Knapp, Maureen

Influenza Update

With reports the past weeks of daycare center closings, sidelined football players, and sniffling sorority girls, clearly Louisiana is not immune from H1N1 outbreaks. As of August 17, 2009, Louisiana reports 449 confirmed cases and 1 related death (also in New Orleans) from the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus, aka the Swine Flu.

For local & state information on influenza, visit www.FluLa.com, from the Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. There you will find weekly statistics and public health updates, as well as flu information for patients in English, Spanish and Vietnamese. Clinicians can also access an Online Training Course on local flu preparedness, testing protocols, regional OPH offices, and info from the Louisiana Office of Public Health Lab like the Lab 96 form and instructions for swine flu testing.

For national swine flu information, the CDC is always your best bet: http://cdc.gov/h1n1flu/

Nursing journals upgrade at 9AM today

Nursing journals we subscribe to through Ovid will be undergoing an upgrade today at 9AM. If you are in an OvidSP or Nursing@Ovid session at that time, your session will continue uninterrupted until you log out or your session times out.

Please let us know if you encounter any problems with access.

More info.

Mac wireless update

Did you know that LSUHSC-NO is a PC institution?

For Mac users, this can present a problem. At the moment, instructions are not available for configuring a Mac or an iPhone to get onto the LSUHSC secure wireless network.

However, you can always plug into our network from any of the laptop ports around the Library and Library Commons. Each of our study rooms on the fourth floor, the study carrels near the Registrar’s office and areas on the 3rd and 5th floors provide blue network ports so you can plug in. Here’s a handy map! In the Library Commons, check underneath the glass display cases for blue network ports.

Don’t have a network cable handy? We got you covered. You can check out a network cable at the Circulation Desk.

New! Allied Health Resource Guide

Just in time for fall semester, we’ve created a brand spankin’ new guide for you allied health folks. Whether you’re a cardiopulmonary-specialist-to-be or a long time OT faculty member, we’ve got you covered.

Find all the databases for your specialty, plus lists of selected journals, online books, and websites, all in one place:

ALLIED HEALTH RESOURCE GUIDE
http://www.lsuhsc.edu/no/library/resources/guides/AlliedHealth.html

Goodbye MTs & CLSs, Hello MLS (ASCP)!

For a number of years, there have been a several of different certifications for medical laboratory professionals. Depending on whether you were a clinical laboratory scientist or a medical technologist, you may either have a certification of MT or CLS. These certifications were managed by two different credentialing agencies: the American Society for Clinical Pathology Board of Registry (BOR) and the National Credentialing Agency for Laboratory Personnel (NCA).

Complicated? You bet! Having two credentialing agencies created competition and division, and certainly must have been a challenge to both entry level professionals and the labs that hire them to determine which certification was needed, required, and ensured best practices.

However, hope is on the horizon. Recently the ASCP and NCA announced the creation of a single credentialing agency, effective October 23, 2009. The NCA will be dissolved and the new, consolidated credentialing entity will be called the ASCP Board of Certification (BOC). Medical Technologists and Clinical Laboratory Scientists will credentialed as Medical Laboratory Scientists (MLS), and the ?óÔé¼?£ASCP?óÔé¼Ôäó suffix will be attached to all BOC certifications. Medical Laboratory Technicians and Clinical Laboratory Technicians will be unified as Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLT).

For more information on these upcoming changes check out this article from the Dark Daily, a site for clinical pathology news and trends. Detailed information on the unification process can be obtained from this NCA presentation.

Prevention and Control of Seasonal Influenza with Vaccines

CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) published the 2009 guidelines for the use of influenza vaccine for the prevention and control of seasonal influenza on July 30th, 2009. These guidelines are for seasonal flu, for which there are vaccines, and not swine flu, though clinical trials are underway for the H1N1 virus.

“Flu season” generally runs October – May. During these months, the CDC collects and publishes weekly influenza surveillance reports, like the one shown above. In fact, you can even get flu updates sent to your phone.

Who needs the seasonal flu vaccine? Health care workers, for one, as well as young children, the aged, pregnant women and people with chronic medical conditions. LSUHSC – NO usually offers flu shots for a small fee during the month of October.

More flu information from the CDC.

It came from the stacks

Can pain relief be attributed to the use of static magnets? Is T’ai Chi an effective intervention for rehabilitating stroke victims? Can biofeedback (a therapy that uses specialized devices to help individuals learn how to influence the function of organs or body systems that aren?óÔé¼Ôäót usually thought to be under conscious control) control urinary incontinence?

Complementary Therapies in Rehabilitation: Holistic Approaches for Prevention and Wellness, edited by Carol M. Davis (EdD PT), attempts to addresses these questions and more. Rest assured, this is not some crunchy book on new age medicine. All chapters are written by licensed rehabilitation professionals, 12 of which hold PhDs in areas such as physical therapy, pathokinesiology, biochemistry, and neurophysiology, and backed up with references as well as a healthy dose of skepticism.

22 chapters are divided into 5 sections, beginning with an introductory manifesto on “energy techniques as a way of returning healing to healthcare.” Section two delves into the science that supports complementary therapies, such as quantum physics and psychoneuroimmulology. The final sections (body work, mind/body work and energy work, respectively) cover various approaches to rehabilitation, including Tai Chi, Myofascial Therapy, Yoga, and Rolfing.

In addition to very useful chapters and images on the use of T’ai Chi and Qi Gong in rehabilitation, what I like about this book is that the authors of the chapters offer a degree of skepticism when it comes to their subject, and hold no punches if the available research evidence is not up to snuff. As Neil Spielholz, author of the chapter “Magnets: what is the evidence of efficacy?” puts it, “Do not complain that you cannot get your work into the peer-reviewed literature when the reason is that the ‘research’ does not qualify as being credible.” References are provided at the end of each chapter, another trove of information for specific holistic approaches.

Overall, Complementary Therapies in Rehabilitation: Holistic Approaches for Prevention and Wellness is well-written and easy to read, either all at once or for a a specific technique. As written in the dedication, the book is for “all those people who are willing to hold an open mind and a positive attitude about the findings of ‘new science’…[and to] those helping to move science forward for the good of improved patient care.” For those interested in complementary approaches to patient care, and the theories behind it, this book is an excellent starting point.

BOOK INFO
Complementary Therapies in Rehabilitation: Holistic Approaches for Prevention and Wellness (3rd Edition: 2009)
Carol M. Davis, Editor
WB 320 D29c 2009
AVAILABLE FOR CHECK OUT — NEW BOOK SHELF — 3RD FLOOR OF LIBRARY

Library Commons GRAND OPENING!

The day is finally here!

The new Library Commons, located on the third floor of the Resource Center, will open tomorrow, July 15th, at 7:00 a.m. The Commons also houses a coffee bar serving Starbucks which will have coffee, drinks, yogurt, pre-made salads, sandwiches and pastries. The coffee bar will operate from 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. On Wednesday, July 15 ONLY, “Buy a cup of coffee and get a free chocolate covered strawberry.”

The Commons will be open 24/7 for LSUHSC faculty, students and staff. Please enjoy and care for this beautiful new space!!

Who Named It? (medical eponyms)

From Abbot’s tube (A long double-channel intestinal tube inserted through a nostril) to Zimmermann-Laband syndrome (an extremely rare inherited syndrome of gingival fibromatosis), whonamedit.com has it covered.

A biographical dictionary of over 8294 medical eponyms (people after whom something is named) and counting, whonamedit.com was created by a Norwegian group, and has been around since 1994.

What I really like about this site is the ease of use. Eponymns are listed alphabetically and by category, so if you want a list of all epoynms associated with the brain, it is quickly accessible.

There are also a fair number of biographical entries, which can be browsed by country and last name. There is a separate list of female entries. Many biographical entries also include bibliographies, which makes my little librarian heart flutter.

BOTTOM LINE:
Whonamedit.com is a great source to check synonyms and definitions of medical conditions, and offers a fair number of biographical entries for physicians. It’s layout makes it very easy to use as a quick reference source.

Practice Anatomy with Winking Skull

Here’s an anatomy site that is fun and educational at the same time.

WinkingSkull.com is an online study aid for anatomy. It’s provided through Thieme publishing, which also provides online atlases to our library users.

Offering several levels of access (my personal favorite is FREE), Winking Skull features stunning illustrations from Atlas of Anatomy, based on the work of Michael Schuenke, Erik Schulte, and Udo Schumacher. Once you’ve created a user name and password, it’s fast and easy to create exams based on region of the body. There’s a self study mode as well as a timed assessment feature, and your statistics are saved so you can see what you need to work on.

246 images are offered at the free level, but if you personally own either Atlas of Anatomy or Anatomy Flash Cards: Anatomy on the Go, you get access to the “Plus” version: 363 images from Atlas of Anatomy. For those who really want an extra anatomy study aid, there is a “Pro” account available for a monthly subscription. Freaking out about that anatomy exam? There’s even a 24 hour “Panic Package”

BOTTOM LINE
Winkingskull.com features a witty name, a 246 free anatomy images, and a great interface with wonderful pictures. Next time you’re bored in lecture, check out this game instead of MineSweeper.

DETAILS
-Requires creation of user profile (free)
-Free version offers 246 images

This post is simply an FYI and should not be taken as a product endorsement.

PayPaw Vending Machine

Please bear with us as workers re-install our PayPaw vending machine. You can still print, but to add money to your card you’ll need to use the online form.

~Unit was placed back into service afternoon of July 15th~

Clinical Reader

FYI, There’s been some drama about Clinical Reader and it’s unauthorized use of images in recent days. MK

A blog post from EBM and Clinical Support Librarians@UCHC alerted me to Clinical Reader, a new site developed that brings you research articles, news and multimedia in one place.

Developed by a junior doctor and a small group programmers spread across London and Toronto, the site uses ISI journal impact factors and Google analytics to choose material for the site.

Readers can browse TOCs from popular clinical journals like NEJM, Gut, Clinical Radiology, BMJ, Pediatrics, and more in a highly visual format, and there are sections for medical students, and medical education, among many others.

LINK:
Clinical Reader: http://clinicalreader.com/

NCBI ROFL

For a lighter side of research, check out NCBI ROFL, “the brainchild of two Molecular and Cell Biology graduate students at UC Berkeley.” From the microbiological laboratory hazard of bearded men to the best birth control for hippos, this site offers a humorous break for anyone involved in biomedical research.

LINK: http://www.ncbirofl.com/

Nursing Certification Guide

Wondering what it takes get certified in a specific area of nursing? From Flight Nursing to Foot Care, the American Journal of Nursing’s Guide to Certification is an annually updated document in the Career Guide Supplement to the January issue.

LINK:
http://www.nursingcenter.com/upload/static/60627/Certify_online.pdf (pdf)

Death by Cell Phone

Were you too distracted talking on your cell to realize it’s Distracted Driving Week?

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, driver inattention is responsible for about 80 percent of all traffic collisions. In recognition, the National Safety Council has deemed June 22-28th Distracted Driving Week, part of National Safety Month 2009. Get fact sheets, traffic safety policies and watch the video Death by Cellphone on their website.