Do you need help finding best evidence on a particular research topic? Library Services offers a literature search service for all Nova Scotia Health employees. Before submitting your request there are some helpful tips to consider ensuring a seamless literature search request experience.
• Intro to LMS: Creating an eLearning Course
  This session introduces the process and standards you will need to follow to ensure your online course reflects high quality content with optimal readability and performance in Nova Scotia Health’s LMS.
• Patient Education Pamphlets for Administrative Professionals
  Administrative professionals play a vital role in helping patients and their support persons get the information they need to navigate our health care system. This session will go over how to find Nova Scotia Health patient pamphlets, how to order, print and share pamphlets in your service area and how to ensure materials in your area are kept up to date.

Amanda Andrews

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

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, as well as updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support guides, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

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 Surgical Risk Factors in Older Adults
• Assisting With Testing of Potential Organ Donors After Brain Death
• Caring for EZ-IO Intraosseous Infusion Systems
• Changing a Suprapubic Catheter
• Obtaining a Blood Sample From a Central Venous Catheter in Infants to Adolescents

Revised Workplace Note

• Assessing Urinary Output
• Caring for Adults Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: Respiratory Therapy
• Caring for Patients With a Nasogastric Tube Occlusion
• Collecting a Urine Specimen From an Indwelling Urinary Catheter in Adults
• Collecting a Urine Specimen From an Intermittent Urinary Catheter
• 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
• Managing an Indwelling Pleural Catheter
• Monitoring for Sepsis Transfusion Reaction
• Obtaining a Blood Sample for Culture From a Central Venous Catheter in Adults
• Performing Suprapubic Catheter Care
• Performing Urinary Catheter Care Following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
• Providing Tracheostomy Care in Pediatric Patients: Respiratory Therapy
• Removing a Suprapubic Catheter

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Caring for Indwelling Urinary Catheters in Infants to Adolescents
• Collecting Urine From an Indwelling Urinary Catheter in Pediatric Patients
• Inserting a Foley Catheter in Infants, Children, and Adolescents With a Vulvar Urethra
• Inserting a Foley Catheter in Infants, Children, and Adolescents With a Penile Urethra
• Inserting an Intermittent (Straight) Catheter in Pediatric Patients With a Vulvar Urethra
• Inserting an Intermittent (Straight) Catheter in Pediatric Patients With a Penile Urethra
• Removing an Indwelling Catheter From Children and Adolescents

Custom Skills

• Dialysis: Accessing and Flushing the Non-Tunnelled Central Venous Catheter (CVC) or Quick Connect
• Dialysis: Accessing and Flushing Tunnelled Central Venous Catheter (CVC) or Quick Connect
• Dialysis: Changing a Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Catheter Dressing
• Dialysis: Dressing Change Procedure for Non-Tunnelled Central Venous Catheter (CVC)
• Dialysis: Dressing Change Procedure for the Tunnelled Central Venous Catheter (CVC)
• Dialysis: Locking the Non-Tunnelled Central Venous Catheter (CVC) Post-Dialysis
• Dialysis: Locking the Tunnelled Central Venous Catheter (CVC) Post-Dialysis
• Dialysis: Performing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) / Twin Bag Exchange in Adults
• Dialysis: Performing the Shower Technique for Peritoneal Dialysis Dressing Change
• Dialysis: Providing Peritoneal Dialysis Using a Cycler Machine (CCPD, APD)

Clinical Practice Supports

Renal Dialysis, Urinary Catheters and Radial Compression Devices

Clinical Practice Supports for Health Care Providers are subject guides created with clinical leaders, educators and frontline staff for use at the point-of-care and when acquiring or refreshing clinical competencies. Clinical Practice Support subject guides are maintained by Interprofessional Practice and Learning (IPPL) - Clinical Practice and Policy. The goal is to adopt evidence-based clinical resources that can be implemented without re-inventing the wheel. Where novel contexts or gaps exist, we support the creation and maintenance of resources that support nursing and allied health professionals with working to scope and with providing evidence-based, quality patient care.

We are pleased to launch three new Clinical Practice Supports for Nursing:

• Renal Dialysis
  • Custom Dynamic Health skills from the Renal Care Program, including policies, appendices (with images) and patient education pamphlets.
• Urinary Catheters
  • Adopted Dynamic Health skills with workplace notes, care directives, patient education pamphlets, NSWOC guidelines and decision aids, and key practice points.
  • Note: The Urinary Catheters page on the Clinical Practice Supports for Nursing guide replaces several outdated policy documents. Read more in this recent memo.
• Radial Compression Devices
  • Custom Dynamic Health skill for reapplying a Teruma TR band, and background guidance to support competency in this skill. Includes key info like relevant order sets, anatomy, patient education and alternative device (Zoom Hemostop) support.

Health Promotion in January and Dynamic Health Topics

January 2025 marks the promotion of:

• Alzheimer's Awareness Month
• Let's Talk Day - January 25th

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Alzheimer's Awareness Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Dementia, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Cognitive Impairment
  • Confusion
  • Disorientation
• Skills
  • Providing Support to Caregivers of Patients with Dementia
  • Recognizing Signs of Pain and Discomfort in Patients with Dementia in Long-Term Care
  • Administering the Mini-Mental State Exam
• Patient Handouts
  • Alzheimer Disease
  • Alzheimer Disease: Tips for Caregivers
  • Dementia: Know the Warning Signs

Let's Talk Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Major Depressive Disorder, Adult
  • Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Adult
  • Substance Use Disorder, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Anxiety, Adult
  • Depression, Adult
• Skills
  • Assessing Mental Health Status in Adults
  • Collecting a Mental Health History in Adults
  • Providing Support to Patients and Families in Grief
  • Communicating With and Counseling Clients Who Are Anxious: Social Work
  • Mental Health and Addictions: Self Care Education in the Emergency Department
• Patient Handouts
  • Anxiety Disorders
  • Depression and Chronic Illness

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

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

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, and updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support guides, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

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

• Administering Intradermal Allergy Skin Testing
• Performing Point-of-Care Blood Glucose Testing

Revised Workplace Note

• Administering COVID-19 Vaccine
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition via Central Venous Access
• Administering Parenteral Nutrition via Peripheral Venous Access
• Assisting With Paracentesis
• Managing Acute Hemolytic Transfusion Reactions
• Managing Transfusion-Associated Circulatory Overload (TACO) in Adults
• Performing a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Pediatric Patients
• Providing Fluid Resuscitation or Massive Transfusion Using a Rapid Infusion Device
• Vaccinating Adults
• Vaccinating Children
• Vaccinating Infants

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Managing Dyspnea in Patients With Cancer

New Look: Workplace Notes

We are now able to use a bit more style when laying out our workplace notes in Dynamic Health, thanks to a recent system update! We can now add headers, bullets and bolding more easily. We can also embed links within the text of workplace notes.

If a suite of skills is connected to a Clinical Practice Support guide, the note may look like this:

• Administering Parenteral Nutrition via Central Venous Access

If a skill is standalone and unconnected to a Clinical Practice Support guide, the note may look like this:

• Providing Emergency Care to Patients With Sepsis

There will continue to be diversity of layout of notes, but this style will be applied to all new and updated content moving forward. If you have any feedback, questions, etc., reach out to DynamicHealth@nshealth.ca.

Health Promotion in November and Dynamic Health Topics

November 2024 marks the promotion of:

• Fall Prevention Month
• National Pain Awareness Week - November 3-9
• Diabetes Awareness Month

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Fall Prevention Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Hip Fracture
  • Orthostatic Hypotension, Adult
  • Subdural Hematoma, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Muscular Weakness, Adult
  • Waddling Gait
• Skills
  • Using a Fall Risk Assessment Tool
  • Implementing a Fall Prevention Plan
  • Educating Older Adults About Fall Prevention: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Assessing Fall Risk in Adults: Physical Therapy
• Patient Handouts
  • Exercises to Help Prevent Falls (available in English and Spanish)
  • How to Prevent Falls (available in multiple translations)

National Pain Awareness Week

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Peripheral Neuropathy
  • Phantom Limb Pain
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Acute Pain, Adult
  • Flank Pain, Adult
  • Abdominal Pain, Adult
• Skills
  • All Clinical Practice Supports - Pain assessment and documentation > HERE:
    https://library.nshealth.ca/Clinical-Practice-Nursing/Pain
• Patient Handouts
  • Neuropathic Pain (available in English and Spanish)
  • Acute Abdominal Pain (available in English and Spanish)
  • Managing Chronic Low Back Pain (available in English and Spanish)

Diabetes Awareness Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Hypoglycemia, Adult
  • Hyperglycemia, Adult
• Skills
  • Educating About Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Educating About Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Caring for the Diabetic Foot
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Conscious Adults
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Unconscious Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: What's the Link?(available in English and Spanish)
  • Taking Care of Your Diabetes When You Are Sick(available in English and Spanish)
  • Type 1 Diabetes(available in multiple translations)
  • Type 2 Diabetes(available in multiple translations)

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

IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy round-up posts keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, and updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support guides, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

Updates: Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills, Transfusion Medicine – Blood Product Administration Clinical Practice Support (CPS) Guides

We receive feedback submissions on an ongoing basis through the Suggestions for Skills form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the customizations below have been published.

New Workplace Note

• Caring for Patients With Postoperative Ileus
• Communicating With Patients Who Are Depressed
• Inserting a Nasopharyngeal Airway in Adults
• Managing Pain in Adults
• Managing Pain in Older Adults
• Managing Post-Cardiac Arrest Syndrome
• Performing Venipuncture in Adults
• Recognizing Signs of Pain and Discomfort in Patients With Dementia in Long-Term Care
• Triaging Patients With Communicable Diseases During a Pandemic

Revised Workplace Note

• Administering Fresh Frozen Plasma
• Administering IV Rho(D) Immunoglobulin
• Administering Platelets
• Administering Red Blood Cells to Adults
• Administering Red Blood Cells to Newborns
• Administering Red Blood Cells to Pediatric Patients
• Assessing Pain in Older Adults
• Managing a Hypocalcemia Transfusion Reaction
• Recognizing and Responding to Anaphylactic or Allergic Transfusion Reactions
• Using Blood Filters
• Administering IV Immunoglobulin
• Supporting Caregivers of Patients With Cancer
• Warning Third Parties of a Threat by an Adult Patient (Duty to Warn)

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Assessing Clinical Competence
• Caring for Patients in the OR Receiving Regional Anesthesia
• Inserting a Urinary Catheter During Labor
• Preventing Obstructive Sleep Apnea in Postoperative Patients
• Removing a Foreign Body From the Nose
• Using a Numeric Pain Rating Scale

Custom Workplace Skill

• PACU: Assisting with Endotracheal Extubation in Adults

Auto-generate Checklists with Dynamic Health

Did you know that skills within Dynamic Health have an associated Checklist function that you can use in practice and for instructing new staff and learners? If you’re updating procedures and need associated competency checklists for documentation, save yourself some time and adopt this function. The Checklist function is available for all skills in Dynamic Health, including any Custom Workplace Skills we create.

Let's say you are interested in precepting a fellow health care provider using the Dynamic Health Custom Workplace Skill PACU: Assisting with Endotracheal Extubation in Adults:

1. Navigate to the skill through Dynamic Health by searching “PACU Extubation” (1), navigating to Skills > Your Workplace, or through the direct Skill link (above).
2. From the Skill menu, select Checklist (2).
3. Select the printer icon to the upper right of the Checklist (3).
4. Select the sections to include in the Checklist (Pre-procedure Steps, Procedure Steps, Post-procedure Steps), or Select All (4).
5. Select Print (5). Note that the printable version of this checklist contains a form to allow you to record evaluator and examinee names and signatures, date and pass/fail status as appropriate.
6. Choose to print a physical copy or to export a PDF to your computer, depending on your settings and needs.

CPS Guides: Transfusion Medicine – Blood Product Administration

The Blood Product Administration Policy and Procedure NSHA: CL-BP-030; IWK-625 has been revised, effective as of October 1, 2024. We supported our Transfusion Practice Coordinator and Pathology & Laboratory Medicine colleagues with building a resource guide that helps make accessing blood product administration resources easier and is embedded within the updated policy. All blood product guidelines, product monographs, the Competencies for Safe Transfusion Tool, Adverse Events Algorithm have also been updated to align with the revised policy and procedure.

This project is a great example of collaborating across the organization to build and update a knowledge support resource that is easily accessible to all health care providers that work for or interact with Nova Scotia Health. It’s also a great example of clinical practice guidance and competency being created outside of the content we adopt from Dynamic Health. We’re ready to help you customize solutions where practice or organizational gaps exist versus the content we can access through our Dynamic Health subscription.

Health Promotion in October and Dynamic Health Topics

October 2024 marks the promotion of:

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Occupational Therapy Month
• World Psoriasis Day

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Breast Cancer, Female
  • Breast Cancer, Male
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Breast Nodule
  • Arm Edema
  • Nipple Discharge, Adult
  • Breast Dimpling
• Skills
  • Caring for Patients After Mastectomy
  • Educating Patients About Mammography
• Patient Handouts
  • How to Perform a Breast Self-examination
  • Breast Cancer in Women
  • Breast Cancer in Men

Occupational Therapy Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Lower Extremity Amputation, Adult
  • Hip Osteoarthritis
  • Spinal Cord Injury, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Activity Intolerance, Adult
  • Muscular Weakness, Adult
  • Muscle Atrophy, Adult
  • Waddling Gait
• Skills
  • Positioning and Exercising a Residual Limb: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Shrinking and Shaping a Residual Limb: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Measuring for a Manual Wheelchair: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Educating Older Adults About Fall Prevention: Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Clinical Practice Supports
  • Occupational Therapy Practice
• Patient Handouts
  • How to Choose and Use a Wheelchair
  • Exercises to Help Prevent Falls
  • Phantom Limb Syndrome

World Psoriasis Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Psoriasis
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Scaly Skin, Adult
  • Papular Rash, Adult
  • Pruritus, Adult
• Skills
  • Using Ultraviolet Light Therapy
  • Administering Topical Medication
  • Assisting With Therapeutic Bath
• Patient Handouts
  • Psoriasis

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

We understand health care workers' busy schedules and offer a variety of dates and times. There is sure to be a session suitable for you. Register for one or several classes below:

Education and Training opportunities this fall:

• Accessing Full-Text Articles NEW
  This session helps to navigate the different ways to access full text on PubMed®, CINAHL, EBSCO and Embase. It also helps you get the full text of articles to which the library does not have access.
• Anatomy.tv
  Anatomy.tv provides a moveable 3D model of the human body that allows you to explore different layers of various bodily systems. The diagrams include annotations with more information about specific body parts. Learn how to use and navigate this powerful tool to improve your understanding of human anatomy.
• Copyright Focus: Terms of Use & Permissions NEW
  Have you ever wanted to adapt an existing publication rather than ‘reinvent the wheel’? Or have you found the perfect image online, but have no idea who owns it and if it’s free to use? Knowing when and how to get permission to use a copyright-protected resource can seem overwhelming. This hands-on session will help you make copyright-compliant decisions when creating content for Nova Scotia Health.
  Email Copyright@nshealth.ca with copyright-related questions.
• 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 the updating process, and how to find, use, and share pamphlets effectively.
• Evidence-based Research: How to Start, Where to Look
  Having a focused research question is the first step to finding evidence-based research. When you know what kind of question you are asking, you can better identify the resources that will give you the answers you need, whether that is a point-of-care tool like Dynamic Health™ or BMJ Best Practice, or a research database like PubMed®. This session is an introduction to the various ways you can locate the answers you need—no matter the question.
• Explore the NEW Nursing Made Incredibly Easy!®
  Are you looking for a refresher in a nursing specialty area or skill? Are you new to the nursing profession or a nursing student who needs help grasping tough topics? The Made Incredibly Easy!® collection helps Nova Scotia Health nursing professionals better understand challenging clinical concepts with interactive access to and simple search capabilities within essential texts, as well as videos, images, nursing care plans, real-life case studies, and chapter games.
• Find it Fast with Library Services
  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.
• Health Literacy in Health Care
  This session will explore how low health literacy can impact not only patients, but the entire health care system. You’ll learn about the current Canadian literacy landscape and ways you can mitigate the challenges for your patients (and their support persons) for increased patient-centred care and safety.
• Intellectual Property 101: What does IP mean for Health Care Providers?
  Have you ever wondered what impact Intellectual property has on health care? Do you have a great idea that you think may help patients and you want to know how to protect it? This session will answer your questions in an interactive presentation led by Nova Scotia Health’s Innovation Hub.
• Intro to LMS: Creating an eLearning Course
  This session will introduce you to the process and standards you’ll need to follow to ensure your online course reflects high quality content with optimal readability and performance in Nova Scotia Health’s LMS.
• Patient Education Pamphlets for Administrative Professionals
  This session will explain how to find Nova Scotia Health patient pamphlets, as well as how to order, print and share pamphlets in your service area. The session will also cover how to ensure materials in your area are kept up to date.
  Email Pamphlets@nshealth.ca with pamphlet-related questions.

Check out all available course dates for the fall in our calendar or print and post our fall education flyer. For general inquiries, reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca. We look forward to seeing you in one or several of our sessions!

Amanda Andrews

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

The team operationalizing usage of Dynamic Health has broadened their scope to include supporting use of evidence at the point of care, across nursing and allied health, and within policies and other guidance materials Interprofessional Practice and Learning (IPPL) leads or collaborates on. This means we’re back with Dynamic Health Round-ups after a summer hiatus with a new name – IPPL Clinical Practice and Policy.

Round-up posts will keep you informed about implementation and use of Dynamic Health at Nova Scotia Health, highlight any new priority projects and events, and updates to our Workplace Notes and Custom Workplace Skills. We’ll also highlight new publications we’re supporting and maintaining including policies, clinical practice support pages, clinical resources on the intranet and clinical learning modules.

Read on to get caught up on what we’ve been up to over the summer months, so you are ready for Fall!

Dynamic Health Updates: Workplace Notes, Custom Skills

New Workplace Note

• Administering High-Flow Nasal Cannula Oxygen Therapy to Infants to Adolescents
• Administering Pump-Assisted Enteral Nutrition to Adults
• Caring for Adults After Cardiovascular Surgery
• Inserting an Orogastric Tube in Adults
• Managing Patients With Brain Death Before Organ Donation
• Managing Postoperative Hemorrhage
• Managing Skin Tears
• Managing Symptoms at the End of Life
• Performing Continuous Bedside Cardiac Monitoring in Adults
• Performing CPR on Pregnant Patients
• Preparing Patients for Abdominal Surgery
• Preventing and Managing Enteral Nutrition Complications
• Preventing Postoperative Delirium
• Providing Enteral Nutrition to Critically Ill Adults
• Providing Enteral Nutrition to Patients in Prone Position
• Providing Postmortem Care of Adults
• Using and Caring for a Jejunostomy Feeding Tube
• Using and Caring for a Nasoduodenal Feeding Tube
• Using and Caring for Percutaneous Duodenal Feeding Tube
• Weighing Patients With a Bed Scale

Revised Workplace Note

• Administering a Mental Status Exam
• Administering Intradialytic Parenteral Nutrition
• Administering IV Epinephrine Infusion
• Administering Medication Through a Nasogastric Tube
• Administering Medications Through an Enteral Access Device
• Assessing Pain in Adults: Physical Therapy
• Assessing Pressure Injury Risk in Adults
• Assisting With Chest Tube Removal in Adults
• Assisting With Endotracheal Extubation in Adults
• Changing Chest Tube Dressing in Adults
• Handling Hazardous Drugs at the Bedside
• Inserting and Verifying Placement/Positioning of Small Bore Feeding Tubes
• Managing a Hypocalcemia Transfusion Reaction
• Managing Airway Obstruction Emergencies in Adults
• Managing an Obstructed Airway in Infants
• Managing Malignant Hyperthermia in the OR
• Managing Psychotropic Medication Adverse Effects
• Managing the Emergency Response (Code Blue) Team
• Performing 1-Person Adult CPR
• Performing 1-Person Child CPR
• Performing 1-Person Infant CPR
• Performing 2-Person Adult CPR
• Performing 2-Person Child CPR
• Providing Tracheostomy Care in Pediatric Patients: Respiratory Therapy
• Using a Bag Valve Mask in Newborns
• Using a Bag-Mask-Valve in Infants to Adolescents
• Using a Nasogastric Tube for Gastric Decompression in Adults
• Using an Automated External Defibrillator in Pediatric Patients in a Health Care Setting
• Using Automated External Defibrillators on Adults in the Hospital

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Discharging Pediatric Patients From the PACU
• Performing pH Testing of Gastric Secretions
• Performing Radial Arterial Puncture in Pediatric Patients: Respiratory Therapy
• Preventing and Managing Aspiration in the PACU
• Preventing Complications of Prolonged Bed Rest
• Removing a Foreign Body From the Eye
• Removing a Tick
• Troubleshooting Chest Tubes and Closed Chest Drains

Custom Skills

• Changing a Peritoneal Dialysis (PD) Catheter Dressing
• Using Goals of Care and Levels of Intervention

Policy Clean-Up and Clinical Resources (Intranet)

The IPPL Policy and Practice Team continues to work through our policy document cleanup, focusing on former DHA guidance documents in OP3. To date we have issued updates on Chest Tubes and Nasogastric Tubes. We’re finishing up our Pain Assessment and Documentation items and will soon be focused on Urinary Catheters. Watch for updates on the Intranet’s Clinical Resources page, under Memos and Updates.

Nursing CE Credits Due in October

Health Promotion in September and Dynamic Health Topics

September 2024 marks promotion of:

• Fibromyalgia Awareness Week
• Arthritis Awareness Month
• World Sepsis Day (September 13)

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we’ll get in touch!

Fibromyalgia Awareness Week

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Fibromyalgia
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Chronic Low Back Pain, Adult
  • Myalgia, Adult
  • Insomnia, Older Adult
• Skills
  • Managing Pain in Adults
  • Educating About Sleep Hygiene Techniques in Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Fibromyalgia

Arthritis Awareness Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis, Adult
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis, Older Adult
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Arthralgia Adult
  • Bony Crepitation
• Skills
  • Educating About Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Managing Pain in Older Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis
  • Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis

World Sepsis Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Sepsis, Adult
  • Sepsis, Infant to Adolescent
  • Sepsis, Newborn
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Fever, Adult
  • Disorientation
  • Confusion
  • Acute Blood Pressure Decrease, Adult
• Skills
  • Managing Sepsis in Adults
  • Identifying Sepsis in Adults
  • Providing Emergency Care to Patients with Sepsis
  • Emergency Department - Providing Care to Adult Patients with Sepsis
• Patient Handouts
  • Sepsis
  • Neonatal Sepsis

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

Scheduled Online Sessions: July and August

Developing Patient Education Pamphlets

Learn how easy-to-read and up-to-date patient education materials can support patient care and safety. You will learn how to:

• Create a new pamphlet
• Facilitate the updating process
• Find, use and share Nova Scotia Health patient pamphlets

Register for one or both of these sessions through our Learning Opportunities calendar.

Custom Group Training and Library Consults Available Anytime

Looking for a customized training experience? We have you covered! Our instructors deliver customized education sessions on several topics to support your information needs, at a time that works best for you. Depending on the request, customized group training can be delivered virtually (using Microsoft Teams) or in person.

Tell us what you are looking for by filling out our Custom Group Training form. A Library Services team member will be in touch to plan and schedule your session.

If you’d like more one-on-one support from our team, book an online consultation. Meet with a library and information professional for help with your project, publication, research or other information need. With a variety of dates and times available, find a spot that works best for your schedule.

Stay Tuned for Offerings in the Fall!

We’re back in the fall with an exciting lineup of learning opportunities! Look for our next update leading up to September.

Our online education sessions (via Microsoft Teams) cover topics such as:

• Library Services orientation
• Literature search tips to assist with research
• Searching specific databases (such as PubMed®, CINAHL Ultimate, etc.)
• Developing patient pamphlets
• Copyright advice

We look forward to meeting you in one of our sessions, or in a consultation with a Library Services team member. Be sure to bookmark the Learning Opportunities Calendar. As always, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca with questions or for further information about Library Services’ Education and Training opportunities.

Amanda Andrews

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

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.

Updates: Reviewed Skills, Workplace Notes and Custom Skills

We receive feedback submissions about Dynamic Health skills on an ongoing basis through the Suggest an Edit form and through partnerships with departments and teams.

Reviewed: New Workplace Note

• Administering Oxygen Therapy: Respiratory Therapy
• Applying a Splint
• Assessing Minor Head Injury in Pediatric Patients
• Caring for Adults Receiving Mechanical Ventilation: Respiratory Therapy
• Fluorescein Staining of the Eyes
• Managing Central Venous Catheters in Adults
• Managing Chest Tubes in Adults
• Managing Status Change in Older Adults in Long-Term Care
• Managing Visits to the Psychiatric Unit
• Measuring Indirect Blood Pressure in Pediatric Patients
• Performing a Surgical Hand Scrub
• Performing the Surgical Safety Checklist
• Providing Enterostomy Complication Care
• Treating IV Infiltration
• Troubleshooting a Central Venous Catheter
• Using a Tunneled Central Venous Catheter for Blood Sampling

Reviewed: No Workplace Note

• Applying a Spinal Board Using Lift and Slide
• Managing Deep Vein Thrombosis Postoperatively
• Managing Postoperative Pain in Adults
• Measuring Jugular Venous Pressure Noninvasively
• Patching the Eye
• Preventing and Managing Postoperative Nausea and Vomiting
• Preventing and Managing Postoperative Urinary Retention
• Preventing Respiratory Complications From Prolonged Bed Rest

Custom Skills

• Assessing Frailty in Adults (65 and Older) Using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS)

Archived Custom Skills

Using the PronatorPlus (Melior Motus) for Positioning, Repositioning and/or Lateral Transfer

• The vendor for the PronatorPlus has made the organization aware that they will no longer be providing service, repair, technical support, replacement parts, nor supply of the PronatorPlus. The product is removed from service/use at Nova Scotia Health.

Custom Skill Case Studies: C&S Swab and Clinical Frailty Scale

What are custom skills?

In addition to adding Workplace Notes at the top of skills, Dynamic Health also has the functionality to create standalone custom skills. You’ll find all our Custom Skills in Dynamic Health by selecting Skills (1) > Your Workplace (2) from the main menu.

When should a custom skill be created?

When a need for procedure/skill support relevant to nursing and/or allied health is identified, a custom skill may be offered if it is determined that:

• Dynamic Health does not have an existing skill that matches the need (content gap), or,
• Dynamic Health’s content does not align enough with NS Health practice to support use of existing skill content with a Workplace Note.

Case Studies by Purpose

Two custom skills are highlighted below, including context around why a Custom Skill was selected to meet the local need. If you feel you have a unique clinical practice need that would benefit from a Custom Skill, reach out!

• Skin and Wound Care: Performing a Wound Culture and Susceptibility Swab (C&S)

Dynamic Health contains more content than just skills. There is some general guidance regarding lab tests, medication, etc. that may differ from unique, local practices and terminology. The Skin and Wound Care Program identified a need to point users to their local guidance about performing a C&S swab. We created this custom skill to direct users to their recommendations when searching. For example, if you search “C&S” or “Wound Swab” across all Dynamic Health, their custom skill is the top result.

• Assessing Frailty in Adults (65 and Older) Using the Clinical Frailty Scale (CFS)

Think Frailty was recently published as a subject guide to support education about, and use of, the CFS for patients 65 and older across Nova Scotia Health. To ensure the CFS and related supports were available through the Dynamic Health Skills menu and when users search, we created a custom skill to connect to the scale through the subject guide. Like the C&S example above, you can search a term like “Frailty”, and Custom Skill is the first result.

Health Promotion in June and Dynamic Health Topics

June 2024 marks promotion of:

• Migraine Awareness Month
• Cataract Awareness Month
• PTSD Awareness Day (June 27)

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Migraine Awareness Month

• Diseases & Conditions Overviews
  • Migraine, Adult
  • Migraine, Pediatric
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Headache, Adult
  • Nausea, Adult
  • Photophobia
  • Eye Pain, Adult
• Skills
  • Emergency Department - Assessing Neurological Status
  • Assessing Neurological Status
  • Assessing Cranial Nerves
• Patient Handouts
  • Migraine, Child
  • Migraine, Adult

Cataract Awareness Month

• Diseases & Conditions Overviews
  • Cataracts, Pediatric
  • Cataracts, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Photophobia
  • Hyperglycemia, Adult
• Skills
  • Caring for Patients After Cataract Surgery
  • Preparing Patients for Cataract Surgery
• Patient Handouts
  • Cataract
  • Cataract Removal

PTSD Awareness Day

• Diseases & Conditions Overviews
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Pediatric
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Anxiety, Adult
  • Suicidal Ideation, Adult
• Skills
  • Creating a Safe Environment for Patients with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
  • Assessing and Managing Suicide Risk in Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Post-traumatic Stress Disorder

Dynamic Health Project Team

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

Leah MacDonald
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, COVID-19 Response

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

Margaret Poitras
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

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.

Updates: Workplace Notes, Links in Care Directives

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:

• Minor Edits due to Publisher Updates
  • Performing Tuberculin Skin Testing
• Care Directives (OP3, NS Health Policy Office)
  • Performing a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram on Adults - NSHA CD-EC-105
    • Links to: Performing a 12-Lead Electrocardiogram in Adults
  • Pain Management - NSHA CD-EC-050
    • Replacing:
      • CDHA CC-07-060 Pain Assessment and Documentation
      • CDHA CC-07-091 Emergency Department Pain Protocol
      • SWH 1.24 Administration of Acetaminophen in the ED
      • CBDHA ED 0310 Administration of Acetaminophen Prior to Medical Assessment (DMF)
    • Links to: Assessing Pain in Older Adults, Assessing Pain in Infants to Adolescents
  • Management of Chemical Substance in the Eye of an Adult - NSHA CD-EC-125
    • Replacing:
      • CC-20-070 Treatment of Chemical Substance in the Eye (Medical Directive)
      • 1-120 GASHA Chemical Burns to the Eye
    • Links to: Chemical Burn on the Skin/Eyes, Adult

Focusing Search Results

There's a lot of evidence-based guidance summarized across Dynamic Health’s Topic Sections – from Diseases & Condition summaries to Skills. Remember, only content within the Skills Topic Section can be customized (e.g., through a Workplace Note). Understanding how to Filter Results can help you get the best guidance for your need.

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 (1). Do not choose one of the autosuggestions that populates as you type. Click the spy glass to run the search.
2. To the left of the results page, note the Filter Results (2) column. Under CONTENT TYPE check off Skills . Note the filter is applied immediately, resulting in fewer results.
3. Under PATIENT POPULATION (3), check off Adult.
4. Note that the number of results is 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 2023 marks the promotion of:

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

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
  • Administering the WHOQOL-HIV
• 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

Dynamic Health Project Team

Amanda Revels
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Western Zone

Leah MacDonald
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, COVID-19 Response

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

Margaret Meier
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

UPDATED: May 15, 2024

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.

Updates: Workplace Notes

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:

• No Note
  • We have added a notification to any skill that was reviewed through our standard processes and found to not need a Workplace Note. The notification includes a link to our Suggest an Edit form. Example: Applying a Spinal Board Using Lift and Slide
• Minor Edits due to Publisher Updates
  • Changing Burn Dressings
  • Drawing Capillary Blood Gases: Respiratory Therapy
  • Creating Advance Healthcare Directives for Patients With Mental Health Disorders
  • Performing Manual External Defibrillation in Adults
  • Supporting Caregivers of Patients With Cancer
• Shrinking and Shaping a Residual Limb: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Edited to reflect that within NS Health we do not use safety pins to secure, only tape (i.e., nothing sharp).

Checklists

Did you know that Skills within Dynamic Health have associated Checklists you can use in practice and for instructing new staff? Let’s say you were interested in mentoring a colleague using the Dynamic Health skill Changing Peripheral IV Catheter Dressings in Adults.

1. Navigate to the skill through Dynamic Health by searching “Changing IV Catheter” or through direct link (above).
2. From the Skill menu, select Checklist.
3. Note that the printable version of this checklist contains a form to allow you to record evaluator and examinee names and signatures, date and pass/fail status as appropriate.
4. Select the printer icon to the upper right of the Checklist.
5. Select the sections to include in the Checklist (Preprocedure Steps, Procedure Steps, Postprocedure Steps.
6. Select Print.
7. Choose to print a physical copy or to save a PDF to your computer, depending on your settings and needs.

Calling all Reviewers! Skills Review Push – Fall 2023

What’s a skills review push?

Back in the Winter of 2023, you may have supported Dynamic Health implementation by volunteering to evaluate skills within Dynamic Health. This process involved determining if a skill was part of current practice and if it aligned with Nova Scotia Health resources like policy. This process enabled us to review over 500 skills at the time! There are a lot of skills left in Dynamic Health that need a look! Many could better align with practice at Nova Scotia Health, so we’re asking for your support to do another round of review.

How do I get involved?

Be curious and engage! Explore Dynamic Health and look up skills that:

• You and/or your colleagues know a lot about
  • Is there a workplace note? Do you have any edits?
  • Does it need a workplace note?
• You and/or your colleagues have frequent questions about
  • Is it helpful?
  • Is there room for improvement?

After you explore, take a moment to fill out our brief form to indicate your intention to participate as a reviewer: https://library.nshealth.ca/DH-Call-Reviewers. Please express your interest through this form by November 30th, 2023. We will follow up with you directly after this date with the number of skills that you indicated you are willing to take on.

How can I learn more and help spread the word?

You’ll find the recording and slides from our recent Lunch and Learn – Skills Review 101 here: https://library.nshealth.ca/Dynamic-Health-Support/Lunch-Learn#s-lg-box-16713274. Content from this session can be reused to help you in your efforts. Share the following information about the skills review push:

• Links to relevant skills with workplace notes
• Call for Reviewers form (above)

Continuing education credit is another great incentive to get involved. Check out our latest update about Practice and Leadership Premiums here: https://library.nshealth.ca/Dynamic-Health-Support/CE-Credits.

Health Promotion in November and Dynamic Health Topics

November 2023 marks the promotion of:

• Fall Prevention Month
• Movember
• World Diabetes Day November 14

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Fall Prevention Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Hip Fracture
  • Orthostatic Hypotension, Adult
  • Subdural Hematoma, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Muscular Weakness, Adult
  • Waddling Gait
• Skills
  • Implementing a Fall Prevention Plan
  • Educating Older Adults About Fall Prevention: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Assessing Fall Risk in Adults: Physical Therapy
• Patient Handouts
  • Exercises to Help Prevent Falls
  • How to Prevent Falls

Movember

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia (BPH)
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Pelvic Pain, Male
  • Urinary Hesitancy
  • Urinary Retention, Adult
• Skills
  • Caring for Urinary Catheter Following Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP)
  • Assessing Male Genitalia
• Patient Handouts
  • Prostate Cancer
  • Transurethral Resection of the Prostate
  • Benign Prostatic Hyperplasia
  • Prostate-Specific Antigen (PSA) Test

World Diabetes Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
  • Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Hypoglycemia, Adult
  • Hyperglycemia, Adult
• Skills
  • Educating About Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Educating About Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus in Adults
  • Caring for the Diabetic Foot
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Conscious Adults
  • Managing Hypoglycemia in Unconscious Adults
• Patient Handouts
  • Diabetes and Cardiovascular Disease: What’s the Link?
  • Taking Care of Your Diabetes When You Are Sick
  • Type 1 Diabetes
  • Type 2 Diabetes

Dynamic Health Project Team

Amanda Revels
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Western Zone

Leah MacDonald
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, COVID-19 Response

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

Margaret Meier
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

With health care workers' busy schedules in mind, we offer sessions on a variety of dates and times.

• Intellectual Property 101: What does IP mean for Health Care Providers?
  Have you ever wondered what impact Intellectual Property has on health care? Do you have a great idea that you think may help patients and you want to know how to protect it? This interactive presentation led by Nova Scotia Health’s Innovation Hub will answer your questions.
• 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.
• Intro to LMS: Creating an eLearning Course
  This session introduces the process and standards you will need to follow to ensure your online course reflects high quality content with optimal readability and performance in Nova Scotia Health’s LMS.
• Anatomy.TV NEW
  Anatomy.TV provides a moveable 3D model of the human body that allows you to explore different layers of various body systems. The diagrams include annotations to help you learn more about specific body parts. Learn how to navigate this powerful tool to improve your understanding of human anatomy.
• Find it Fast with Library Services Online
  This session focuses on navigating core library tools and resources, including the catalogue, ejournals and ebooks, and databases.
• ACT for Success: 3 Strategies to Keep Your Content-Creation Project on Track NEW
  Creating content is time consuming. This session will give you tips to avoid common pitfalls in 3 areas that delay content-creation projects:
  • Analysis/Accessibility
  • Copyright
  • Timelines
• Natural Medicines™ Database
  It is important to understand how complementary and alternative medicines may interact with prescription medications. Natural Medicines™ is a point-of-care tool that can answer your questions about alternative therapies and dietary supplements.
• Literature Searching 101: Finding the Info You Need
  Finding evidence-based research begins with a well-constructed, searchable question. In this session, we will explore the process of breaking down complex research questions into key concepts using established tools like PICO.
• Critical Appraisal: Evaluating Information Sources NEW
  Critical appraisal can help you evaluate information sources systematically and effectively. This session will explore:
  • What critical appraisal is and why it is important
  • Critical appraisal tools you can incorporate into your research process
• Copyright à la carte (on demand)
  Would you or your team like an introduction to copyright? Maybe you would like a refresher on how copyright applies to your work at Nova Scotia Health? We’ll cover the copyright topics that matter to you, at a time that works for you. Reach out to Copyright@nshealth.ca to request a session.

You can browse the list of all of our courses in our learning opportunities calendar or print and post our Fall education flyer. If you have questions, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca. We look forward to seeing you in one or several of our sessions!

Amanda Andrews

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

Understanding health literacy helps health care providers support a health care system in which all Nova Scotians can understand health information and play an active role in their own health.

What is health literacy?

How we define and understand health literacy has evolved over the past several decades. Most recently, researchers and policy makers have divided health literacy into two parts: personal health literacy and organizational health literacy.

Personal health literacy is the degree to which individuals have the ability to find, understand, and use information and services to inform their own health-related decisions and actions.¹

Organizational health literacy is the degree to which organizations equitably (and fairly) connect with and enable individuals to find, understand, and use information and services to inform individual health-related decisions and actions.¹

When health information and our health care systems are difficult to understand:

• Fewer people understand or follow their health care provider’s instructions and guidance ²
• Fewer people use preventative services ³
• Fewer people get vaccinated ^{4, 5}
• More people make mistakes taking (or not taking) their medications ⁶
• More people go to the Emergency Department ⁷
• More people are admitted or re-admitted to the hospital ⁷

Poor health literacy puts patients at risk and increases wait times and costs for our health care system.

All members of the health care team play a role in health literacy:

• Administrative staff are often a patient’s first point of contact, providing patients with key pieces of information to make sure they receive the care they need, such as:
  • appointment information (like where to go, when, and what to bring) using clear and familiar language
  • explaining what will happen next
• If forms are not filled out correctly or patients are lost or confused about where they need to go, appointments may be cancelled or delayed. Missed appointments are often a sign of low health literacy. ⁸
• Key parts of patient-centered care are avoiding jargon and explaining acronyms or medical terms that patients and support persons will hear throughout their care. Clear and familiar language enable patients to fully participate in the care we provide.

This October, become a health literacy ambassador and tell your colleagues just how important it is to use clear communication! Remember to:

- Speak clearly
- Give direct instructions
- Provide plain language materials (like Nova Scotia Health patient education pamphlets) to support your message

Here are a few resources to help you get started:

Communicate Better with Patients
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C3z_Jz91JzI

Talking Points about Health Literacy
https://www.cdc.gov/healthliteracy/shareinteract/TellOthers.html

CDC Clear Communication Index
https://www.cdc.gov/ccindex/pdf/clear-communication-user-guide.pdf

An Introduction to Health Literacy
https://new.nnlm.gov/guides/intro-health-literacy

Clinical Conversations Training Program
https://www.nnlm.gov/guides/clinical-conversations-training-program

Institute for Healthcare Advancement(IHA)
Your Toolkit - Health Literacy Month

See all references

1. Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2023, October). Healthy People 2030: Health Literacy in Healthy People. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/health-literacy-healthy-people-2030

2. Kim, Y.-S., Kim, H. A., Kim, M.-S., Kim, H. S., Kwak, M. J., Chun, J., Hwang, J.-I., & Kim, H. (2020). How to Improve Patient Safety Literacy? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(19), Article 19. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17197308

3. Koh, H. K., Brach, C., Harris, L. M., & Parchman, M. L. (2013). A Proposed ‘Health Literate Care Model’ Would Constitute A Systems Approach To Improving Patients’ Engagement In Care. Health Affairs (Project Hope), 32(2), 357–367. https://doi.org/10.1377/hlthaff.2012.1205

4. UnitedHealth Group. (2020). Improving health literacy could prevent nearly 1 million hospital visits and save over $25 billion a year. UnitedHealth Group. https://www.unitedhealthgroup.com/content/dam/UHG/PDF/About/Health-Literacy-Brief.pdf

5. Hudson, A., & Montelpare, W. J. (2021). Predictors of Vaccine Hesitancy: Implications for COVID-19 Public Health Messaging. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 18(15), 8054. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18158054

6. Yang, Y. (2022). Effects of health literacy competencies on patient-centered care among nurses. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 1172. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-08550-w

7. Farmanova, E., Bonneville, L., & Bouchard, L. (2018). Organizational Health Literacy: Review of Theories, Frameworks, Guides, and Implementation Issues. Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financing, 55, 46958018757848. https://doi.org/10.1177/0046958018757848

8. Glick, A. F., Brach, C., Yin, H. S., & Dreyer, B. P. (2019). Health Literacy in the Inpatient Setting: Implications for Patient Care and Patient Safety. Pediatric clinics of North America, 66(4), 805–826. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pcl.2019.03.007

Kendell Fitzgerald

Librarian Educator
Central Zone

Kallen Rutledge

Librarian Educator, Patient Education Pamphlets Lead
Nova Scotia Hospital, Central Zone

Related posts

• Battling the (mis)infodemic: A look at health literacy in Canada
• When it comes to patient education, are some things better left unsaid? A look at writing for readability

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

Updates: Workplace Notes, Leadership Topic Section and Nursing Practice Premiums

We receive feedback submissions on an ongoing basis through the Suggestions for Skills form and through partnerships with departments and teams. This month, the following customization has been added:

• Measuring Ankle-Brachial Index
  • New Workplace Note added

Leadership Topic Section

Dynamic Health has added new leadership content with point-of-care nursing and health professional leaders in mind (managers, supervisors, charge nurses, etc.). It is designed specifically for those looking to take their professional growth and team development to the next level. Each Leadership topic includes an overview, best practices, and strategies. While more than 350 topics are anticipated, all topics will not be released at once – they will be released over time to ensure thoughtful, evidence-based information is included in each one. You’ll find this new Topic Section in Dynamic Health on the main menu:

Dynamic Health CE and Nursing Practice Premiums

When you make a personal account for using Dynamic Health, you can track and collect Continuing Education (CE) credits. Dynamic Health CE credits are worth Nursing Practice Premiums!

Learn more on the Dynamic Health Support Subject Guide, which includes this table Note that participating in our skills review or creating a custom skill is worth points too!

Lunch and Learn + Second Skills Review Push – Join in!

Our Applying Evidence Lunch and Learn events are in full swing! Register for one or all the events here.

An important part of Dynamic Health implementation at Nova Scotia Health is connecting with nursing and allied health professionals across the organization. One way we do this is through periodic skill review “pushes” where we identify a batch of skills that need review and match them to team members throughout Nova Scotia Health. Reviewing a skill can result in a new Workplace Note or creation of a Custom Skill.

Find out more about this key process during the October 25th Lunch and Learn event at noon. Register today!

User Experience Survey – Deadline Extended

We want to check in with Nova Scotia Health nursing and allied health units and teams about their awareness of and user experience with Dynamic Health. We need your help to ask nursing and allied health staff to fill out this short survey – even if Dynamic Health is new to them!

Please share and encourage completion of the survey here: https://library.nshealth.ca/DH-UX

How are Customizations Updated?

We’re often asked about how Dynamic Health customizations (Workplace Notes, Custom Skills) are kept current when evidence, local practice, policies, learning modules, and other guidance changes. It’s a good question, and a valid concern given the volume and fluid nature of information. We make sure local customizations are current through three avenues:

• Publisher Updates
  EBSCO’s Editorial Team for Dynamic Health sends a report on content changes every two months. We cross-reference this report with our list of workplace notes and skills to determine if we need to edit and/or reach out to key contributors about making a change.
• Local Monitoring
  We monitor updates from Nova Scotia Health departments and teams, such as The Policy Office, to identify changes that need to be reflected in Dynamic Health. We also rely on input through our Suggestions for Skills form.
• Built-in Review Cycle
  We template and track every customization we make by date and last reviewer. In alignment with Nova Scotia Health’s Policy Office review cycle, we will follow up with the last author(s) on record of a customization every 4 years to make sure the existing Workplace Note or Custom Skill reflects current practice within the organization.

Health Promotion in October and Dynamic Health Topics

October 2023 marks the promotion of:

• Breast Cancer Awareness Month
• Occupational Therapy Month
• World Psoriasis Day

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 Suggestions for Skills form with your notes and we will get in touch!

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Breast Cancer, Female
  • Breast Cancer, Male
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Breast Nodule
  • Arm Edema
  • Nipple Discharge, Adult
  • Breast Dimpling
• Skills
  • Caring for Patients After Mastectomy
  • Educating Patients About Mammography
  • Educating About Breast Self-Examination
• Patient Handouts
  • Breast Cancer in Women
  • Breast Cancer in Men

Occupational Therapy Month

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Lower Extremity Amputation, Adult
  • Hip Osteoarthritis
  • Spinal Cord Injury, Adult
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Activity Intolerance, Adult
  • Muscular Weakness, Adult
  • Muscle Atrophy, Adult
  • Waddling Gait
• Skills
  • Positioning and Exercising a Residual Limb: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Shrinking and Shaping a Residual Limb: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Measuring for a Manual Wheelchair: Physical and Occupational Therapy
  • Educating Older Adults About Fall Prevention: Physical and Occupational Therapy
• Patient Handouts
  • How to Choose and Use a Wheelchair
  • Exercises to Help Prevent Falls
  • Phantom Limb Syndrome

World Psoriasis Day

• Disease & Condition Overviews
  • Psoriasis
• Signs & Symptoms
  • Scaly Skin, Adult
  • Papular Rash, Adult
  • Pruritus, Adult
• Skills
  • Using Ultraviolet Light Therapy
  • Administering Topical Medication
  • Assisting With Therapeutic Bath
• Patient Handouts
  • Psoriasis

Dynamic Health Project Team

Amanda Revels
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Western Zone

Leah MacDonald
Professional Practice Leader
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, COVID-19 Response

Katie McLean
Librarian Educator
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

Margaret Meier
Policy Lead
Policy Office

Ann Slaunwhite
Library Technician
Interprofessional Practice & Learning, Library Services

Are you interested in learning how to access information using Library Services resources or developing patient education pamphlets? Our education sessions teach practical information skills that meet the evolving needs of:

• Clinicians, staff and researchers who need to efficiently access health sciences literature for research and to inform patient care
• Clinicians who need to learn how to access new/under-utilized point-of-care tools and other relevant resources

Online education sessions, offered on Microsoft Teams, cover topics such as:

• Library Services orientation
• Literature search tips to assist with research
• Searching specific databases (such as PubMed®, CINAHL, etc.)
• Developing patient pamphlets
• Copyright advice

We keep in mind health care workers' busy schedules so new classes are added every three months with a variety of dates and times. There is sure to be a session suitable for you.

View online education and training opportunities

1. Be sure to check our Learning Opportunities calendar often. You can access the calendar from Library Services’ website by selecting Services at the top of the Library’s home page. From the dropdown menu, select Education and Training Sessions.
2. Watch for learning opportunities in the Library Services section of Nova Scotia Health News.
3. Print and post our fall education flyer - coming in September! From the Library Services home page, select Documents & Forms from the left-hand menu. Select Promotion, then the Library Learning Opportunities document for the current season.
4. Keep an eye out for promotional emails from Library Services.

Online session registration is quick and easy:

1. From the Learning Opportunities calendar, select the session you are interested in.
2. Select the Begin Registration button and complete the form.
3. Before you select Register, it is helpful to have your device set up properly to join the meeting.
   1. Support for joining the meeting is provided on the registration page and in the confirmation email you will receive.
   2. If you have any difficulty, please email Library Services prior to the session date.
4. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the link to join the session.
5. You will also receive a reminder email before the session date.
6. After the session, you will receive a Training Evaluation Form. Your feedback is important!

Custom Group Training

Looking for a customized group training session? We have you covered! Our instructors deliver customized education sessions on several topics that support your info needs, at a time that works best for your team. Depending on the type of request, customized group training can be delivered virtually, via Microsoft Teams, or in-person. Let us know what you are looking for by filling out our Custom Group Training form. A Library Services team member will be in touch to arrange your session.

Consultations

Library Services’ team members also provide consultations. Meet one-on-one with a library and information professional for help with your project, publication, research or other info need. Book a consultation online today!

We look forward to meeting you in one or more of these sessions, or in a consultation with a Library team member. As always, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca with questions or for further info about Library Services’ Education and Training opportunities.

Amanda Andrews

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

Welcome to summer—the season of pedicures, fancy up-do hairstyles and vibrant outfits. It seems everyone is getting dressed up and made over for a prom, wedding, trip or reunion.

Library Services’ Copyright Team didn’t want to be left out of the fun, so we’ve jazzed up our favourite LMS course: Copyright 101.

Copyright 101 delivers the core information you need to confidently reuse, create and share content legally and ethically at Nova Scotia Health. After taking this self-guided eLearning course, you will be able to:

• Understand the following concepts and their application in the workplace:
  • Intellectual property
  • Canadian copyright law
  • Content
  • Copying
  • Public Domain
  • Fair Dealing
• Know when and how to request permission to reproduce content
• Interpret terms of use and Creative Commons licenses
• Adapt content for reuse in Nova Scotia Health projects
• Share content ethically

The best part about Copyright 101 is you can take it at your convenience. If our regularly scheduled live copyright education sessions don’t fit your schedule, Copyright 101 is the solution.

To access the course, sign in to LMS and search for Copyright 101 by title or by the course code 0829.

We recognize that eLearning isn’t the best format for everyone. If you prefer in-person learning, you can:

• sign up for a live copyright education session (resuming in the fall)
• book a copyright consultation
• reach out to the Copyright Team at Copyright@nshealth.ca

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Pictou/Colchester-East Hants/Cumberland Region

Journal clubs are a great way to promote evidence-based practice. They encourage team members to:

• read and appraise research in their fields
• share new research with others
• discuss how to put new ideas into practice

Attaching the PDF of an article to an email and sending it to your colleagues may seem like the easiest way to get started, but doing so may be in violation of copyright law. Review our sharing considerations below to help you and your club stay engaged and respect the work of research authors.

Metrics

Research metrics are measurements used to evaluate the impact of research in a quantitative way. Downloading an article once and emailing the PDF to your team reduces the number of views or hits counted for that article. This lessens the measured impact of the article and may even affect future funding on that topic or for the research author(s).

Copyright

“Fair dealing” allows you to make one single copy of an article for your own use, but you cannot distribute copies to others. That said, individual publishers or databases may have their own copyright policy governing how you are allowed to share their articles. There may be limitations on:

• the purposes for which you can share an article (e.g. education or research)
• with whom you can share an article
• how you can share an article

Make sure you read the terms of use, before distributing copyright protected material.

Sharing considerations

The best way to share articles with your journal club is to share a link to the article, even if the article is open access or free to download. This can be a permanent link from a database your team has access to or the article’s DOI (digital object identifier). Sharing the link will improve the author’s metrics and comply with copyright.

3 ways to send an article to your journal club:

1. From your Discover search results

From the results page, click and checkmark the box next to the article title you want to share (1), then select the Mail button at the top of the list (2). Fill out the details to send to club members and click Send (3). You can add multiple recipients to the To field by separating addresses with a comma or a semicolon.

TIP If you are sharing an article labeled Check for full text, remember to note that recipients will need to request an individual copy through Document Delivery because it is not a resource to which the library currently provides access.

2. Through a database (such as CINAHL)

Run a search in a database, such as CINAHL Complete from the Library’s Databases A-Z list. From the results page, select the article title that you want to share. Look under the Tools menu to the right and select E-mail (1). Fill out the details to send to club members. You can add multiple recipients to the E-mail to: field by separating addresses with a semicolon (2). If full text is available, make sure to select PDF as separate attachment (3). Then click Send (4).

NOTE Our CINAHL license allows distribution of articles for personal or internal use only. You may not send articles to journal club members outside of Nova Scotia Health.

3. Using the article’s DOI

You can find an article’s DOI (digital object identifier) by viewing the article on the publisher’s website, or by viewing the article’s record page in Discover or in a database.

In Discover, search your topic, and then click on the title of the article you’d like to view. This will take you to the article’s record page, where you can find information about the article. This information should include the article’s DOI (1), as well as options for reading the article (2 and 3). Clicking on the DOI will take you to the publisher’s website, where you can view the article.

From there, you can share the DOI (1) with your club members using Email or one of the other Share (2) options.

For more information about starting a journal club, or finding articles in the library's databases, please reach out to Library Services at AskLibrary@nshealth.ca or book a one-on-one consultation with a Librarian to learn more.

To find out more about sharing articles and copyright considerations, consult our Copyright subject guide.

Laura Mounce

Librarian Educator
Halifax Infirmary, Central Zone

We know you’ve been loving our new Discover search!

In this post we outline our top three tips to get even more out of your searching experience.

TIP 1 Search only Nova Scotia Health Library’s holdings

Our Discover search helps you find a wealth of content in our own library collection and beyond, but what if you only want to search among our books and journals?

From the library’s homepage, go to Search Sources (1) in the top navigation bar and select Discover (2) from the drop-down menu.

Under Search Nova Scotia Health Library Collections, select the Journals tab or the Books tab (outlined in red below), then enter the title you’re looking for (A). Click on Search to find out if we have that title in our collection and how to access it. Alternatively, you can browse our collection by title (B).

TIP 2 Understand what ‘View full text’ means

When you click on the  View full text link under the title of a book, book chapter, journal, or article in your Discover search results, one of two things will happen: 

1. If Library Services has an electronic version of this item—You’ll be taken right to the item so you can access it right away.
2. If Library Services has a print version of this item—You’ll see this notice: “This book is available from NS Health libraries in print and can be requested using the form below.” Fill out the form and we will send the item to you from one of our library sites.

TIP 3 Create an account to bookmark items and save your searches

In the upper right of any page in Discover, click on Sign up (1). Fill in the required fields and submit: registration is quick and easy!

Once signed into your account, you can:

• Bookmark items (2) by clicking Bookmark below a result.
• Save a search by selecting the star icon (3) next to the search button.

You can then view these items through the Bookmarks and My Searches tabs (4) below the main search bar.

If you’re looking for more in-depth training on searching the library’s resources, you can:

• Book a one-on-one consultation
• Request a group training session
• Keep an eye on our Learning Opportunities calendar for upcoming training sessions

As always, if you have any other questions, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca. We are here to help!

Amanda Andrews

Librarian Educator, Education & Training Lead
Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Eastern Zone

Lana MacEachern

Library Technician
Aberdeen Hospital, Northern Zone

UPDATED: July 2022. Original Post: August 2017

APA PsycINFO is an important database for anyone working in the fields of mental health, psychology, behavioural research, or addictions. Health professionals conducting research in these fields will find a wealth of information resources in this database on behavioural and social sciences topics.

Developed by the American Psychological Association, APA PsycINFO contains over five million records. These include peer-reviewed journal articles, dissertations, and book chapters. In addition to the latest studies, APA PsycINFO also includes historical research dating back to the 1800s.

APA PsycINFO can be accessed in two ways:

From the Library’s homepage, click on the 'Databases' tab (A) and select 'APA PsycINFO' from the 'Select a database' drop-down menu. From 'Search Sources' in the top menu bar (B),  choose 'Databases' from the dropdown menu. This brings you to the 'Databases A-Z' list, where you can search alphabetically for 'APA PsycINFO'.

Accessing APA PsycINFO from the 'Databases A-Z' list takes the searcher directly to the 'Advanced Search'. From there, the searcher can build a search (C), view the 'APA Thesaurus of Psychological Index Terms' (D) to choose from the controlled vocabulary, or use the 'Citation Matcher' (E) to find a specific record.

On the search results page:

There are options to filter by publication date, publication type, language, full text availability, and more (F). Search results can be sorted in various ways, including by date, relevance, author, or source (G), and can be shared by exporting through email (H).

For more information on searching in APA PsycINFO, check out this quick reference guide: https://www.apa.org/pubs/databases/training/ebsco.pdf.

If you have any questions about using APA PsycINFO in your work, please reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca, or book a one-on-one consultation with a Library Services team member.

Laura Mounce

Librarian Educator

UPDATED: June 10, 2024

If a picture is worth a thousand words, then is a video worth a million? We like to think so!

Library Services provides Nova Scotia Health staff with access to full-text ebooks, ejournals, and articles. Did you know you can access procedural videos as well? If you are looking for a visual refresher on how to perform a procedure, BMJ Best Practice and ClinicalKey® have you covered.

BMJ Best Practice

Our access to BMJ Best Practice includes videos on common clinical procedures. Each video is accompanied by a list of equipment, complications, indications, contraindications and aftercare.

Browse a list of procedural videos

1. Go to the Library Services Databases A-Z page. Enter BMJ in the search box, then click on the Go button; or select B from the Databases A-Z alphabet list.
2. Click on the BMJ Best Practice link.
3. From the BMJ Best Practice home page, select Multimedia (A) from the menu bar, then Videos.

Locate videos on a specific subject
As an example, let’s search for "osteoporosis":

1. Go to the BMJ Best Practice home page (as in steps 1 and 2 above).
2. Enter "osteoporosis" in the search box, then click on the search icon.
3. In the search results screen for "osteoporosis", click on the Signs & symptoms link (B).

Under the Resources heading (C), you will find a link to Images and videos (D) on your specific subject.

Note: Most, but not all, subjects and procedures in BMJ have accompanying images and videos.

ClinicalKey®

ClinicalKey’s procedure videos provide step-by-step visuals for dozens of procedures. Each video is accompanied by instructive text, images, and equipment lists. 

Browse a list of procedural videos

1. Go to the Library Services Databases A-Z page. Enter ClinicalKey in the search box, then click on the Go button; or select C from the Databases A-Z alphabet list.
2. Click on the ClinicalKey link.
3. On the ClinicalKey home page, scroll down to the Deepen your specialty and medical knowledge section, then click on the link for Procedure Videos (E). 

Note: You can browse the resulting list of videos alphabetically (F) or by specialty (G).

Locate videos on a specific subject 
As an example, let’s look for "nasogastric tube placement":

1. Go to the ClinicalKey® home page (as in steps 1 and 2 above).
2. To the left of the search box, click on the All Types drop-down menu and select Procedure Videos (H). 
3. Enter "nasogastric tube placement" in the search box, then click on the Search button (I).

TIP When you click on the link for a procedure video, there is a double arrow ⤢ in the top-right corner of the screen. Click on the arrow to open ‘reading mode.’ This makes the accompanying text larger so it is easier to read.

Copyright considerations

Like other forms of information, procedural videos are protected by copyright. You must have permission and/or give recognition to the creator to be able to reuse and/or share them. Permissions differ by resource. Before using any video, check the copyright permissions for the video. 

TIP For most databases, copyright permissions can be found under the Terms and Conditions link (J) at the bottom of the home page. If you have questions, reach out to copyright@nshealth.ca. 

Procedural videos are great visual tools to help refresh your skills. BMJ Best Practice and ClinicalKey® both have an extensive selection of videos to meet your clinical practice and research needs. If you would like more information on procedural videos, reach out to AskLibrary@nshealth.ca, or book a one-on-one consultation with a team member. We are always here to help!

Amanda Andrews

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

We updated our website to highlight our subject guides and key search sources, including a new Discover search. We’re confident that these changes will help you navigate to the content you need for your clinical practice and research!

What is Discover?

Discover is a Google-style search for library content. It searches the library’s print and electronic subscription resources, including article-level full text. Its built-in features help bring relevant content to the top of your results, to quickly get you the content you need.

What other ways can I search for information?

Our website highlights four search sources. Each source focuses on a collection of content. For example, if you want to search for book chapters and journal articles, use Discover.

Other search sources include:

• Databases: Choose a single database to focus on a specific area of health care or health research.
• Patient Education Pamphlets: Search our patient education pamphlet collection for full-text pamphlet PDFs.
• Website & Subject Guides: Search our website and subject guides for:
  • Recommended resources linked on our website
  • Subject guides, including professional and patient guidance created by local health care experts

What else is new?

• Update: If you have saved any links to our previous catalogue and eJournals search page, they will need to be updated. These tools have been replaced by Discover.
• Discover User Accounts: Discover allows you to create a user account where you can request articles, bookmark items, and more. Creating a user account also helps to pre-populate our new Document Delivery form when you land on an item you want and need to request.
• Subject Guides: Our growing collection of guides for either Staff & Physicians or Patient audiences is now organized into four groups:
  • Evidence-based Starting Points
  • Health Care Topics
  • Patient Education
  • Library Help
• Top navigation: The menu at the top of our website has changed to highlight our search sources, services and new subject guide groups.

We know you’ll want to test drive these changes to get comfortable with the new navigation and improved searching. Education sessions are scheduled in May and June, so sign up today for a guided tour! If you would prefer one-on-one support, please book a consultation with a library team member at your convenience.

Library Staff

Nova Scotia Health Library Services

Library Services has several new ebooks on our virtual shelves. A selection of these ebooks have been added thanks to the generosity of the Dr. Chauhan Memorial Trust Fund (Cape Breton, Guysborough, Antigonish Strait region).

Dr. Chauhan Memorial Trust Fund purchases

With funding from the Dr. Chauhan Memorial Trust Fund, Library Services has added the following titles to support the practice of physicians, nurses, and allied health providers. Many of the titles are highly recommended by Doody's Review Service. 

Click on a title below to view the item's record in our catalogue, then simply click 'View ebook' to open.

• Clinical Consult to Psychiatric Mental Health: Management for Nurse Practitioners (2021)
• Damage Control Resuscitation: Identification and Treatment of Life-Threatening Hemorrhage (2020)
• Emergency Medicine: Diagnosis and Management (2021)
• Fundamentals of Paramedic Practice: A Systems Approach (2020)
• Health Equity and Nursing: Achieving Equity Through Policy, Population Health, and Interprofessional Collaboration (2021)
• New Techniques for Brand Management in the Healthcare Sector (2021)
• Paramedic: A Quick Study Digital Reference Guide (2020)
• Telemedicine, Telehealth and Telepresence: Principles, Strategies, Applications and New Directions (2021)
• Translation of Evidence into Nursing and Healthcare (2021)

Additional ebooks added to the collection

• Acute Nursing Care: Recognising and Responding to Medical Emergencies (2021)
• Comprehensive Healthcare Simulation: Emergency Medicine (2021)
• Fast Facts for the ER Nurse: Guide to a Successful Emergency Department Orientation (2022)
• Innovative Strategies in Teaching Nursing: Exemplars of Optimal Learning Outcomes (2021)   
• An Introduction to Indigenous Health and Healthcare in Canada: Bridging Health and Healing (2022)
• Oxford Handbook of Primary Care and Community Nursing (2021)

Looking for more ebooks like the ones we've selected? Try finding related titles using the Subject (MeSH) (Medical Subject Headings) links in each record:

1. Click on the ebook's title or the blue arrow to the left of the title to show the full catalogue record.
2. Click on one of the Subjects (MeSH) for more items on the same topic.

As Nova Scotia Health staff and physicians, you have access to more than 11,000 ebooks! If there is an ebook or other resource that you think Library Services should add to the collection, please let us know. On your computer, click on the 'Request' drop-down arrow at the top of this web page, then click on 'Suggestions for Library Purchase' and complete and submit the electronic form. On your mobile device simply click on the grey button in the upper right corner of your screen to find the 'Request' drop-down menu.

Thanks again to the generosity of the Dr. Chauhan Memorial Trust Fund. As always, if you have any questions, please connect with Library Services.

Amanda Andrews

Librarian Educator
Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Eastern Zone

Searching for accurate, evidence-based literature can be complicated. The good news is, most medical databases have developed filters to help you retrieve more precise results.

Search filters (also called hedges) are used to narrow a search and/or focus on a specific publication type, level of evidence, and/or subject area. Filters are constructed using specific database syntax (rules and commands). Search strategies are developed using rules and commands to search a variety of databases and interfaces, including PubMed, Ovid, EMBASE®, and CINAHL. (Nova Scotia Health Library Services, 2021)

Search filters are a quick and efficient way to search for information. They usually fall into two broad categories:

• Methodological: these help you locate specific types of studies (e.g. clinical trials, cohort studies, systematic reviews)
• Topic or subject: these cover various subjects or disciplines (e.g. palliative care, aging, lung cancer) 

(Curtin University Library, 2020)

It is important to recognize and identify the impact that using a particular filter may have on your search results. If a particular filter works well in a given context and does not appear to produce a high number of irrelevant results or exclude relevant items, by all means use it. However, you should be mindful that filters can alter what is retrieved from your search (Nova Scotia Health Library Services, 2021).

Several trusted databases, including PubMed, have developed filters to narrow search results by methodology, publication type or question category (e.g. therapy, diagnosis, etiology, prognosis, clinical prediction guides). Reviewing the step-by-step instructions for applying filters in PubMed is a helpful way to get started.  

Applying search filters in PubMed

Let’s work with a research question to see how search filters can assist you, when used properly, to obtain relevant results.

Example research question: Does exercise help improve back pain in adults? 

To help narrow down our results in PubMed we can apply the following filters after we have conducted our search:

• Age: Based on our example question, let’s use the age filter, specifically ‘adult’, to limit our results.
• Publication date: A good rule of thumb is to look for evidence published in the last five years (2017-2021), unless your research question specifies otherwise.
• Study/Publication type: You can filter to only retrieve a certain study type. For this example, let’s select systematic reviews. The best type of study may differ based on your research question.
• Language: You can limit results to a specific language, such as English or French only.

Applying these filters decreases our number of results from 7,000 to 34. Although this is a much more manageable number, it is important to be aware that potential results may be missed by applying filters.

It is recommended to use filters produced by trusted groups. For a detailed list of search filters produced by reliable groups, please visit Library Services’ Search Filters page.

Remember to be critical when using filters, so that you do not produce a high number of irrelevant results or exclude relevant items. For more information on search filters, be sure to check out our Searching guide for helpful tips. As always, reach out to Library Services with any questions or requests.

References:

Curtin University Library. (2020). Search Filters. Retrieved from https://libguides.library.curtin.edu.au/c.php?g=863554&p=6631322 

Nova Scotia Health Library Services. (2021). Searching. Retrieved from https://library.nshealth.ca/Searching

Amanda Andrews

Librarian Educator
Cape Breton Regional Hospital, Eastern Zone

Frequent PubMed searchers may have noticed the new blue banner at the top of the legacy main search page announcing a new version of the biomedical database, and given the new version a test drive. You may have come across the new design by accident, arriving at a strange interface while searching for the latest studies about, say, cannabis and epilepsy. Perhaps this post is your introduction to the news that PubMed has a new look and feel. However you came across this info, don’t panic! We’re here with tips and advice to help you adjust.

1. Find Search Details and Clipboard

Your Search Details can give you a better idea of how PubMed understood the terms you searched. This feature has moved to the Advanced Search page. To access the full Search Details, navigate to the History and Search Details table and select the expand arrow    /    corresponding to a specific search number.

Using the Clipboard can help you manage, access and share articles. This feature has changed. To add an item to the Clipboard, use the  ⋅⋅⋅  button to access the Send To menu, then select Clipboard.

To see all items in your Clipboard, navigate to the options below the main search box at the top of the page.

From the Clipboard page, you’ll be able to see all of your selected items in one place. Use the Save function to export results in specific formats and Email to send the items to yourself or your colleagues. Use    to change the display between Summary and Abstract. We recommend using Abstract view so you can screen the complete details and clearly see options for full-text access.

2. Use the Cite feature for easy referencing

A useful improvement is the addition of a  Cite tool for each PubMed reference. It allows you to copy a complete citation for a specific item and paste it into a draft. Use the Format drop-down menu to change the citation style—options include AMA, APA, MLA and NLM. Use Download RIS to download a file you can then upload to a citation management tool (e.g. Mendeley or Zotero) or evidence synthesis software (e.g. Covidence or Rayyan).

3. Share articles using permalinks

Another useful improvement PubMed has introduced is the  Share articles tool. Sharing accurate article information over social media platforms can help you improve the impact of your own publication(s) and show support for other authors whose work has affected your research and/or practice.

Using a permalink for an individual PubMed reference can ensure that accurate article information is shared and help others access full-text in a way that respects current copyright laws. We recommend using PubMed permalinks when sharing articles for teaching, journal clubs or linking supplementary resources in eLearning modules or websites because free, open and affiliated organization access points will be clearly displayed.

Not every feature related to PubMed has been updated. You’ll notice that the My NCBI dashboard and the Clinical Queries search page, for example, appear in the legacy interface but search results linking from these tools have the updated look. If you experience any issues accessing results or notice any discrepancies in your results while using the new PubMed to search, please submit your feedback to the National Library of Medicine (NLM) here.

Good searching practices never go out of style

While the PubMed interface update may feel like a dramatic change, general searching mechanics and best practices remain the same. You will still get the most out of PubMed by identifying the important concepts of your search question, searching each concept one at a time, and applying AND OR NOT (Boolean operators), field searching and truncation (*) thoughtfully. You’ll find searching guidance relevant to a variety of databases in our Searching subject guide, including our updated Anatomy of a PubMed Reference tip sheet.

Book a consultation with a library team member to connect about your specific questions when it comes to PubMed’s new look and feel, and searching best practices. Don’t forget to check out our current online learning opportunities, where you can learn alongside your colleagues.

Katie McLean

Librarian Educator, Education & Outreach
Dickson Building, Central Zone

Sharing knowledge, enhancing critical appraisal skills and delivering better patient care are common goals of hospital personnel. Starting a journal club can help your department achieve these goals. Journal clubs are a well-established method of professional development and can be tailored to suit the unique needs of your group. We’ve adapted tips from the literature and the web to help you out.

Tips to Get Started

Identify Membership

Members may or may not share the same profession but have a common interest in the articles’ content. Members from a variety of disciplines may generate more lively discussions. Keeping the group to six or fewer members ensures that everyone gets a chance to speak, while still allowing for a healthy discussion if anyone is absent.  

Establish Goals of the Club

Goals should be relevant to your profession/group, and should be reviewed regularly by members.

Recruit Meeting Leader & Supervisor 

Meeting leadership can be rotated monthly. The meeting leader selects an article for discussion and drafts 2-3 questions to get the conversation started. The role of supervisor is changed less frequently – we recommend every six months to one year. The supervisor handles administrative work, such as recruiting and announcing meeting leaders, distributing articles and taking attendance.

Schedule Meeting Times & Location 

Choose a regular time that works for everyone. Monthly meetings have the best results. Greater meeting frequency may result in lower attendance. Meetings may be held in person or remotely if your members are spread out geographically. Book space ahead of time if needed and work out any technology kinks beforehand.

Distribute Article

A week to ten days’ notice is recommended to allow enough time for participants to obtain a copy of the article and read it in advance. 

Meet & Facilitate Discussion

Members’ critical appraisal of articles fosters productive discussion. Consider using structured worksheets if it suits the content and your group. Conclude the discussion by putting it in the context of your profession. 

Evaluate the Club’s Effectiveness

Evaluation may take place formally or informally. Surveying your membership annually about what is and isn’t working can improve the club and help members stay engaged. Share your findings and improvements with colleagues so they can benefit from your learning. 

Let Us Help You Find & Share Articles

Not sure where to start looking for a recent article for your journal club? Library staff are available to help you find relevant material through our literature search service. You can also connect directly with a library staff member in your area to help you quickly find an article for discussion. 

Another easy way to find a relevant, full-text article quickly is to search the Library’s access point for Google Scholar. Enter general terms, such as your discipline and area of specialization, and the search results will highlight articles supplied by the library. If the library does not provide access to your chosen article, allow enough time for participants to request it through Document Delivery.

When you locate an article that you'd like to share with your club, best practice is to provide a URL (website link) to the article or forward an email to others through the database the article was found in. Be mindful of copyright and adhere to best practices for sharing scholarly literature when distributing articles. Our Copyright guide outlines more tips to help you share your articles effectively. 

Gayle Graham

Librarian