Dear Colleagues 

As you are probably aware the first version of NHS Evidence
www.evidence.nhs.uk
went live yesterday. It also contains highly relevant and easily
accessible resources relating to swine flu. 

To access them, follow this link www.evidence.evidence.nhs.uk type in:
			
		swine (flu or infuenza or fever) 

Typing in the simpler search:
 
		swine flu 

will also bring up relevant references

If you would like further information about the NHS Evidence Site visit
the site or email [log in to unmask]


Regards

Anne 

Anne Weist
Education Manager: Engagement and Management: NHS Evidence
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Mid City Place | 71 High Holborn | London WC1V 6NA | United Kingdom
Tel: 07717 421128 Email: [log in to unmask]

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NHS EVIDENCE

NHS Evidence provides easy access to clinical and non-clinical
information about health and social care. Founded on the principle that
delivering high quality care requires high quality information and
evidence, NHS Evidence will inform patient care, commissioning and
service management as well as quality-assess the organisations that
produce guidance and recommendations for practice.  

What do you need to know about NHS Evidence?
NHS Evidence will:
*	Provide comprehensive access to information in health and social
care via a web-based portal
*	Commission the development of evidence-based information from
external agencies, in line with user needs and priorities
*	Provide a central purchasing function to enable health
professionals in the NHS to access journals and other relevant resources
*	Provide a formal accreditation scheme for defined categories of
information such as clinical guidelines
*	Identify evidence reflecting best practice in particular topic
areas to inform a range of user groups
*	Engage with users and stakeholders to support the use of
evidence in decision-making, and to provide feedback to develop the
service

More than a website
NHS Evidence is accessed via the internet but it is more than a website.
It provides access to information through a web portal - a single
gateway to a comprehensive range of health and social care evidence and
information.  

About the content
As well as providing access to the wealth of information held on the
internet, users will be able to source information from the
comprehensive NHS Evidence information resources such as the specialist
collections.  

The philosophy of NHS Evidence is to be inclusive. There is a wealth of
information to be tapped - local, regional, national and international.
NHS Evidence will work with users to identify relevant databases that
will add to the richness of the content. All content will be subjected
to inclusion/exclusion criteria, this will rule in useful information
and rule out any that might be biased or partial.

How does it work?
The NHS Evidence portal uses a powerful search engine which allows users
to instantly find their required evidence. It is designed to be easy to
use. Users can search for specific terms or browse information headings
via menu lists, for example public health, drugs and treatments or
commissioning. Developments will allow users to refine their searches by
customising their portal or by registering for specific sources of
information.

Although primarily for professionals and practitioners in health and
social care, the portal gives free access to everyone. However, while
the public can use it, their most relevant first point of contact for
information will remain NHS Choices.  

What about the quality?
A key driver in developing the portal is that users should have
confidence in the information they find on NHS Evidence. Only then can
they use evidence to develop high quality health and social care
services and treatment. That's the thinking behind a quality mark that
is being developed for information providers; to be introduced from
autumn 2009.

This will be done through an accreditation scheme. Rather than accredit
the information itself, NHS Evidence accredits sources that produce
information, testing and approving their processes. Information from an
accredited source will be flagged up so that users will know it is high
quality. 

However, users are also able to access information produced by
non-accredited sources - some sources may not wish to apply for
accreditation, and NHS Evidence does not have the capacity to accredit
all information sources.

The accreditation scheme is based on the NICE core principles of
transparency, inclusiveness, independence, timeliness and regular
review. In practice this means:
*	Use of standardised criteria and assessment processes
*	Decisions based on the supporting information supplied which
will be rigorously assessed and analysed against defined criteria
*	The process will be overseen by an independent advisory
committee that makes decisions on behalf of NICE
*	Input from relevant experts and healthcare professionals will
form part of all processes
*	Patients and carers will have the opportunity to be involved
*	There will be a one-month consultation on accreditation
decisions

Exclusion of content 
NHS Evidence aims to provide a comprehensive resource, covering a broad
range of information aross health and social care.  There are, however,
some criteria to exclude sources that are likely to provide biased and
partial information, such as those that:

*	are predominantly written in a language other than English;
*	are sponsored by a commercial entity and does not state this in
a clear and transparent way. 
*	incur a cost to the user (pay per view);
*	require a subscription or other form of procurement; and
*	require users to register and submit personal information.

Is NHS Evidence independent from NICE?
NHS Evidence operates as a programme of work within NICE, and reports to
the NICE board. Guided by the same universal principles as NICE, it is
impartial.   

For more information 
Visit www.evidence.nhs.uk or e-mail [log in to unmask] 




-----Original Message-----
From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Robert Abbott
Sent: 01 May 2009 12:28
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Intute resources on Swine Influenza

Dear All,

Intute: Health and Life Sciences has links to major information sources
on the developing swine influenza A (H1N1) situation. These sources
include the World Health Organization (monitoring the global situation),
the Health Protection Agency (UK advice), the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (for the situation in the United States), and the
Royal College of General Practitioners, which has issued Pandemic Flu
Guidance jointly with the British Medical Association. As the situation
develops Intute will add any significant new resources to its
collection, as they become available.

Please see
http://www.intute.ac.uk/healthandlifesciences/cgi-bin/search.pl?term1=sw
ine+influenza&limit=0&subject=healthandlifesciences for further
information. 

Robert Abbott
Intute: Health and Life Sciences
Kings Meadow Campus
University of Nottingham, 
Nottingham, NG7 2NR

(0115) 823 0542 
[log in to unmask]

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