Merry Christmas from the MTW Library Services

Wishing all our service users and followers the best of the festive season.

We will see you again in January 2022. 

12 Gifts of Christmas; Day 12 - The People's Trial

 The People’s Trial aims to help the public learn about randomised trials, to understand why they matter and to be better equipped to think critically about health claims. The People’s Trial will also help researchers learn about how best to involve the public in the steps of a trial process. This in turn will help influence other trials to be better designed and implemented in the future.

Check it out!

12 Christmas Gifts; Day 11 - Med Ed Revision Tools

 Our gift to you today is a range of of sites designed to help you revise:

Geeky Medics - https://geekymedics.com/

TeachMe Surgery - https://teachmesurgery.com/

Figure1  - https://www.figure1.com/

Brainscape - https://www.brainscape.com/

12 gifts of Christmas; Day 10 - Journal Recommendation Tools

Today we have a series of sites for you to support you in getting your research, case study or review published in professional healthcare journals. Take a look at some of these sites for tips on how to get published:

https://journalfinder.elsevier.com/

https://journalsuggester.springer.com/

https://jane.biosemantics.org/

https://www.journalguide.com/

12 Christmas Gifts; Day 9 - Citation Gecko

On the 9th Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...Citation Gecko https://citationgecko.com Citation Gecko is a FREE online app that helps you find the most relevant research by creating a citation network of connected papers. Did I mention it's really cool?! 

12 Christmas Gifts; Day 8 - JISCmail

 On the 8th Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...JISCMail

@Jisc

Mail https://jiscmail.ac.uk is an email discussion list service for UK Education & Research Communities. There are 100s of Medicine & Health lists to help you collaborate and debate with peers in your field.

12 Christmas Gifts; Day 7 - i L.ove Evidence

Our gift for you today is i.L.OVE Evidence https://iloveevidence.com. The L.OVE (Living OVerview of Evidence) platform provides access to 300,000+ systematic reviews for health decision-making, and is continuously updated. A super #EBP resource! Take a look today.

12 Christmas Gifts; Day 6 - Grammar

On the 6th Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...Spell it Out by David Crystal, The Accidental Apostrophe by Caroline Taggart, and Eats, Shoots & Leaves by Lynne Truss

Learn about grammar and punctuation, but without the hard work!  

12 Gifts of Christmas; Day 5 - Retraction Watch

 On the 5th Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...

@RetractionWatch

. Retraction Watch is a blog that tracks retracted scientific papers with the aim of promoting transparency and integrity in scientific publishing. There has been 203 retracted Covid-19 papers so far!

Go do some sleuthing and find out which articles have been routed out for inconsistencies and errors!

12 Gifts of Christmas; Day 4 - Smart: Servier Medical Art

On the 4th Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...

@Servier

Smart - Servier Medical Art https://smart.servier.com. An image bank of 3000+ FREE medical images to illustrate presentations or publications that can be downloaded as .png or PowerPoint files

Another great gift for you all today - 3000 images in one place just waiting for you! Click the link above to start searching.

12 Gifts of Christmas; Day 3 - Manchester Phrase Bank

On the 3rd Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...The @OfficialUoM  Academic Phrasebank https://tinyurl.com/3b3asppn. The Phrasebank gives examples of the phraseological ‘nuts and bolts’ of scientific writing.

Excellent remedy for writer's block, and a wonderful 'gift' to unwrap on day 3 of gifting by your Clinical Librarian Hayley Beresford (hayley.beresford1@nhs.net)

12 Gifts of Christmas; Day 2 - Evidently Cochrane

On the 2nd Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me...Evidently Cochrane https://evidentlycochrane.net. An easy way to learn about Cochrane evidence, without the barriers lengthy papers, complicated methods, and scientific language can present those making everyday health choices.

Another amazing gift for you all to 'unwrap' - click the link above to see what your Clinical Librarian has found for you today.

12 Gifts of Christmas; Day 1 - Students 4 Best Evidence

 On the 1st Day of Christmas my Librarian gave to me... Students 4 Best Evidence https://s4be.cochrane.org

@Students4BE

. An excellent student-led blogging community for everything #EvidenceBasedHealthcare, with tutorials that take you through the 5-steps of #EBM, #MedStats & MORE!

Take a look at this resource from our Clinical Librarian, Hayley Beresford (hayley.beresford1@nhs.net)

MTWBookClub Transcript 6th December 2021

 

MTWBookClub Transcript 6^th December 2021

A big thank you to our #MTWBookClub followers who read along with us and participated in our Twitter discussion on 6^th December; we hope you enjoyed it as much as we did!

For those of you who were unable to participate, but would like to follow the discussion then a copy of the #MTWBookClub transcript follows:

Q.1 - Did you learn anything from Eddo-Lodge's book that you hadn't known before?

Yes. There was lots I didn’t know about black history. Much of what I knew was in relation to the American civil war, depicted through American films

I thought that was interesting too - we are so influenced by media - films, fiction books and the way they depict people of colour, esp during the WW2 years

Some of the statistics were interesting to read; also the comment that UK racism is as bad in the UK as in USA - just less well reported. Lots of food for thought, more than will fit in one tweet!

Easy to see how the omission of black history from British education, media, general discourse etc can lead to an attitude of 'not my problem'. When in fact it is everybody's problem

I learnt more about the history and slavery than I knew before and it honestly made me say “oh my gosh!”. In hindsight I guess secondary schools can only teach so much but at the same time it’s really important to know

Q.2 - Has reading this book changed your perception about racism? How? Will it change your behaviour?

It’s deepened my understanding of the insidiousness of systemic racism, and the importance of knowing and acknowledging how my race affords me privileges

The System chapter was my favourite of the book. I found the idea of white supremacy being the bar we set for racism and anything more implicit and subtle being tolerated and viewed with less abhorrence, really insightful

Yes. Feel I have a much better understanding of White Privilege, and concepts like meritocracy and why it is so flawed to assume we can use this in areas like recruitment, talent management

As a result, I will consider my actions, motives, drivers and inherent biases much more carefully when considering how we shortlist/ recruit staff, identify talent and progression

It honestly made me feel a lot; a lot of sadness, a lot of anguish and it also made me feel motivated to do more, and do better as a POC. Even in my marketing I try to include a fair representation because historically, it’s been predominantly white.

Q.3 - Is it possible to feel as passionately about inequality if you are not experiencing it?

I believe empathy does allow us to feel passionately about inequality, but this will naturally be felt more strongly and acutely by someone with first-hand experience

I really agree with you!

Eddo-Lodge posits that anti-racist work need to be led by those at the sharp end of injustice p215, but identifies things that white people can and should do to support, which feel achievable, including challenging racism where we see it

also, I feel that it is important to feel passionately, otherwise it is too easy to step away when issues become challenging

sometimes the greatest understanding and empathy comes from experience yourself, yet not everyone would have experienced inequality which is both a blessing and a curse

And to watch people around you suffering is horrid. That's enough to make me passionate about equity.

Q.4 - Is age an excuse for racism?

No. Age is not an excuse, but opportunities to raise awareness and educate, through books, web, social media, would have to be fewer 2/3 gens ago. Now, there is NO excuse for ignorance

Completely agree - feel better equipped to challenge it where we see it now.

Unfortunately, there will always be the wilfully ignorant

This feels tricky - NO! It shouldn't be an excuse, but by the end of the book, with an understanding of how media, politics, history, systems of privilege, you can see why there is an 'intensification of personal prejudices' in older generations

I was thinking just this. Time/place (and the broader sociocultural climate of the era) does not excuse racism, but does go some way in explaining and contextualising (not condoning or justifying) why some of the older generation hold these beliefs

True, but sometimes they seem put out when you remind them it’s inappropriate and uncalled for in this day and age; it’s a tricky one!

It is tricky - I think that the challenge is to ensure that these prejudices and racist behaviours are not passed down to younger generations.

That’s very true. My friend is a primary school teacher in a very multicultural school and she has heard some shocking things…Sometimes the things you do hear are passed down straight from parents, and grandparents which is really sad

Absolutely not - especially if those who were present and witnessed what happened several decades ago, and then saw what happened in summer of 2020 and the chaos that followed continue to act in a prejudicial way.

Q.5 - If you are a white person do you feel that reading Eddo-Lodge's book has helped give you a platform for discussing racism more freely? Why or why not?

Yes. A platform in terms of giving me the knowledge and confidence to participate in the conversations like this

I feel that reading the book has given me a better understanding of both the issues and also of how my own views and opinions have been shaped by my gender, colour and race. Feel better equipped to challenge others and consider my own actions

Our next #MTWBookClub will be held on 7^th February 2022, 12-1pm on our @mtwnhslibrary Twitter page. The title will be selected from the Uplifting Resources collection for NHS staff, crowd-sourced by Health Education England and the Reading Agency. You can find out more about this collection, which includes books, poems, and online resources here: Uplifting resources for the NHS from the NHS - Knowledge and Library Services.

Make sure you follow our @mtwnhslibrary Twitter page to vote for our next book club read from a selection of three short-listed uplifting titles. The poll will open on 20^th-30^th December, with the winning title being announced on 31^st December. Maybe make joining the #MTWBookClub one of your New Year’s Resolutions?!

An Interview With Your Clinical Librarian

 

Celebrating 12 months as a Clinical Librarian at Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust

My name is Hayley Beresford and I'm your Clinical Librarian. Today happens to be my work anniversary. Exactly one year ago on the 7^th December 2020 I joined the Library & Knowledge Services (LKS) team at Maidstone & Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust (MTW) as a Clinical Librarian. During this time I have been redeployed to support the Trust’s Covid-19 vaccination programme, settled in to my new team, found my feet in the world of health librarianship, and started to make inroads with the new service—all whilst navigating through a pandemic! In celebration of this I thought I’d share a little bit about my role and what I hope to achieve in 2022.

What is your role?

I am a Clinical Librarian. My job is to help staff make informed decisions about patient care based on high-quality, relevant and trusted research evidence.

What’s special about being a Clinical librarian is the setting. Clinical librarians can work on the wards to identify information needs, facilitate knowledge mobilisation, and constructively share ideas and evidence with both staff and patients. This is achieved through expert searching, summarising, and synthesis of evidence, with rapid searches being undertaken at the patient’s bedside to support point-of-care decision-making.

As part of my role I also run 1:1 and group training sessions on evidence searching and critical appraisal to equip staff with the knowledge, skills and confidence to be able to identify the right evidence for the right question, and know when and how to use this to improve their practice.

How has your previous experience equipped you for your new role?

Before joining the library team at MTW I worked as a research facilitator in the R&D department of an NHS acute hospital, where my primary role was to help staff design and deliver their own homegrown research projects. Being familiar with the health research landscape means I understand the importance of originality, scholarly advancement, and creating a robust rationale when designing new research – new research that will go on to generate new knowledge that will inform practice and lay the foundation for future learning and innovation. Librarians, as evidence specialists and ‘sense-makers’, play a vital role in health innovation, and my prior experience allows me to support this in my new role.

What do you want to achieve with your role over the next 12 months?

Being visible and accessible at the point of decision-making, or as close to this as possible, is central to the clinical librarian role. My ambition for the next 12 months (and beyond) is to make the clinical librarian service a recognised driver of evidence-based practice across the Trust by:

•  Increasing engagement across all clinical specialities through tailored offers that include:
• Pop-up library and ‘roadshows
• Specialised bulletins, boards, and book boxes within departments
• Journal and reading clubs
• Introducing a new Evidence Summary and Synthesis Service
• Working to integrate and formalise evidence searching into the R&D pathway for Trust-sponsored investigator-led projects
• Expanding and revamping our training offer to include 'Maintaining Evidence-Based Practice' and ‘Preparing for Publication’.

I am also working towards my professional registration with the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals (CILIP), which will allow me to become a Chartered Librarian.

What excites you most about being a clinical librarian?

What excites me the most about the role is being part a continuously evolving profession that works collectively at the regional and national level to share best practice and innovative ways of working to give our users the best experience.

What I enjoy most is helping people, and there’s lots of opportunity to do this, whether it be helping someone complete a qualification that is going to make a difference in their practice, or enable them to make the next step in their career; conducting an evidence search for ground-breaking piece of research that will revolutionise assessment of a particular condition; or informing a treatment decision that will improve the quality of life for a patient with chronic illness.

How does your role fit with the Trust’s strategic objectives?

Continuous learning, improvement, and innovation is embodied in the culture ambitions, PRIDE values, and leadership expectations outlined in the ‘taking MTW to Outstanding’ narrative. The Trust’s commitment to empower staff to be curious and providing the infrastructure and resources, via the Learning and Libraries team, to use knowledge effectively, puts knowledge and evidence at the forefront of professional development and clinical practice.

Clinical librarians play a part in this, and work as ‘knowledge brokers’ to help staff use the right knowledge and evidence, at the right time to achieve outstanding healthcare.

What library myth do you want to debunk?

That librarians are old-fashioned, tweed-wearing, puritans (there’s a whole literature on librarian stereotypes!), when, in reality, we’re the trendiest and most en vogue of group of people you’re likely to meet – well, in terms of health information anyway!

How can people get in touch with you to find out more about the clinical librarian service?

People can contact me via email: hayley.beresford1@nhs.net, phone: 07935009762 or on twitter @HaBeresford

I can wait to hear from you!

MTW Book Club

 

Long time followers of the Library blog will be familiar with, and may have even been members of the Book Club in its previous form, facilitated by our now retired colleague Alison Millis.

Like all other facets of life in this post-pandemic world, we in the Library and Knowledge Service have had to adapt and innovate to continue to meet the needs and expectations of our library users. One particular innovation, (for which we cannot claim originality!) was brought to our attention during a virtually-delivered National Library Networking event attended by the whole team. Our colleagues at Surrey and Sussex Healthcare NHS Trust (SASH) Library and Knowledge Services had developed a virtual book group playfully named, ‘SASH Bookworms’ who met regularly on Twitter to discuss questions relating to a title chosen by their followers. Impressed by the innovation and keen to restore a previously well revered library staple, we did what all good Library and Knowledge professionals do, and stole their idea with pride.

A project team was formed, headed by Clinical Librarian Hayley Beresford and supported by Tunbridge Wells Library Assistant Danielle Lake and the plans for MTW’s own Twitter Book Club were laid. We decided for the first meeting, our chosen title should be drawn from the Medical Humanities genre. For those unfamiliar with the term ‘medical humanities’, The Oxford Research Centre in the Humanities defines the discipline as:

“Medical humanities uses ideas, tools and methods from disciplines such as history, art, philosophy, theology and literature to help create innovative strategies for understanding and improving health and healthcare.

Drawing on sources that typically cut across and complement prevailing modes of health-related thinking, the field seeks to explore the social and cultural context surrounding the purposes and challenges of medicine and healthcare. Decisions about whom to treat or when to treat them, how to prevent disease, and how to fund and develop health services cannot be made on the basis of science alone. They remain contentious ethical and political judgements, reflecting economic realities, contested histories, cultural norms, future aspirations and socially-conditioned perceptions of risk. Medical and health humanities brings these judgments to light and enables us to examine them critically.”

We took to Twitter (@mtwnhslibrary) to poll our followers, first to gauge an interest in regenerating the Book Club in this new format and also to allow those interested to vote for the first title out of a possible three. And thus it was decided, we would be reading When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi. Allowing time to read the book and consider topics of discussion, we set the date for the first meeting as Monday 11^th October 2021, 12:00-13:00.

The marketing campaign to promote the relaunch set out the format – those partaking in the discussion could respond to a question with their thoughts by quoting the question number and using the hashtag #MTWBookClub. We would be following the hashtag during the hour but welcomed responses at any time. A full transcript of the discussion questions and the responses received can be found below:

Q.1 – How did you come away feeling, after reading this book? Upset? Inspired? Anxious? Less Afraid?

Paul talked about language & ‘human relationality’, where words only have meaning between people, and life’s meaning being found in our relationships. His story and words are an example of this. I felt his story could have been mine, or a loved one's. I cried #MTWBookClub

Quite uncomfortable- it’s very personal, felt like I was intruding at points #mtwbookclub

I felt really inspired by the calmness that pervaded the book; he wrote it knowing the likely outcome and his calm acceptance shone through his prose. No anger or bitterness. It was a really humbling read #mtwbookclub @MTWnhs

I agree! I was trying to think of the right word, and I think 'humbling' is exactly it #MTWBookClub

Q.2 – As Paul is reflecting on his time studying at Stanford for his English Literature Masters, he says he sees “all disciplines as creating a vocabulary, a set of tools for understanding life in a particular way,” – a “physiological-spiritual” vocabulary. What tools has your discipline/speciality or experience given you to understand human life?

Paul says knowledge grows in our relationships with others and the world. It cannot be held within a single person, but must be shared. As a #librarian my job is to help people find, use, and communicate knowledge.  #KnowledgeIsPower #MTWBookClub

Arguably the pursuit of knowledge is the meaning of life and is what sets us apart as humans. I think we can see this in Paul's ambition and drive to become a neurosurgeon-neuroscientist #MTWBookClub

Interesting Q for a history/ information sci grad - but Paul started academia in literature and not medicine! As a librarian, skills to find/read/analyse/interpret info and support clinicians to do the same deepens understanding #mtwbookclub @MTWnhs

Q.3 – Time is a common theme often discussed with relation to a terminal diagnosis and end of life care. Could you feel the passage of time? Was there an urgency or a sense of resignation?

There is both urgency AND resignation. At several points Paul wants to KNOW where he lies on the Kaplan-Meier curve. He wants to weigh up writing vs surgery based on his prognosis, making the most of this time. I think I’d opt for writing over neurosurgery #MTWBookClub

I completely agree with this, aiming to find that balance between both was a struggle but he had to make that decision based on his current prognosis. I’d be the same

Do you think his decision to write rather than attempt to complete residency was fuelled but the knowledge that it would be a more lasting legacy for his family and friends? #mtwbookclub

I didn't think of this! My thinking was that writing, unlike neurosurgery, was less physically demanding - that it was a practical decision. But arguably, his writing, and this book, has had a much longer-lasting, and wider, impact? I mean, we are reading it! #MTWBookClub

p196 - the birth of his daughter. He writes 'Looking out over the expanse ahead I saw not an empty wasteland but something simpler: a blank page on which I would go on'. I found this acceptance of life continuing without him profoundly moving #mtwbookclub @MTWnhs

Q.4 – What did you think of Paul and Lucy’s decision to have a child, in the face of his illness? When Lucy asked him if he worried that having a child would make his death more painful, and Paul responded, “wouldn’t it be great if it did,” how did that strike you? Do you agree that life should not be about avoiding suffering, but creating meaning?

deciding to have a child in this situation was incredibly difficult. I really felt for Lucy, knowing she will become a widow and a single parent must have been so daunting for her - dealing with her own grief and supporting Cady through hers  #MTWBookClub

If I were faced with Paul and Lucy’s situation I think I would have made the same decision. Is there anything more meaningful in life than creating a life? Cady is part of Paul’s legacy. However, I can imagine this feeling quite bittersweet for Lucy #MTWBookClub

p143 - they agreed that life was not about avoiding suffering and it became a decision that involved the whole family; I wondered if death is easier to face if you have the lasting legacy of a child? A hard decision for them both to make #mtwbookclub @MTWnhs

Q.5 – How did this book impact your thoughts about medical care? The patient-physician relationship? End of life care?

I thought it must be hard for clinicians to be treated by their peers, and that clinicians must have to change their approach when dealing with patients who may know as much as they do. It must increase empathy on both sides of the relationship #mtwbookclub @MTWnhs

Agree. I thought Emma, Paul's Oncologist, was really good at navigating this relationship. Knowing when to be a doctor and when to be a peer. Paul did say he was grateful knowing that he didn't *have* to have the responsibility of his own care #MTWBookClub

I think as patients we forget that doctors are human too and susceptible to the same stresses and illnesses as we are. For me, it stripped out the hierarchical nature of the Dr-patient relationship (in some cases), and made me feel like we’re all in this together #MTWBookClub

Q.6 – Given that Paul died before the book was finished, what are some of the questions you would have wanted to ask him if he were still here today?

If Paul had survived I would have asked whether his experience had brought him any closer to understanding the “the Physiological-Spiritual Man’. Exactly how does the language of life interact with the language of neurons, and heartbeats etc #MTWBookClub.

I’d want to ask him if he felt it was worth it? Did he feel like he made the right decisions on how to spend his time, energy, relationships, and his role as the writer and analyst vs the surgeon? What would he have done differently if he’d had the chance? #MTWBookClub

It is hard to narrow it down and pick just one question to ask, especially to someone so accomplished and with so many experiences in a relatively short life #MTWBookClub

I'd ask if there was anything he would change about his life pre-diagnosis if he had known he would die at 36. #mtwbookclub @MTWnhs

We were pleased with the response and with the discussions had and are already well underway with planning for our next meeting. If you are interested in taking part, there is no commitment required beyond a desire to read a book as voted for by our followers and to log onto Twitter at the meeting time to share your views by using the #MTWBookClub hashtag.

For our next meeting, in acknowledgement of Black History Month, the book we will be discussing will be chosen from the Diversity and Inclusion collection available as e-books to all NHS staff and students via Kortext. Follow us on Twitter @mtwnhslibrary where we will shortly put up the poll for you to vote on the next book!