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Health Library (health + library)
Selected AbstractsCardiac rehabilitation programme for coronary heart disease patients: An integrative literature reviewINTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF NURSING PRACTICE, Issue 3 2009Nidal F Eshah RN, PhD(c) Previous Western cardiac rehabilitation (CR) purported to improve patients' quality of life and health-related parameters for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Nursing's role in CR was minimally identified. The purpose of this integrative literature review was to determine the effectiveness of current CR programmes and to determine if nurses are included in multidisciplinary CR teams. An online search of databases for the National Institutes of Health Library, Medline, CINAHL, Blackwell Synergy and PsychINFO electronic databases, with keywords,cardiac rehabilitation, lifestyle modification, secondary prevention, quality of life, effects of rehabilitation,identified 13 articles published 2001,2006 for inclusion. Cardiac rehabilitation programmes provided significant improvement in participants' quality of life, exercise capacity, lipid profile, body mass index, body weight, blood pressure, resting heart rate, survival rate, mortality rate and decreased myocardial infarction (MI) risk factors, although there was limited participation. They also decreased depression and anxiety. Eight studies included Nurses as CR providers, but without clear descriptions of their role. Nurses in developing countries need to participate in CR programmes to improve patients' participation, and to focus on modalities with lower overhead costs, such as home-based CR, and to clearly articulate their unique contributions. [source] Cluster randomised trial of an active, multifaceted educational intervention based on the WHO Reproductive Health Library to improve obstetric practicesBJOG : AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS & GYNAECOLOGY, Issue 1 2007AM Gülmezoglu Objective, We conducted a trial to evaluate the effect of an active, multifaceted educational strategy to promote the use of the WHO Reproductive Health Library (RHL) on obstetric practices. Design, Cluster randomised trial. The trial was assigned the International Standardised Randomised Controlled Trial Number ISRCTN14055385. Settings, Twenty-two hospitals in Mexico City and 18 in the Northeast region of Thailand. Methods, The intervention consisted primarily of three interactive workshops using RHL over a period of 6 months. The focus of the workshops was to provide access to knowledge and enable its use. A computer and support for using both the computer and RHL were provided at each hospital. The control hospitals did not receive any intervention. Main outcome measures, The main outcome measures were changes in ten selected clinical practices as recommended in RHL starting approximately four to six months after the third workshop. Clinical practice data were collected at each hospital from 1000 consecutively delivered women or for a 6-month period whichever was reached sooner. Results, The active, multifaceted educational intervention we employed did not affect the ten targeted practices in a consistent and substantive way. Iron/folate supplementation, uterotonic use after birth and breastfeeding on demand were already frequently practiced, and we were unable to measure external cephalic version. Of the remaining six practices, selective, as opposed to routine episiotomy policy increased in the intervention group (difference in adjusted mean rate = 5.3%; 95% CI ,0.1 to 10.7%) in Thailand, and there was a trend towards an increased use of antibiotics at caesarean section in Mexico (difference in adjusted mean rate = 19.0%; 95% CI: ,8.0 to 46.0%). There were no differences in the use of labour companionship, magnesium sulphate use for eclampsia, corticosteroids for women delivering before 34 weeks and vacuum extraction. RHL awareness (24.8,65.5% in Mexico and 33.9,83.3% in Thailand) and use (4.8,34.9% in Mexico and 15.5,76.4% in Thailand) increased substantially after the intervention in both countries. Conclusion, The multifaceted, active strategy to provide health workers with the knowledge and skills to use RHL to improve their practice led to increased access to and use of RHL, however, no consistent or substantive changes in clinical practices were detected within 4,6 months after the third workshop. [source] Measuring the value and impact of health library and information services: past reflections, future possibilitiesHEALTH INFORMATION & LIBRARIES JOURNAL, Issue 2007Joanne Gard Marshall Objectives:, To summarize the context, history and results of research studies conducted on the value and impact of health library and information services by the author since 1975 and to use this as a basis for examining ongoing developments related to evaluation research. To provide a comprehensive bibliography of library value and impact studies. Methods:, Literature review and background based on personal involvement in the studies under discussion. Results:, The author's studies demonstrate an ongoing evolution of value and impact studies since the mid-1970s. In health sciences libraries, the approach taken to measuring value and impact has been strongly influenced by the type of research being conducted in the health sciences field as a whole. As a result, health sciences library researchers have become early adopters of methods that incorporate outcome and impact measures and rigorous research designs, and the concept of evidence-based library and information practice. The paper recommends that a range of research approaches from various disciplines be used to guide future evaluation research. Conclusions:, Value and impact studies will continue to be important resources for evidence-based practice as health information professionals deal with evolving user needs and new ways of delivering information to a variety of audiences. [source] | ||||||||||