Dear library and knowledge services staff,

Please find below your regular update on NHS Evidence.

 This month’s issue includes information on:

·         New search guides

·         Evidence Updates

·         Upcoming QIPP WebEx’s.

Monthly update to NHS Evidence portal sources

No new sources were ingested in June or July, due to the launch of NHS Evidence release 4.

Updated guides now available

We are pleased to inform you that two new HDAS guides – produced by Andrew Dove (University Hospitals of Leicester) and Sian Aynsley (South London Healthcare NHS Trust) - are now available on NHS Evidence. To download the new guides go to http://www.evidence.nhs.uk/about-us/marketing-resources. Thanks to Andrew and Sian for allowing us to share their work.

We have also produced two short interactive ‘Take a Tour’ guides, highlighting specialist content and medicines information available on NHS Evidence. To view the guides click here.

Reporting problems with NHS Evidence

 Thank you for continuing to report any issues/problems with NHS Evidence to [log in to unmask]; we value all of your comments which help us ensure the service remains fit for purpose.

To help us resolve any issues, it is important that you are as clear as possible about the problem and send us as much information as you can.

Depending on the nature of the problem, please think about whether some or all of the following may be useful to us:

·         Athens org ID / link resolver URL

·         Full name of your organisation

·         Name of resource

·         Name of specific article

·         Search strategy

·         Screenshots

·         Text of error message

·         Version of  web browser 

The more information you provide in your first message, the more likely it is that we will be able to take action straightaway.

Developing NHS Evidence

Please note that suggestions relating to the ongoing improvement and development of NHS Evidence should also be sent to [log in to unmask]. 

NHS Evidence service update page

The NHS Evidence service update page outlines current technical issues and progress being made to resolve them. The page is updated regularly, following progress reports from the NHS Evidence operations team. To access the page go to: http://www.evidence.nhs.uk/about-us/service-update-page.  

NHS Evidence R4 update and feedback sessions

Over May, June and July, Anne Weist, Suzanne Woods and Fran Wilkie facilitated a series of NHS Evidence release 4 update and reflections sessions. Over 200 of you participated, telling us what you liked about the new version of NHS Evidence and what improvements you would like to see going forward.

Some recurrent themes across the sessions were that:

·         The visual design of NHS Evidence has improved – it is ‘less busy’ with a ‘better interface’ and ‘clearer content’.

·         The design of the journals and databases landing page is confusing to navigate.

·         NICE Pathways are very useful but could be improved by the inclusion of a direct link back to NHS Evidence.

Feedback from the sessions is being collated into a formal report which will be presented to the NHS Evidence senior management team by the end of August.

QIPP - WebEx’s

NHS Evidence will host a series of WebEx’s* to share information and learning from some of the ‘recommended’ examples in the QIPP collection.    Library and knowledge services staff are invited to attend these free sessions. To register your place email [log in to unmask]

13 September 2011, 10-11am

Alcohol Care Teams

To reduce acute alcohol-related hospital admissions and re-admissions, staff at the Royal Bolton Hospital NHS Foundation Trust delivered an initiative which involved bringing together multidisciplinary teams to deliver brief interventions within 24 hours of detecting alcohol related problems. The initiative has resulted in a 52% increase in ward discharges and a significant reduction in alcohol-related mortality rates.

15 September 2011, 10-11am

Safer and more efficient blood transfusions

Oxford Radcliffe Hospitals NHS Trust developed and implemented a new electronic system to deliver safer and more efficient blood transfusions. The initiative has resulted in savings of just under £1 million per year through reduced wastage of blood and reduced nursing time.

23 September 2011, 2-3pm

Malnutrition in adults - Oral nutritional supplement prescribing review

*WebEx system requirements

WebEx is Software as a Service (SaaS), so you can simply subscribe to the service and use it from any computer with an Internet connection.  WebEx supports Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, HP-UX and AIX Operating Systems. For further information on the system requirements click here.

Evidence Updates

As part of the recent major revision of the NHS Evidence website, the former Specialist Collections content is now available as part of a general search.  Users also have the option to browse a clinical topic area from www.evidence.nhs.uk/topics. The Annual Evidence Updates have also undergone some changes, and in September 2011, the first in an ongoing series of Evidence Updates will be published.

The back catalogue of Annual Evidence Updates from the last 2 years can be found in NHS Evidence by searching for ‘evidence update’ and the name of the topic, for example ‘evidence update’ eyes for AEUs from the former Eyes and Vision collection.

Like the old Annual Evidence Updates, the new Evidence Updates will continue to inform users of the latest evidence in particular topic areas; this will now be in the context of published accredited guidance – predominantly NICE clinical guidelines. The Evidence Updates will provide commentary on selected new evidence available since the guideline in question was published, which updates the understanding and practice recommendations contained in the current guideline. The Evidence Updates will be accessible through the relevant topic pages in the guidance panel, and will also appear in NHS Evidence search results.

The first Evidence Update will be based on the NICE cancer service guidance ‘Improving Outcomes for People with Skin Tumours including Melanoma’. Other Evidence Update topics in the coming months include chronic heart failure, lower urinary tract symptoms, alcohol use disorders, COPD and meningitis.

National Core Content reprocurement

The OGC Buying Solutions Framework for the purchase of Books, Journals and Electronic Media across the NHS has now expired and work is underway to develop a replacement Framework. Guidance and suggestions to support electronic and print content purchasing during this transitional phase is now available at:

http://www.libraryservices.nhs.uk/forlibrarystaff/information/procurement.html.

Please note that all purchasing activity will be subject to normal public sector procurement rules and your local standing financial instructions (SFIs), in the first instance.

Overview of engagement with academic institutions

Education manager, Anne Weist, has recently met with a number of universities and academic institutions to promote NHS Evidence. Activity has included:

·         Two hands-on workshops for Medicines Information Pharmacists.

·         An evening presentation for members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) in London.

·         A workshop for RCN members in Leeds.

·         A ’hands-on’ workshop with search skills trainers at Hull York Medical School.

·         A workshop at the Manchester Women’s Conference for health care and third sector staff.

·         A workshop with doctors, healthcare workers and medical educators at the Association for the Study of Medical Education (ASME) conference in Edinburgh.

The NHS Evidence Student Champion Scheme - update

Students from Peninsula College of Medicine and Dentistry will formally participate in the national roll out of the NHS Evidence Student Champion Scheme; work is currently underway to recruit and train ten students who will deliver learning sessions to fellow undergraduates in early 2012. A member of the University’s Library team will attend the two upcoming training sessions and provide input.

On 14 September, the NHS Evidence Student Champion Scheme project team will visit the fifteen undergraduates recruited from the University of Southampton, School of Medicine. The purpose of the visit will be to help students plan and tailor their NHS Evidence learning sessions which they will deliver in the autumn. Ric Paul - the University’s Academic Liaison Librarian for Medicine – will attend the training to provide valuable input.

HDAS redesign project

NHS Evidence is currently recruiting up to four librarians to join a new panel which will inform the redesign of Healthcare Databases Advanced Search (HDAS).  Other panel members will include allied health professionals, doctors and nurses.

Over a period of six months the panel will give their views on the current version of HDAS, through a series of workshops and online activities. This work will build upon the HDAS ‘ideas capture’ exercise conducted recently, and help NHS Evidence gather a detailed picture of how the service can best meet the needs of users. The feedback from the panel will help inform development of the specification.

If you or any of your colleagues are interested in taking part, please complete a registration form at: https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/HDAS_Online_Registration. For further information about the role of a panel member click here .

Please note that expenses for subsistence and travel will be met, in accordance with NICE policy.

Your questions answered…

Question: What does it mean to be an NHS Evidence Accredited source? Should I use accredited guidance over non-accredited guidance?

The purpose of NHS Evidence Accreditation is to help users identify the most trusted sources of guidance developed using critically-evaluated, high quality processes. Over the longer term the scheme will drive up the quality of information produced for health and social care decision makers, which should result in improved patient outcomes.

To develop quality standards – the national markers of high-quality, cost-effective patient care covering the treatment and prevention of different diseases and conditions - NICE uses evidence sources accredited by NHS Evidence. Quality standards will be reflected in the new Commissioning Outcomes Framework and will inform payment mechanisms and incentive schemes such as the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) and Commissioning for Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) Payment Framework.

NHS Evidence Accreditation gives organisations a unique opportunity to gain valuable feedback and advice from an independent committee so that they can continually improve their processes and address any gaps in an organisations own guidance development. Feedback confirms that standards are being applied even where organisations are not going as far as to apply.

It is not the remit of the NHS Evidence Accreditation Scheme to advise health and social care professionals about what guidance should or should not be used. The accreditation scheme does not comment on the content or utility of the guidance. Health and social care professionals should and will make decisions about the guidance they use based on the individual clinical situation. NHS Evidence Accreditation confirms that the processes used to develop guidance are robust and quality-assured.

Potential new evidence providers are assessed by NHS Evidence to determine whether their evidence fits the NHS Evidence inclusion and exclusion criteria. Non-accredited guidance on NHS Evidence is still fit-for-purpose and will continue to be made available as a valuable resource.

Question: I have not been receiving enough advance notice about NHS Evidence site maintenance/downtime – which has a direct impact on training sessions. What can you do about this?

Answer: We have formally raised this issue with the IT operations team. They have guaranteed that they will provide the NHS Evidence communications team with at least 24 hours notice of any site maintenance work so that timely notifications can go out via email and Twitter.

Facebook and Twitter

NHS Evidence now has a Facebook page and a Twitter account.

To join on Facebook: Type in ‘NHS Evidence’ into the search box at the top of the home page. When you reach the NHS Evidence page, click ‘like’ in the panel on the left hand side.

To join on Twitter: Once you are logged in, go to ‘Find people’. Type ‘NHS Evidence’ into the search box and click the ‘follow’ icon.

Consultation - NHS Evidence Process and Methods Manual

NHS Evidence has produced a new Process and Methods Manual describing how new and important evidence is made available to users through NHS Evidence. It explains the processes and methods behind the various products and features of NHS Evidence.

The content of the manual may be of particular interest to the librarian and information sciences community as it describes how the evidence accessed through NHS Evidence is identified and selected. It also describes the production of NHS Evidence’s published products and services, including the new Evidence Updates, Important New Evidence, Evidence Uncertainties and QIPP.

The manual is currently open for public consultation until 16 September 2011 and feedback is welcomed from stakeholders, health and social care professionals and members of the public. SHALL will be co-ordinating a response on behalf of NHS Librarians.

Events diary

We won’t be attending any events this month due to the summer holidays.

 If you have any suggestions to make this bulletin more informative, please contact [log in to unmask].  

Suzanne Woods

Communications Manager

NHS Evidence
National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence
Level 1A | City Tower | Piccadilly Plaza | Manchester M1 4BD | United Kingdom
Tel: 44 0845 003 7744