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    All change: job rotations as a workplace learning tool in the Flinders University Library Graduate Trainee Program
    (IFLA, 2010-08-10) Walkley Hall, Elizabeth
    This paper examines the place of job rotations as a workplace learning tool in the Graduate Trainee Librarian Program at Flinders University Library, Australia. Specifically, it asks two questions: whether job rotation is an effective workplace learning tool for new librarians; and, whether the trainee experience contributed to the retention in the Library and career progression of those in the program. These questions are examined using Kirkpatrick's Evaluation Framework. The findings indicate that while participants rate the trainee program very positively overall, their satisfaction with workplace learning in their placements was lower. The majority of former trainees have remained with the Library and have progressed in their careers.
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    The association between ethnicity and the delay time in seeking medical care for chest pain: a systematic review
    (Lippincott Williams & Wilkins, Inc., 2016-07) Wechkunanukul, Kannikar ; Grantham, Hugh Jonathon ; Damarell, Raechel ; Clark, Robyn
    Background: Acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity worldwide, and chest pain is one of the most common symptoms of ACSs. A rapid response to chest pain by patients and appropriate management by health professionals are vital to improve survival rates. People from different ethnic groups are likely to have different perceptions of chest pain, its severity and the need for urgent treatment. These differences in perception may contribute to differences in response to chests pain and precipitate unique coping strategies. Delay in seeking medical care for chest pain in the general population has been well documented; however, limited studies have focused on delay times within ethnic groups. There is little research to date as to whether ethnicity is associated with the time taken to seek medical care for chest pain. Consequently, addressing this gap in knowledge will play a crucial role in improving the health outcomes of culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) patients suffering from chest pain and for developing appropriate clinical practice and public awareness for these populations. Objectives: The current review aimed to determine if there is an association between ethnicity and delay in seeking medical care for chest pain among CALD populations. Inclusion criteria Types of participants: Patients from different ethnic minority groups presenting to emergency departments (EDs) with chest pain. Types of exposure: The current review will examine studies that evaluate the association between ethnicity and delay in seeking medical care for chest pain among CALD populations. Types of studies: The current review will consider quantitative studies including randomized controlled trials (RCTs), non-RCTs, quasi-experimental, before and after studies, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, case-control studies and analytical cross-sectional studies. Outcomes: The current review will consider studies that measure delay time as the main outcome. The time will be measured as the interval between the time of symptom onset and time to reach an ED. Search strategy: A comprehensive search was undertaken for relevant published and unpublished studies written in English with no date restriction. All searches were conducted in October 2014. We searched the following databases: MEDLINE, PubMed, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Embase, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), PsycINFO, ProQuest (health databases only), Informit, Sociological Abstracts, Scopus and Web of Science. The search for unpublished studies included a wide range of ‘gray literature’ sources including national libraries, digital theses repositories and clinical trial registries. We also targeted specific health research, specialist cardiac, migrant health, and emergency medicine organizational websites and/or conferences. We also checked the reference lists of included studies and contacted authors when further details about reported data was required to make a decision about eligibility. Methodological quality: Papers selected for retrieval were assessed by two independent reviewers for methodological validity prior to being included in the review. Validity was assessed using standardized critical appraisal instruments from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Adjudication was produced by the third reviewer. Data extraction: Data were extracted from included articles by two independent reviewers using the standardized data extraction tool from the Joanna Briggs Institute. Data synthesis: The extracted data were synthesized into a narrative summary. Meta-analysis could not be performed due to the heterogeneity of study protocols and methods used to measure outcomes. Results: A total of 10 studies, with a total of 1,511,382 participants, investigating the association between ethnicity and delay met the inclusion criteria. Delay times varied across ethnic groups, including Black, Hispanic, Asian, South Asian, Southeast Asian and Chinese. Seven studies reported delay in hours and ranged from 1.90 to 3.10 h. Delay times were longer among CALD populations than the majority population. The other three studies reported delay time in categories of time (e.g. <1, <4 and <6 h) and found larger proportions of later presentations to the EDs among ethnic groups compared with the majority groups. Conclusion: There is evidence of an association between ethnicity and time taken in seeking medical care for chest pain, with patients from some ethnic minorities (e.g. Black, Asian, Hispanic and South Asian) taking longer than those of the majority population. Health promotions and health campaigns focusing on these populations are indicated.
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    Can uptake of public health interventions be improved by including grey literature in the evidence-base?
    (TextRelease, 2016-09) Tyndall, Jessica
    Interventions to prevent obesity are not working. Despite the substantial efforts of a multiplicity of interventions and strategies from the public health sector, by 2025 Australian adult obesity rates are predicted to rise by 65%. There is little doubt that increased physical activity/decreased sedentary behaviour combined with dietary intervention produces an outcome of reduced BMI: this is the science of weight loss and not in dispute, though a profusion of RCTs continue to be conducted along similar lines and academic journals continue to publish them. Policy in this area abounds but practical long-term successes remain elusive. What is often missing from the debate is acknowledgement and understanding of the public’s resistance to uptake of obesity prevention interventions. This crucial information can be gleaned from the grey literature. To be genuinely evidence-informed, policy needs to access the broadest literature base and include both published and unpublished sources. Grey literature includes surveys, public opinion, crowdsourcing, social media, theses and conference papers, issues and working papers, technical reports, unpublished studies and projects, newspapers and blogs. It is vital to consider these sources in the evidence-base to balance the science of obesity. Grey literature is where societal attitudes, beliefs, values and opinions might be reasonably expected to be found, and also where pilot programs and case studies assessing the feasibility of public health interventions will have been reported. The degree to which this literature has been accessed and incorporated into the evidence that informs policy arguably has an impact on the ultimate success or sustained “take-up” of an intervention.
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    Changing places: how a job exchange can give you the opportunity to live overseas, make new friends, boost your career and maybe even change your life
    (ALIA, 2004-12-04) Walkley Hall, Elizabeth
    In a globalised economy, new graduates often look overseas for job opportunities; indeed, it is considered a rite of passage for many Australians to do so. Of course, new librarians are no different. But the reality of working in a profession where there are few permanent, full-time positions means those who find one are likely to want to keep it. Given the many universal qualities of librarianship, a job exchange creates the ideal scenario in which work and travel can be combined. There are benefits for both the individual and employer. Links are forged internationally, commonalities found and differences explored. It is an opportunity to broaden both personal and professional horizons, without having to leave a continuing position. This paper will outline what is required in organising a job exchange, from finding a potential exchange partner to selling the idea to library management, from the financial and legal considerations to the host library’s expectations, and what to do after the exchange.
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    Deathbed phenomena reported by patients in palliative care: clinical opportunities and responses
    (Mark Allen Healthcare, 2015) Devery, Kim Ellen ; Rawlings, Deb ; Tieman, Jennifer ; Damarell, Raechel
    Over many decades and across many cultures and disciplines, the scientific literature reports unusual and hard to explain phenomena at the end of life. In the palliative care literature these reports are often anecdotal (Nelson, 2000), poorly understood or even treated just as hallucination (Morse 1994). In practice though, many health professionals have heard accounts from ill and dying patients of difficult to explain events (Pflaum and Kelley 1986, Wimbush and Hardie 2001, Mazzarino-Willett 2010) and while health professionals need also to recognise hallucinations arising from delirium, dementia or other neurologic or psychiatric disorders, underlying causality for these experiences may not be obvious or attributable. We have adopted the term Death Bed Phenomena (DBP) described here by Brayne and colleagues (2006, Page 17): “death may be heralded by deathbed phenomena such as visions that comfort the dying and prepare them spiritually for death” although these unexplainable accounts range from seeing dead relatives, hearing or feeling “other worlds” (Fenwick and Brayne, 2012), a significant dream, or patients being aware of the time of their own death. Patients and carers can be reluctant to discuss or divulge these phenomena for fear of being labelled ‘mad’ (Barbato et al, 1999) and health professionals (professionally trained and primarily educated in biomedical, scientific or rational models and ways of thinking) can find this a perplexing issue leaving them unsure how to respond to their patients’ stories and accounts (Brayne et al, 2006). In a quest to understand the clinical potential around these phenomena, we undertook this systematic review of the literature, with a specific focus on the palliative care population for whom death is an expected and foreseeable event due to progressive illness. While postulations on possible causes of these extraordinary end of life phenomena can be fascinating to read (Blanke, 2004), such phenomena are real for those who experience them. “Assumptions about their origins and credibility can alienate” patients and their families “at a critical time in their mourning or dying” (Barbato et al, 1999). Like others (Brayne et al 2006, Fenwick and Brayne 2011), Barbato and colleagues (1999) raise the potential within our professional role to normalise the experience and encourage the patient to find solace and emotional and spiritual wellbeing. In an effort to understand more fully these phenomena and their impact, health professionals, sociologists, psychologists and others have explored patient accounts of difficult to explain events and occurrences. Studies describing deathbed phenomena (DBP) (Barrett 1926, Sartori 2010) and near death experiences (NDE) (Morse 1994, Alvarado 2006, Bell et al 2010) emphasise the supportive spiritual potential of DBP (Ethier 2005, Fenwick and Brayne 2011), suggest additional therapies to further interpret DBP (Iordache and MacLeod, 2011), and put forward specific approaches for children and adolescents who experience NDE (Bell et al, 2010). DBP has been distinguished from NDE with the latter usually describing an unusual event or experience preceding an unexpected or accidental near death, or reported after successful cardiopulmonary resuscitation. While the nomenclature and definitions of DBP are developing in the literature, a comprehensive review about these occurrences reported by patients in a palliative care context is not available. DBP may be of especial significance in this population where cure is not possible and death at some point is a foreseeable event.
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    Development of a heart failure filter for Medline: an objective approach using evidence-based clinical practice guidelines as an alternative to hand searching
    (BioMed Central Ltd., 2011-01-28) Damarell, Raechel ; Tieman, Jennifer ; Sladek, Ruth ; Davidson, Patricia
    Background: Heart failure is a highly debilitating syndrome with a poor prognosis primarily affecting the elderly. Clinicians wanting timely access to heart failure evidence to provide optimal patient care can face many challenges in locating this evidence. This study developed and validated a search filter of high clinical utility for the retrieval of heart failure articles in OvidSP Medline. Methods: A Clinical Advisory Group was established to advise study investigators. The study set of 876 relevant articles from four heart failure clinical practice guidelines was divided into three datasets: a Term Identification Set, a Filter Development Set, and a Filter Validation Set. A further validation set (the Cochrane Validation Set) was formed using studies included in Cochrane heart failure systematic reviews. Candidate search terms were identified via word frequency analysis. The filter was developed by creating combinations of terms and recording their performance in retrieving items from the Filter Development Set. The filter’s recall was then validated in both the Filter Validation Set and the Cochrane Validation Set. A precision estimate was obtained post-hoc by running the filter in Medline and screening the first 200 retrievals for relevance to heart failure. Results: The four-term filter achieved a recall of 96.9% in the Filter Development Set; 98.2% in the Filter Validation Set; and 97.8% in the Cochrane Validation Set. Of the first 200 references retrieved by the filter when run in Medline, 150 were deemed relevant and 50 irrelevant. The post-hoc precision estimate was therefore 75%. Conclusions: This study describes an objective method for developing a validated heart failure filter of high recall performance and then testing its precision post-hoc. Clinical practice guidelines were found to be a feasible alternative to hand searching in creating a gold standard for filter development. Guidelines may be especially appropriate given their clinical utility. A validated heart failure filter is now available to support health professionals seeking reliable and efficient access to the heart failure literature.
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    Discontinuation from Antiretroviral Therapy: A Continuing Challenge among Adults in HIV Care in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
    (Public Library of Science, 2017-01-20) Gesesew, Hailay ; Ward, Paul Russell ; Hajito, K W ; Feyissa, G T ; Mohammadi, Leila ; Mwanri, Lillian
    Background Discontinuation of antiretroviral therapy (ART) reduces the immunological benefit of treatment and increases complications related to human immune-deficiency virus (HIV). However, the risk factors for ART discontinuation are poorly understood in developing countries particularly in Ethiopia. This review aimed to assess the best available evidence regarding risk factors for ART discontinuation in Ethiopia. Methods Quantitative studies conducted in Ethiopia between 2002 and 2015 that evaluated factors associated with ART discontinuation were sought across six major databases. Only English language articles were included. This review considered studies that included the following outcome: ART treatment discontinuation, i.e. ‘lost to follow up’, ‘defaulting’ and ‘stopping medication’. Meta- analysis was performed with Mantel Haenszel method using Revman-5 software. Summary statistics were expressed as pooled odds ratio with 95% confidence intervals at a p-value of <0.05. Results Nine (9) studies met the criteria of the search. Five (5) were retrospective studies, 3 were case control studies, and 1 was a prospective cohort study. The total sample size in the included studies was 62,156. Being rural dweller (OR = 2.1, 95%CI: 1.5–2.7, I2 = 60%), being illiterate (OR = 1.5, 95%CI: 1.1–2.1), being not married (OR = 1.4, 95%CI: 1.1–1.8), being alcohol drinker (OR = 2.9, 95%CI: 1.9–4.4, I2 = 39%), being tobacco smoker (OR = 2.6, 95%CI: 1.6–4.3, I2 = 74%), having mental illness (OR = 2.7, 95%CI: 1.6–4.6, I2 = 0%) and being bed ridden functional status (OR = 2.3, 95%CI: 1.5–3.4, I2 = 37%) were risk factors for ART discontinuation. Whereas, having HIV positive partner (OR = 0.4, 95%CI: 0.3–0.6, I2 = 69%) and being co-infected with Tb/HIV (OR = 0.6, 95%CI: 0.4–0.9, I2 = 0%) were protective factors. Conclusion Demographic, behavioral and clinical factors influenced ART treatment discontinuation. Hence, we recommend strengthening decentralization of HIV care services in remote areas, strengthening of ART task shifting, application of seek-test-treat-succeed model, and integration of smoking cession strategies and mental health care into the routine HIV care program.
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    Do University Libraries in Australia Actively Plan to Protect Special Collections from Disaster?
    (Taylor & Francis Group, 2018-10-22) Garnett, Johanna ; Arbon, Paul Andrew ; Howard, David ; Ingham, Valerie
    Despite the increasing digitalisation of special collections, Australian university libraries continue to house tangible original works contributing to collective state, national and global heritage. The protection of special collections relates to the international aspirations provided by the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 Priority 3. Currently over five hundred separately grouped university library special collections are recorded in Australia. Globally, there is limited research into university librarian comprehension of how to plan for the protection of special collections. A survey targeted the 35 Australian university libraries identified for inclusion in the study, via the Council for Australian University Librarians (CAUL) database. Eleven (31%) responses qualified for analysis. Of the respondents, the findings include 92% hold tangible special collections as part of their university library collection; 90% do not have a specific plan for the protection of special collections and 90% have experienced a disaster event at some point in their library career. The research concludes that special collections held by Australian universities are at risk and that the role of the university librarian is undervalued in the global efforts to protect cultural and historical heritage in the event of a disaster.
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    Electronic journal collections: cataloguing to improve access
    (Australian Library and Information Association, 1999) Banbury, John ; Brown, Ian Lewis
    Traditionally, the way a library user would expect to find a journal is through the use of a title search in the library catalogue. Electronic journals should be no exception. One would expect to find a catalogue record for electronic journals, just as we do for traditional print journals. Integrated citation/journal collections and electronic journal collections produced by IAC, Academic Press and Johns Hopkins Press and other vendors complicate this issue. Such collections, although a very good product for many libraries, are difficult to catalogue at the journal level. It is a simple task to create a catalogue record for "Expanded Academic Index" or "Project Muse" at the collection level, but doing only this would diminish the usefulness and value of the collection. In the end, all a journal user wants is to read it. This is a principal service that libraries offer to their users. However, the way that an electronic journal is catalogued plays a significant role in the quality of the service the user receives, and the likelihood that the user will effectively find the journal he or she needs. It is obvious that few libraries would have the staff resources to manually catalogue these journal collections at the title level. This paper outlines the approach and system that Flinders University Library has devised to “semiautomatically” add catalogue records to maximise user benefit from the integrated citation/journal collections and electronic journal collections to which it subscribes.
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    Establishing a culture of research practice in an academic library: an Australian case study
    (Emerald, 1905-07-05) McBain, Ian ; Culshaw, Helen ; Walkley Hall, Elizabeth
    The purpose of this paper is to describe the establishment of a Research Working Group at Flinders University Library, a mid-sized teaching and research university located in South Australia. The group was founded to encourage staff to develop a more reflective, research-oriented and evidence-based professional practice initially for a three year term. This paper comes at about two years into the pilot and provides an interim report of the group’s experiences and achievements.
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    Facilitating access to evidence: Primary Health Care Search Filter
    ( 2014) Brown, Lynsey ; Carne, Amanda ; Bywood, Petra Teresia ; McIntyre, Ellen ; Damarell, Raechel ; Tieman, Jennifer ; Lawrence, Mikaela
    Background: The evidence base developed by, and relevant to, primary health care (PHC) is rapidly increasing. With the wealth of literature available, searchers trying to find PHC-specific citations can feel overwhelmed. Objectives: Flinders Filters and the Primary Health Care Research & Information Service collaborated to develop a search filter enabling efficient and effective retrieval of relevant PHC literature. Methods: Stage 1 involved developing a PHC Search Filter in the OvidSP Medline platform using a rigor-ous experimental methodology. The search filter was then translated for Web-based ‘one-click searching’ in PubMed during Stage 2. Stage 3 involved planning and implementing a mixed-methods evaluation. Results: The search filter sensitivity was 77.0% with a post hoc relevance assessment of 78 .3%. Four months after its launch, a mixed-methods study evaluated the PHC Search Filter. With 90 respondents, analysis of data from the online survey demonstrated overarching benefits, a positive response to the tool and directions for further refinement of the PHC Search Filter. Discussion: Designing the PHC Search Filter follow ed an established method that ensures the tool offers a validated search strategy. Evaluation results suggest that the PHC Search Filter is a useful tool that is easy to navigate. Challenges for the Filter relate to access to full text articles, while challenges for the evaluation relate to the small sample size. Conclusions: The PHC Search Filter reduces the burden associated with literature searching, increases the value of the results that are received and provides a useful resource to improve the likelihood of incorporating relevant evidence into policy and practice.
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    Fat or thin? Is the verdict in?
    (Australian Library and Information Association, 2000) Banbury, John ; Brown, Ian Lewis
    ABSTRACT Thin client or network computing is a hot topic. The hype claims lower total cost of ownership, faster applications deployment and reduced management pain, compared to traditional computing architectures. Early in 1998 the Flinders University Library installed network computers in the Central and branch libraries for student access to the Internet. This paper is a review of network computers in the light of our experience over the past two years. Do network computers offer all that is claimed in the hype? Are there hidden costs? What are the issues of configuration, server scaling, network performance and fault diagnosis? Do they have a future in the Library arena?
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    FindIt@Flinders: user experiences of the Primo discovery search solution
    (Australian Library and Information Association, 1905-07-04) Jarrett, Kylie Anne
    In September 2011, Flinders University Library launched FindIt@Flinders, the Primo discovery layer search to provide simultaneous results from the Library’s collections and subscription databases. This research project was an exploratory case study, which aimed to show whether students are finding relevant information for their course learning and research. The Library staff ran student usability sessions and an online survey for this search interface. These two methods uncovered data on what elements participants are finding useful or not useful, and what problems they are encountering. The results of this study showed a variety of feedback, which was mainly positive. This feedback has informed how the Library can modify Primo for a better user experience and incorporate beneficial approaches to FindIt@Flinders into its student training plan.
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    From practice to research at Flinders University Library: sustaining a research culture
    (Emerald Publishing Limited, 2018-05-03) Walkley Hall, Elizabeth
    Purpose The purpose of this paper is to describe the mechanisms used by Flinders University Library to sustain a culture of research. Flinders University Library has been supporting its librarians to undertake research projects using a formal support group mechanism, known as the Research Working Group (RWG), sanctioned and resourced by library executive since 2010. This established a culture of practitioner-based research in the library, with the librarians developing a greater understanding of both the theory and practice of qualitative and quantitative methods by undertaking their own research projects. However, sustaining a research this culture brings new challenges which this paper now explores. Design/methodology/approach This case study describes the methods used at Flinders University Library in sustaining a culture of practitioner-research. This arose from a review of the formal support structure, as well as a previous study that surveyed staff responses to the RWG. Findings As academic libraries face ongoing challenges and engage more broadly with research support, librarians need experiential knowledge of research. In the case of Flinders University Library, the author has found that, in seeking to sustain a research culture, the author has needed to adapt the support mechanisms, including a greater emphasis on peer support, a different model of resourcing and more inclusivity for all staff to engage with research work. Research limitations/implications This paper is limited by its scope as a single-institution case study; however, there are opportunities for other academic libraries to learn from this experience. Originality/value Establishing a culture of practice-based research is not an easy undertaking, requiring dedication from all parties whether management, practitioner-researchers or mentors. While there are many examples in the literature of case studies examining the establishment of research culture, few if any take the next steps to explore how to maintain it. This paper seeks to fill that gap.
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    How Do Clinicians Learn About Knowledge Translation? An Investigation of Current Web-Based Learning Opportunities
    (JMIR Publications, 2017-07-13) Damarell, Raechel ; Tieman, Jennifer
    Background: Clinicians are important stakeholders in the translation of well-designed research evidence into clinical practice for optimal patient care. However, the application of knowledge translation (KT) theories and processes may present conceptual and practical challenges for clinicians. Online learning platforms are an effective means of delivering KT education, providing an interactive, time-efficient, and affordable alternative to face-to-face education programs. Objective: This study investigates the availability and accessibility of online KT learning opportunities for health professionals. It also provides an analysis of the types of resources and associated disciplines retrieved by a range of KT synonyms. Methods: We searched a range of bibliographic databases and the Internet (Google advanced option) using 9 KT terms to identify online KT learning resources. To be eligible, resources had to be free, aimed at clinicians, educational in intent, and interactive in design. Each term was searched using two different search engines. The details of the first 100 websites captured per browser (ie, n=200 results per term) were entered into EndNote. Each site was subsequently visited to determine its status as a learning resource. Eligible websites were appraised for quality using the AACODS (Authority, Accuracy, Coverage, Objectivity, Date, Significance) tool. Results: We identified 971 unique websites via our multiple search strategies. Of these, 43 were health-related and educational in intent. Once these sites were evaluated for interactivity, a single website matched our inclusion criteria (Dementia Knowledge Translation Learning Centre). Conclusions: KT is an important but complex system of processes. These processes overlap with knowledge, practice, and improvement processes that go by a range of different names. For clinicians to be informed and competent in KT, they require better access to free learning opportunities. These resources should be designed from the viewpoint of the clinician, presenting KT’s multifaceted theories and processes in an engaging, interactive way. This learning should empower clinicians to contextualize and apply KT strategies within their own care settings.
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    How leaders emerge in realtime
    (ALIA, 2011-04) Zott, Debra
    Discussions about leadership training generally raise the objection that leadership cannot be taught or learned, because true leaders are born. While there is an element of truth in this, training programs can be effective in developing library professionals who aspire to management roles, or who wish to increase their strategic awareness.
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    How low can you go? Towards a hierarchy of grey literature.
    (ALIA, 2008-09) Tyndall, Jessica
    In recent times health sciences librarians have become increasingly involved in working closely with researchers who are undertaking literature reviews (often, but not always, systematic literature reviews). Due to the evidence-based push throughout the medical and health practice area, strong database searching skills have become essential to locate and identify the research necessary to inform practice. These are skills that librarians already have. In hospitals and universities, librarians have been heartened to find their expertise openly acknowledged as their role dovetails neatly into a position of strength. Working with researchers we find our opinions are sought and valued, and this extends to questioning our knowledge of the grey literature. While searching the published (black) literature is a given, there is a growing recognition that grey literature should be included to fully reflect the existing evidential base. Herein lies the rub. Without a clearly established hierarchy, what grey literature is admissible: particularly if we consider grey resources other than the unpublished equivalents of traditional studies and trials? Literature reviews need to include the most significant research available. And that might mean conference papers, reports, legislation or working papers - all grey. This paper examines the variety, relevance, advantages and disadvantages of grey literature and where it might ‘sit’ in the overall research picture.
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    LIt.search: fast tracking access to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health literature
    (CSIRO Publishing, 2014-08) Tieman, Jennifer ; Lawrence, Mikaela ; Damarell, Raechel ; Sladek, Ruth ; Nikolof, Arwen
    Objective: To develop and validate a PubMed search filter, LIt.search, that automatically retrieves Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health literature, and to make it publicly accessible through the Lowitja Institute website. Methods: Search filter development phases included: (a) scoping of the publication characteristics of Aboriginal and Torres Start Islander literature, (b) Advisory Group input and review, (c) systematic identification and testing of MeSH and text word terms, (d) relevance assessment of the search filter’s retrieved items, and (e) translation for use in PubMed through the web. Results: Scoping study analyses demonstrated complexity in the nature and use of possible search terms and publication characteristics. The search filter achieved a recall rate of 83.1% in the test set. To determine real world performance, post-hoc assessment of items retrieved by the search filter in PubMed was undertaken with 87.1% of articles deemed as relevant. The search filter was constructed as a series of URL hyperlinks to enable one-click searching. Conclusion: LIt.search is a search tool that facilitates research into practice for improving outcomes in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health and is publicly available on the Lowitja Institute website.
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    “Only Connect” : communities of practice and university students - librarian as conduit
    (Rockhampton, Qld. : Central Queensland University., 2008-06) Tyndall, Jessica
    Communities of practice are learning communities for professionals. In the health area there have been a number of strong developments resulting in some exceptional resources like the UK National Specialist Libraries, which have been designed and developed to “identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice”. This presentation considers how liaison librarians can contribute to the development of lifelong learning in medical and health science students, for whom graduating from university might previously have meant leaving behind familiar resources and learning tools which would effectively not be replaced in their working lives. Liaison librarians are in a unique position to promote to students, an awareness of online communities of practice which are high quality, free, easy to access and to use, and are fully supported by a strong knowledge management base. Fostering this awareness in students means they are far better placed to progress as lifelong learners, and as established members of a learning community are better equipped to move seamlessly into their professional lives.