February 2022

Current Awareness:  if you receive a Current Awareness Bulletin from your Specialist Librarian, please advise them of any changes to your email address.  

So please take a few minutes and update your details each time you move.  Thank you. 

We use your work email as our primary means of keeping in contact with you.  This may include: 

• Sending articles you have requested 
• Alerting you when books available for collection (or ones we need back) 
• Current awareness mailing lists (you need to advise your Specialist Librarian directly if your email address changes) 
• advise you of upcoming training 
• other library communication – including this informative newsletter 

The Healthcare Library runs monthly Welcome training sessions helping new, or existing member who just need a refresher, navigate the library website and introduce key services.  The sessions are currently online via MS Teams. 

• 7th Feb 
• 8th March 

If you are confident in using the library but need more specific support in finding the right literature on your topic there are also regular profession specific sessions.   

• Nurses and midwives - 30th Mar 
• Pharmacists - 15th Mar 
• Social workers - 9th Feb, 3rd Mar 
• Clinical Psychologists – 16th Feb, 15th Mar 

All these sessions and many others are on the Library’s training calendar with instructions on how to register for them.

The Healthcare Library at Altnagelvin Area Hospital

With mitigating social distancing in place:   

4 PC’s on the Trust network  
6 PC’s on the guest network  
21 study spaces 

The Healthcare Library at Antrim Area Hospital

With mitigating social distancing in place:  

10 study carrels available in Antrim  
3 stand-alone tables for individual study 

The Healthcare Library at Craigavon Area Hospital

With mitigating social distancing in place:  

24 study spaces  
Wellbeing materials and space

The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland at QUB Medical Biology Centre

147 study spaces, including:  
17 individual study carrels  
5 bookable Group Study Rooms with capacity set to 3 at present (PCs, whiteboard and media screen available in each)  
2 bookable Individual Study Rooms which can also be booked for parent/child occupancy (PC available in each)  
15 Self-service laptops for use in library only  
1 Rise and Fall Desk   
Loop hearing System at Borrow Services Desk  
Self-Service issue and return machine 

The Healthcare Library of Northern Ireland at The Royal Victoria Hospital

With mitigating social distancing in place:  

Study spaces including:  
81 Study spaces  
3 bookable Group Study Rooms with max capacity currently set at 2 (PCs, and whiteboard available in Study Rooms 1 and 2, Interactive whiteboard and media screen available in Study Rm 3)  
21 PCs  
Bookable training room with PCs  
1 Rise and Fall Desk 
Wellbeing area with Reading Well collection

Databases 

Electronic resources for Allied Health include the familiar databases Medline and Cinahl. These are available under the Databases A-Z link from the library homepage and are accessed using Healthcare Library login details provided by the library when you join.

A number of smaller databases that may interest some AHPs are available via this link. These include: 

PEDro – the Physiotherapist Evidence Database.  

PEDro is a well-established, robust and trusted site that provides access to over 53,000 randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines relevant to physiotherapy. PEDro is produced by physiotherapists for physiotherapists. The latest clinical practice guidelines, systematic reviews and clinical trials for each area of physiotherapy and for selected topics in physiotherapy can be viewed.

OTseeker – OTseeker is a database that contains abstracts of systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other resources relevant to occupational therapy interventions. Most trials have been critically appraised for their validity and interpretability. 

speechBITE - speechBITE is a database of intervention studies across the scope of speech pathology practice. speechBITE provides methodological quality ratings so that clinicians can more easily identify intervention studies with better internal validity (less risk of bias) and with sufficient statistical reporting so the study results are interpretable.

Other sources of interest may include the Cochrane Library, NHS Evidence and NICE Guidelines listed under the Databases A-Z link – Free Resources for HSC staff tab.

E-journals 

A selection of e-journal titles available up to the present – search for these titles using the E-Journals A-Z list on the library homepage.

Books 

Yes books!  From print to e-books, there is a range of both on the Healthcare Library site.  Not all books are available electronically (or if they are the cost can be prohibitive) – see a selected list of titles purchased over the past year for Allied Health, both e-books and print.  Search for the title in the Search Box on the library homepage.

Training  

Keep an eye out on the Healthcare Library Training Calendar for live demonstrations on searching Medline and CINAHL.  Stay in touch with your specialist librarian for Allied Health (Mary Maguire). Mary’s contact details are listed under the Training & Support tab on the Library homepage.