Annual evidence updates - December 2009

The NHS Evidence Specialist Collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of Annual Evidence Updates until March 2010 is available here. The following Annual Evidence Updates are scheduled for December:

Alcoholic liver disease (gastroenterology and liver diseases specialist collection) 7th December
Alcohol misuse produces a spectrum of liver injury ranging from simple fatty change through alcoholic hepatitis to cirrhosis and, in some 20% of individuals, to hepatocellular carcinoma. We will be presenting an overview of the best systematic reviews and selected primary research from the past two years, along with commentary from experts in the field. We will also provide links to useful policy documents and other items of interest.

Malignancies post kidney transplant (kidney diseases specialist collection) 7th December
This update is on post transplant lymphoproliferative disorders (PTLD) in renal transplant patients. We have used the latest guidelines on PTLD in adult solid organ transplant recipients from the British Committee for Standards in Haematology and the British Transplant Society as a starting point for our update, to retrieve evidence on this topic from 2004 and present on the following topics: science, presentation, diagnosis and treatment.

Familial hypercholesterolaemia (genetic conditions specialist collection) 14th December
This update will publish the results of a search for new evidence published since the NICE clinical guidance 71 Identification and management of familial hypercholesterolaemia was published in August 2008. It includes a list of relevant guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and selected randomised controlled trials, along with a commentary written by an expert in the field.

Spinal disease (trauma and orthopaedics specialist collection) 14th December
Included in this update are guidelines and systematic reviews published within the last year covering low back pain, ankylosing spondylitis, disc herniation and spinal fractures.

Free access to 75,000 healthcare books

From November 2009 Ipswich Hospital Trust staff will be able to borrow books from any NHS library in the East of England (excluding Addenbrooke's).

You can view the East of England regional catalogue (known as ELMS) here.

Loan facts:

• To request an item that you see on the catalogue you will need to request it via Ipswich Hospital library. You are not able to log on to the ELMS catalogue itself.
  

  Online webform
  01473 702544 (ext 1544)
  hospital.library@ipswichhospital.nhs.uk

• Loans are free.
• You may borrow up to three books from other libraries in addition to your normal loan allowance.
• If none of the libraries in the East of England have the book you want it can still be obtained from the British Library (current charge £6.25).

Library charges 2009-10

From 1st September 2009 the following charges will apply:

Interlibrary loans (items from other libraries)

• Copy article obtained from another local/ NHS library: £2.00
• Online journal downloads or copies made by library staff: £1.00
• Book loan from another East of England NHS library: free of charge
• Copy article from the British Library: £6.25 (with subsequent renewals £6.00)
• Book loan from the British Library: £15.00

Higher rates apply for fax and other priority deliveries. Please ask for details.

Photocopy cards

• 30 A4/ 15 A3 copies: £2.00 (6.6p per A4 page)
• 90 A4/ 45 A3 copies: £5.00 (5.5p per A4 page)

Individual copies can be made at a cost of 10p per page

Overdue book charges

• Standard loan books: 6p per day
• Short loan books: 10p per day

Printing from our PCs

• 5p per page

Fax service

• UK only: 50p per page

Binding
Plastic cover, metal heat-sealsed spine binding.

• 1-25 pages: £2.00
• 26-40 pages: £2.50
• 41-55 pages: £3.00
• 56-100 pages: £3.50

Laminating

• A4: 50p per page
• A3: 75p per page

Annual evidence updates - November 2009

The NHS Evidence Specialist Collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until March 2010 is available here. The following updates are scheduled scheduled for November:

Psoriasis (skin disorders specialist collection) - 2nd November
The results of a search for new guidance and systematic reviews published since the 2008 update. Our usual “what’s new” analysis, discussing the new evidence and its implications for clinical practice, will be written by Professor Chris Griffiths and his team from Manchester University.

Diabetes (diabetes specialist collection) - 9th November
New systematic reviews published in the last 12 months in the field of diabetes. For ease of use, the new evidence has been classified under the following topic headings: co-morbidities, complications, delivery of care, diagnosis/classification, economics, genetics, gestational diabetes, patients, pre-diabetes including metabolic syndrome, pregnancy, prevention/causes/risk, screening, and treatments. As in previous years, the clinical lead of NHS Evidence – diabetes, Dr Roger Gadsby, will provide an overall commentary. Also this year, expert commentaries have been invited on the topics of diabetes nursing, diabetic nephropathy, genetics and dietetics.

CAM for lower back pain (complementary and alternative medicine specialist collection) - 16th November
This update presents a comprehensive collection of up-to-date guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses and selected randomised controlled trials, along with commentaries from experts.
COPD (respiratory specialist collection) - 16th November
Coinciding with World COPD day on 18 November, the evidence update will highlight the new evidence published within the last 12 months. An invited commentary will discuss any new developments in COPD. It is anticipated the update pages will be further updated in early 2010 when the National Strategy for COPD is published, along with further invited commentaries.

Lung cancer (cancer specialist collection) - 16th November
This is the 5th Annual Evidence Update on lung cancer and presents the results of the new evidence that has been published since the previous update in November 2008. This year there are a number of interesting commentaries by members of the expert panel. These include:

• Causes, risks and prevention by John Field and colleagues, Roy Castle, Lung Cancer Research Programme. This highlights socioeconomic factors, respiratory disease risk factors, genetic susceptibility risks and details about a recently developed lung cancer risk prediction modelling tool, currently being assessed in a primary care setting.
• Biological agents in non-small cell lung cancer by Ekaterini Boleti and Michael Cullen. This commentary provides an overview of the emerging studies in this challenging treatment area and discusses the need for further trials to inform routine practice so that these patients benefit from optimal, cost-effective treatment.
• Heparin and survival in cancer by Fergus Macbeth. This review looks at the effect of heparin on patients with small cell lung and other types of cancer.
• Second line chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer by Sarah Danson. The importance of better treatments for relapsed small cell lung cancer is addressed in this commentary.
• ERS/ESTS taskforce guidelines on fitness for radical surgery by Eric Lim and David Baldwin. New guidelines from Europe have been published on fitness for radical therapy and the authors look at the recommendations and highlight the complexities of the issues addressed.

Oral cancer (oral health specialist collection) - 16th November
15-21 November 2009 is Mouth Cancer Awareness Week. This update presents new guidance and systematic reviews that have been published since November 2008. Accompanying this update will be a commentary from David Conway, Clinical Senior Lecturer at Glasgow University Dental School and Honorary Consultant in Dental Public Health at NHS National Services Scotland (NSS).

Glaucoma (eyes and vision specialist collection) - 23rd November
This update will present the evidence published since the 2008 update on the following topics: diagnosis, monitoring/follow up, treatment (medical, surgical and laser), patient education, service provision, routine NHS information.

The topics will be supported by commentaries which will include the key messages from the NICE guideline on Chronic Open Angle Glaucoma published in April this year.

Supportive and palliative care in chronic lung disease (supportive and palliative care specialist collection) - 23rd November
The Annual Evidence Update on supportive and palliative care in chronic lung disease collects together the best new knowledge covering two key symptoms which affect most patients - cough and dyspnoea (breathlessness). Our review of the literature will encompass recent advances in our understanding of the mechanisms of these symptoms as well as their management using drugs, physical, nursing and other non-pharmacological methods.

HIV/AIDs ( infections specialist collection) - 30th November
This year’s focus is on HIV and children. Specific topics will include:

• Mother to child transmission
• HIV testing in children
• Management of HIV in adolescents and children

Experts in the field will be providing summaries on these subtopics, and links to other useful websites will also be available.

Stroke (stroke specialist collection) - 30th November
The forthcoming Annual Evidence Update covers new high quality evidence (mainly systematic reviews) on stroke rehabilitation. Despite evidence of its effectiveness in reducing mortality and long term disability rehabilitation is often seen as a ‘Cinderella service’: underfunded, understaffed, and with a low profile compared to care at the ‘hi-tech’ end of the spectrum of care.

The National Stroke Strategy sets Quality Markers (QM) across the spectrum of stroke care. QM 10 sets out the ambition for rehabilitation: "People who had had strokes access high-quality rehabilitation and, with their carer, receive support from stroke-skilled services as soon as possible after they have a stroke, available in hospital, immediately after transfer from hospital and for as long as they need it."

Special care dentistry (oral health specialist collection) - 30th November
Since our first Evidence Update in this topic in September 2008, Special Care Dentistry has been officially designated a dental speciality. We are pleased to present our latest Evidence Update on the topic in the week that the two professional societies for special care dentistry hold their meetings (British Society for Disability and Oral Health and British Society of Gerodontology).

The Update brings together new guidance and systematic reviews relevant to Special Care Dentistry that have been published since the last update, accompanied by a commentary on the evidence.

Annual evidence updates - October 2009

The NHS Evidence Specialist Collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until March 2010 is available here. The following updates are scheduled scheduled for October:

Heart failure (cardiovascular specialist collection) w/b 5th October
This update for health professionals and patients will include guidance and systematic reviews published since the 2008 update, together with the latest website resources. A team of expert reviewers will summarise advances in diagnosis and treatments, providing healthcare professionals with easy access to the latest evidence.

Depression (mental health specialist collection) w/b 5th October
The AEU is divided up into sections on:

• Incidence and prevalence
  
• Diagnosis, prevention and screening
  
• Pharmacological treatments
  
• Psychological therapies
  
• Transcranial magnetic stimulation
  
• Complementary and alternative treatments
  
• Populations and settings
  
• Genetics

CAM for depression (complementary and alternative medicine specialist collection) w/b 5th October
The aim of the 2009 Annual Evidence Update on CAM for Depression is to identify, organise and present the most up-to-date evidence for this topic. It will include a summary of the evidence from systematic reviews and RCTs published between July 2008 and August 2009.

Breast cancer (cancer specialist collection) w/b 12th October
This is the fifth Annual Evidence Update on breast cancer. It presents the results of a search for new guidance and systematic reviews that have appeared since October 2008. This Update provides commentaries from the Breast Cancer Advisory Panel, which comprises leading health professionals in breast cancer care. Examples of topic areas covered include:

• Sentinel node identification and classification after neoadjuvant chemotherapy-a systematic review and meta-analysis
• Magnetic resonance imaging of ductal carcinoma in situ: what is its clinical application?
  
• Breast cancer presentation and survival in relation to ethnicity and social deprivation
  
• Fertility related concerns of women with breast cancer
  
• Management of hot flushes for women with treatment-induced menopause

The AEU will bring together significant new evidence, links to patient information and external resources in order to fully cover the last twelve months of clinical and research-based activity in breast cancer.

Ethnicity/ inequality (ethnicity and health specialist collection) w/b 19th October
This Annual Evidence Update will feature four exclusive articles based on current evidence:

• Obesity and south Asian children
  
• Cancer among BME groups – perspective of the National Cancer Action Team
  
• Mental Health
  
• Ethnic groups and prescribing – pharmacovigilance and genetic diversity

System reform (health management specialist collection) w/b 26th October
This update provides an opportunity to bring together up-to-date knowledge and evidence about several key strands of NHS reform published since the last AEU on system reform in October 2008. The key strands are:

• patient choice
• payment by results
• commissioning
• foundation trusts
• alternative providers (including independent and third sector)
• regulation

World's biggest coffee morning

The hospital library will be participating in the world's biggest coffee morning on Friday 25th September between 10 am and 12 noon.

Come along for some home made cakes and learn more about the library at the same time. All proceeds will go to Macmillan Cancer Care.

New training courses

The hospital library has expanded its range of training events. In addition to our Searching the literature course we are now offering the following hands-on training:

Finding quality healthcare information on the internet
An introduction to key online healthcare resources and to core searching techniques. This course would be suitable for anyone requiring a refresher or who is new to looking for healthcare information. Course outline.

• Monday 5th October (1.30 to 4.30pm)
• Monday 2nd November (1.30 to 4.30pm)

The Cochrane Library and other evidence-based resources
Learn how to find and filter high level evidence such as systematic reviews, RCTs and guidelines from a range of resources. Course outline.

• Monday 12th October (1.30 to 4.30pm)
• Monday 16th November (1.30 to 4.30pm)

Please see the hospital library website for the course booking form and further information about training opportunities.

Annual evidence updates - September 2009

On 30th April the "Specialist libraries" which had been provided by the National Library for Health became "Specialist collections" under the new NHS Evidence service provided by NICE. The specialist collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until March 2010 is available here. The following updates are scheduled scheduled for September:

Hepatitis B/C (gastroenterology and liver diseases specialist collection) - w/b 7th September
The Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Project Team has carried out a systematic literature search on Hepatitis B and C to identify all high level evidence published since the date of the last AEU in 2008, including guidelines, systematic reviews, health technology assessments and economic evaluations. This year we have also begun to identify uncertainties in research to contribute to the DUETs project.

The update coincides with the British Association for the Study of the Liver Annual Meeting.

Gastrointestinal symptoms in supportive and palliative care (Supportive and palliative care specialist collection) - w/b 7th September
The second supportive and palliative care Annual Evidence Update on symptom management in gastroenterology collects together the latest high quality evidence on 3 topics:

• Mouth care
• Diarrhoea
• Percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) feeding

Alzheimer's disease and dementia (Later life specialist collection) - w/b 14th September
The Annual Evidence Update aims to provide healthcare professionals with a clear path to the most important recent evidence surrounding the 5 types of dementia:

• Alzheimer's
• Vascular dementia
• Dementia with Lewy bodies
• Frontotemporal dementia
• Mixed dementia

Eczema (Skin disorders specialist collection) - w/b 14th September
This third Annual Evidence Update on atopic eczema presents the results of a search for new national guidance and systematic reviews published since the 2008 update. There will be the collection’s usual “what’s new” analysis, discussing the new evidence and its implications for clinical practice—this year written by Professor Hywel Williams and Dr Jonathan Batchelor.

Osteoarthritis (Musculoskeletal and Trauma and orthopaedics specialist collections) - w/b 21st September
As in the past, this publication will consist of all of the relevant systematic reviews that have been published in the last 12 months along with any other important material such as national guidelines.

Surgical aspects of faecal incontinence (Surgery, anaesthesia, perioperative and critical care specialist collection) - w/b 21st September
This update will coincide with National Continence Awareness Week 2009. NICE guidance on faecal incontinence was published in June 2007 based on literature published prior to October 2006. Having published the first update in September 2008, this AEU will highlight relevant, good quality evidence published between July 2008 and July 2009, focusing specifically on surgical management (including biofeedback and implants).

Antenatal and pregnancy care (Women's health specialist collection) - w/b 28th September
The update brings together the results of a comprehensive literature search for new research published since July 2008. The 2009 AEU builds on the AEU from last year and adds to this any new evidence identified from the up-to-date literature search. Topics include:

• information needs
• common pregnancy problems
• provision of antenatal care
• antenatal ultrasound
• fetal heart rate monitoring

Hyperthyroidism (ENT and audiology specialist collection) - w/b 28th September
Research on thyroid disorders continues to proliferate and this evidence update will present a concise summary of the latest guidelines, systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials on hyperthyroidism, combined with a list of current therapeutic uncertainties to prioritise future research. Multiple databases have been searched to capture all emerging evidence for the period September 2008 to August 2009.

Searching the literature - training dates

The library is offering the following dates for our course Searching the literature which covers an introduction to Athens resources, how to access full-text journal articles and how to construct simple, but effective, database searches using Medline, CINAHL etc.

All courses will be held in the IT Skills Training room in the Education Centre.

• Wednesday 9th September (9.30 to 12.30 pm)
• Thursday 17th September (9.30 to 12.30 pm)
• Monday 19th October (1.30 to 4.30 pm)
• Monday 9th November (9.30 to 12.30 pm)
• Thursday 26th November (1.30 to 4.30 pm)
• Thursday 17th December (1.30 to 4.30 pm)

For full course details and a booking form please see the library's training page.

If you can't make any of these dates library staff are happy to provide 1:1 training at a time and place to suit you. Please contact us on ext. 1544 or hospital.library@ipswichhospital.nhs.uk.

There are also two online tutorials on database searching which you can do at your own pace and at your own convenience.

Annual evidence updates - August 2009

On 30th April the "Specialist libraries" which had been provided by the National Library for Health became "Specialist collections" under the new NHS Evidence service provided by NICE. The specialist collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until December 2009 is available here. The following updates are scheduled scheduled for August:

Diabetic retinopathy (NHS Evidence - diabetes collection) - 24th August
Diabetic retinopathy (DR) is the most common cause of blindness in working age people in the UK. The annual evidence update on diabetic retinopathy provides an opportunity to present an up-to-date comprehensive collection of information that has been subject to rigorous selection criteria. The coverage of the annual evidence update has been developed on the basis of topics suggested by UK diabetic retinopathy experts. Information is organised by topic areas and links are provided within each topic to the relevant systematic reviews, primary research, guidelines and patient information. Topics include:

• incidence and prevalence of DR
• epidemiology and progression of DR
• factors influencing development of DR
• screening for DR
• treatment, surgery, modern therapies
• blindness and visual impairment
• automated computer algorithm Do Once and Share Project
• DR in Europe
• replies to frequently asked questions

Headache (NHS Evidence – neurological conditions collection) - 24th August
The Neurological Conditions Specialist Collection Project Team has carried out a systematic literature search on headache to identify all high level evidence published since the date of the last headache Annual Evidence Update in 2008, including guidelines, systematic reviews, health technology assessments and economic evaluations. Leading headache and migraine experts from around the UK have read and appraised these for their validity and relevance to the busy clinician. A list of the papers deemed worthy of inclusion, along with expert commentaries by our reviewers, will be freely available.

Cochrane Library - latest edition now online

The latest edition (Issue 3, 2009) of the Cochrane Library is now available. Ninety new systematic reviews and 127 new review protocols had been added to the database. These include:

• Muscle rubs: use for pain is questionable
• Chinese herbs for endometriosis: may have comparable benefits with fewer side effects than conventional drug treatment
• Student drinking: changing perceptions reduces alcohol misuse
• Progressive resistance strength training helps older people in daily life
• Blood pressure targets: aiming lower offers no benefit
• Non drug interventions may comfort children having an anaesthetic
• Bacterial vaginosis treatments: probiotics can increase effectiveness of some antibiotic therapies
• Caesarean section: local anaesthetic reduces need for painkillers post-op

Click here for a full update and summaries of key new reviews (PDF).

The library can provide training on searching the Cochrane Library. Please contact us (ext 1545) or see our website.

New e-books

Several new electronic books have been recently purchased for NHS Athens users:

• Chronic pain: a primary care guide to practical management
• Clinical interviewing
• Medical statistics from scratch
• Multidisciplinary handbook of child and adolescent mental health for front-line professionals
• Think good, feel good - a cognitive behaviour therapy workbook for children

New editions of the Oxford Textbook of Psychiatry and various Oxford Handbooks will be available shortly.

All these titles may be accessed via NHS Evidence.

Full JAMA archives available online

Perpetual access to the full JAMA archives from 1883–1998 is now available online to all NHS Athens subscribers.

There are three ways to access JAMA articles:

• You will find links to full text articles from JAMA when you search the healthcare databases (e.g. Medline) via NHS Evidence
• Select JAMA on the My Journals service. This will allow you browse the contents list for any issue of the journal
• Access the JAMA Archives link direct from your My Athens resources list.

Annual evidence updates - July 2009

On 30th April the "Specialist libraries" which had been provided by the National Library for Health became "Specialist collections" under the new NHS Evidence service provided by NICE. The specialist collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until September 2009 is available here. There is just one update scheduled for July:

Hip fracture (Trauma and orthopaedics and Emergency and urgent care specialist collections) - July 27th
The scope of the literature search for this update covers fractures affecting the proximal femur. The update will appeal to all health professionals, reflecting the multidisciplinary approach required across both primary and secondary care. However, there may be clinicians who are involved in the management of polytrauma and high energy injuries that affect the hip joint who will find that our update is offset from their area of interest.

Book sale update

The recent book sale raised nearly £150 for new books for the library on diabetes. Many thanks to those of you who made donations and came along and purchased items from the selection of books, DVDs and videos on offer.

Free journal articles!

From 22nd June until 18th September, the library will not charge Ipswich Hospital Trust staff for copies of articles obtained from other NHS libraries. This saves you £2.00 per item. Normal rates apply to items from the British Library.

Click here to request an article

Don't forget that many journals are now online. Check availability by logging on to the MyJournals service with your Athens username and password.

Another book sale

The library will be hosting another book sale in the Old Nursing Library (opposite the entrance to the library) between 11 am and 3 pm on Wednesday 24th June.

Our last sale raised £300 for new library resources for qualified midwives. This time funds will go towards diabetes resources.

If you have any books, CDs or DVDs that you no longer want we would be grateful for donations. Please bring them to the library or contact Janet Bayliss on ext 1544 for collection information.

Above all, please come and buy!

Annual evidence updates - June 2009

On 30th April the "Specialist libraries" which had been provided by the National Library for Health became "Specialist collections" under the new NHS Evidence service provided by NICE.

The specialist collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until September 2009 is available here. The following Annual Evidence Updates are scheduled for June:

Heavy menstrual bleeding (Women's health specialist collection) - 1st June
The update aims to provide clinicians with the most up-to-date knowledge on the diagnosis and management of heavy menstrual bleeding.

Atrial fibrillation (Cardiovascular diseases specialist collection) - 1st June
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common sustained cardiac arrhythmia and if left untreated is a significant risk factor for stroke and other morbidities. NICE published a guideline on management of AF in June 2006. We have systematically identified high quality evidence that has appeared since then, and will present this with summaries written by leading experts in the field.

Drugs misuse (Public health specialist collection) - 8th June
The theme for this first update is drugs misuse treatment in offender populations. We have teamed up with experts from the Addictions Centre based at the Institute of Psychiatry, Kings College London to evaluate the evidence and put it into context. The AEU runs in conjunction with the Home Office Drugs Week.

Age related macular degeneration (Eyes and vision specialist collection) - 15th June
A collection of the evidence that has emerged since the 2008 AEU will be presented under a number of topics reflecting aspects of the care pathway. The evidence will be categorised into secondary publications (systematic reviews and meta-analyses), interventional studies (randomised control trials and clinical control trials) and observational studies. The emphasis of the AEU will be on the sight threatening or visually impairing forms of age-related macular degeneration.

Oesophago-gastric cancers (Cancer and Gastroenterology and liver diseases specialist collections) - 22nd June
This is the first Annual Evidence Update on oesophago-gastric cancers. It presents the results of a search for new guidance and systematic reviews that have appeared in the last 2 years. As this is first AEU in this topic area an overview will be presented, highlighting significant new evidence, together with other important resources.

Health needs of people with learning disabilities (Learning disabilities specialist collection) - 29th June
People with learning disabilities have a higher level of health needs than the general population, many of which are unmet. This update provides evidence summaries and bibliographies of published research for some key health issues:

• Cancer
• Challenging behaviour
• Coronary heart disease
• Epilepsy
• Respiratory illness
• Visual impairment

We know that many people with learning disabilities do not to seek out support from the healthcare system unaided, and that healthcare issues can remain undiagnosed or untreated. The publication of the findings of the independent inquiry into healthcare for people with learning disabilities (the ‘Michael Report’) identified a range of actions needed to ensure adults and children with learning disabilities receive appropriate treatment in acute and primary healthcare in England, and the Department of Health recently updated good practice guidance on Health Action Planning and Health Facilitation.

Osteoporosis (Musculoskeletal specialist collection) - 29th June
As with previous updates the team have sifted the publications in this area in the 12 months up to the end of May 2009 and have concentrated on highlighting systematic reviews, these being the most reliable and least biased evidence available to guide practice and improve knowledge in this area.

New H1N1 resource centre

The Lancet has partnered with over 40 Elsevier-published journals and 11 learned societies to launch a new H1N1 Flu Resource Centre for healthcare professionals at TheLancet.com. Developed by The Lancet editors, this new online information clearinghouse aggregates infectious disease and public health information from across Elsevier's spectrum of content.

To upgrade the level of expert analysis and advice on the prevention, detection, diagnosis, and treatment of the influenza A H1N1 (swine flu), the Centre is a complimentary microsite for physicians, nurses, pharmacists, and healthcare professionals across the globe.

"The H1N1 Flu Resource Centre fulfils The Lancet's mission of improving outcomes in health and in the business of health. Healthcare professionals will have immediate access to timely, accurate information aggregated from diverse online resources and journals. The global medical community will benefit from this resource."
Richard Horton, Editor-in-Chief of The Lancet journals

Led by John McConnell, Editor of The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the editorial team has scanned thousands of journals published by Elsevier for articles on the scientific, clinical, and public health aspects of the H1N1 virus. Articles selected by The Lancet editors have been categorised into relevant topics and full-text PDFs made available for free download from the H1N1 Resource Centre.

Annual evidence updates - May 2009

On 30th April the "Specialist libraries" which had been provided by the National Library for Health became "Specialist collections" under the new NHS Evidence service provided by NICE.

The specialist collections have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each specialist collection identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates until September 2009 is available here. The following Annual Evidence Updates are scheduled for May:

CAM for asthma (Complementary and alternative medicine specialist collection) - 5th May
The update aims to identify, organise and present the latest information on this topic. It will include a list of relevant systematic reviews published between March 2008 and March 2009 and an expert commentary.

Cystic fibrosis (Respiratory and Genetic conditions specialist collections) - 11th May
The respiratory and genetic conditions specialist collections will present the first annual evidence update for Cystic Fibrosis (CF). It will publish details of the latest evidence in CF, with a number of invited commentaries highlighting the key developments in recent years.

Rhinitis (ENT and audiology specialist collection) - 11th May
Presents a comprehensive collection of new systematic reviews and guidelines, together with expert opinion. Evidence will be categorised by the sub-topic areas proposed by the British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology, including allergic, non-allergic, infectious and paediatric rhinitis. There will also be an updated list of therapeutic uncertainties to highlight priority areas for future research.

Skin cancer (Cancer and Skin disorders specialist collections) - 11th May
This is the second annual evidence update on Skin Cancer and published to correspond with Sun Awareness Week. It presents the results of a search for new guidance and systematic reviews that have appeared since last year’s update. There will also be expert commentaries discussing the significance of the new evidence in a variety of topic areas.

Epilepsy (Neurological conditions specialist collection) - 18th May

The second annual evidence update on epilepsy is being launched to coincide with National Epilepsy Awareness Week. The Project Team has carried out a systematic literature search on epilepsy to identify all high level evidence published since the date of the last Epilepsy Annual Evidence Update in 2007, including guidelines, systematic reviews, health technology assessments and economic evaluations. Leading epilepsy experts from around the UK have read and appraised these for their validity and relevance to the busy clinician. This year we have also begun to identify uncertainties in research to contribute to the UK DUETs project.

Oral Health (Oral health specialist collection) - 18th May
To mark the start of National Smile Month 2009, NHS Evidence – oral health is presenting an Annual Evidence Update covering all aspects of oral health. The specialist collection team has conducted a systematic search of a wide range of databases to identify the best available evidence (guidance and systematic reviews). This update will be complemented over the coming months by several specialised evidence updates focusing on particular aspects, including periodontology, special care dentistry and oral cancer.

Proteinuria and estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (Kidney diseases specialist collection) - 26th May
This review will update the evidence presented during last year's Knowledge Week. The most useful papers on the following topics have been selected by renal experts:

• Basic science
• Clinical aspects
• Management

Swine influenza - free information made available

Due to the recent global outbreak of swine influenza, EBSCO Publishing and the DynaMed editors have made DynaMed’s information about swine influenza free to health care providers and institutions throughout the world.

The DynaMed topic on swine influenza consolidates information from multiple sources for health care providers to stay current with recommendations for monitoring, diagnosing, and treating patients with flu-like illnesses during this outbreak. DynaMed editors will continue to monitor information and update this topic as needed throughout this global crisis.

Cochrane Library - latest issue now online

The latest edition (Issue 2, 2009) of the Cochrane Library is now available. Eight-nine new systematic reviews and 145 new review protocols had been added to the database. These include:

• Maternal positions and mobility during first stage labour
• Homeopathic medicines for adverse effects of cancer treatments
• Music for stress and anxiety reduction in coronary heart disease patients
• Interventions for preventing falls in older people living in the community
• Dental fillings for the treatment of caries in the primary dentition
• Surgery for obesity
• Stimulation of the wrist acupuncture point P6 for preventing postoperative nausea and vomiting
• Statins for the prevention of dementia
• Transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation (TENS) for pain relief in labour

Click here for a full update and summaries of key new reviews (PDF).

The library can provide training on searching the Cochrane Library. Please contact us (ext 1545) or see our website.

Swine influenza

The hot topic of the moment is swine influenza with warnings of a potential global pandemic. Here are some key links to help you keep informed (with thanks to Keith Nockels, Information Librarian at the University of Leicester).

• Advice of tracking swine influenza online
  
• HealthMap
  
• BBC News - Q&A and an interview with Maureen Baker, Head of Pandemic Planning at the Royal College of General Practitioners
  
• Latest BBC News (5/5/09)
  
• Joint BMA/ RCGP guidance
  
• World Health Organization
  
• Health Protection Agency (UK)
  
• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US)
  
• National Library of Medicine (US)
  
• Dynamed (latest consolodated information)
  
• TRIP blog (again lists other useful links)
  
• WebMD
  
• Twitter - what's being talking about

To search for information on swine influenza on Intute (health and life sciences) use the following search strategy:

• swine (flu or influenza or fever)

Don't forget the library can run a detailed literature search for you on this or any other topic. Click here to request a literature search.

Training in searching the healthcare literature

The library is continuing to offer hands-on, small group training on the core healthcare databases, including Medline and CINAHL. We are pleased to announce dates throughout the spring and summer. Unless stated, the sessions run from 9.30 to 12.30 in the IT skills training room, opposite Cafe Gypps in the education centre.

• Wednesday 6th May
• Thursday 28th May (1.30pm to 4.30pm)
• Monday 15th June
• Thursday 2nd July
• Thursday 16th July
• Wednesday 9th September
• Thursday 17th September

To book a place either contact the library (ext 1544) or use the online booking form on our website.

Alternatively, library staff are happy to offer one to one assistance in searching these databases, and a range of other resources such as the Cochrane Library. Again, please contact the library to make an appointment.

There are also two excellent online tutorials on searching the healthcare databases which you can do in your own time and at your own pace.

Easter library opening

The hospital library will not be staffed over the Easter weekend. It will close on Thursday 9th April at 5.00 pm and reopen at 8.30 am on Tuesday 14th April. Any member of staff needing out of hours access should ensure that they contact the library for an up to date door PIN. [Ext 1545 or hospital.library@ipswichhospital.nhs.uk]

NHS Evidence

On 30th April 2009 a new service called NHS Evidence will be launched. In Lord Darzi's report High Quality Care for All, the National Institute for health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) was asked to establish NHS Evidence to provide access to a comprehensive evidence base for everyone in health and social care who makes decisions about treatments or the use of resources.

NHS Evidence will inform patient care, commissioning and service development. It will also quality-assess the producers of guidance and recommendations for practice in order to drive up standards of evidence in the longer term.

A key component of NHS Evidence will be an online portal giving access to high quality evidence and other information including research data and local experience. The system will be built around a search engine. Ultimately, users will be able to customise the service based on their own information needs and share local content with other users.

At the time of the launch at the end of April the new NHS Evidence portal will have limited functionality. To ensure continued access to the evidence-base the existing National Library for Health website will be rebranded as NHS Evidence and continue in its current format for a further six months.

For further information on the rationale and development of NHS Evidence, click here.

Annual Evidence Updates - April 2009

The National Library for Health (NLH) Specialist Libraries have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each NLH Specialist Library identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The following Annual Evidence Updates are scheduled for April 2009:

Colorectal cancer (Cancer Specialist Library) 6th April
This update has been timed to coincide with Bowel Cancer Awareness Month. It consists of all relevant systematic reviews and national guidelines that have emerged in the past twelve months covering:

• Causes, risks and prevention
• Assessment and diagnosis
• Treatment and disease management
• Service delivery and standards

Schizophrenia (Mental Health Specialist Library) 14th April
Brings together the latest evidence-based guidelines, systematic reviews, important primary research, service development literature and patient information.

Cardiac rehabilitation (Cardiovascular Diseases Specialist Library) 14th April
The results of new systematic reviews and other relevant information published since the first Annual Evidence Update in June 2008. There is also a “what's new” analysis discussing new evidence and its implications for clinical practice.

Acupuncture (Complementary & Alternative Medicine Specialist Library) 20th April
This update will provide a summary of systematic reviews, large RCTs and other relevant studies published in the twelve months since the 2008 AEU on Acupuncture.

Obesity (Public Health Specialist Library) 20th April
This is an update on last year's topic of Childhood Obesity: Surveillance and Prevention. There has been a lot of new evidence published in these areas, especially in regards to prevention in terms of diet, physical activity, and protection due to breast feeding and early childhood health and diet. The National Obesity Observatory have reviewed the evidence and written summaries about what this means for current programmes and schemes such as the National Childhood Measurement Programme.

Rheumatoid arthritis (Musculoskeletal Diseases Specialist Library) 27th April
This update will focus on guidance and systematic reviews published before March 2009. As in recent years the majority of publications relate to various aspects of treatment with biologics. Although this constitutes an increasing proportion of the clinical activity in relation to this disease, we should not lose sight of other important developments and various aspects of rheumatoid disease management feature prominently in our update. It might seem obvious that patients should be able to expect the same high standard of care from the NHS wherever they are located in the UK but the fact that their experience varies greatly has been highlighted in a report from the Kings Fund. This would be justifiable if there was no evidence to guide practice but this is far from being the case. Perhaps the most important publication during the year has been the NICE Guideline on Rheumatoid Arthritis. The widespread implementation of this guidance has the potential to greatly improve the lives and outlook of very many patients with this devastating disease.

Failure to cope in old age (Later Life Specialist Library) 27th April
This update will focus on the challenges with independent living faced by people in later life. It will identify systematic reviews, guidelines and important policy documents. Carer support will also be considered.

From 30th April, when NHS Evidence is launched (see http://ipswichinformation.blogspot.com/2009/03/nhs-evidence.html), the specialist libraries will be known as specialist collections, each with an individual name such as NHS Evidence - Women's Health. A review of the specialist libraries is currently underway; this is due to be completed in September 2009.

Annual Evidence Updates - March 2009

The National Library for Health (NLH) Specialist Libraries have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each NLH Specialist Library identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates for 2009 is now available. The following Annual Evidence Updates are scheduled for March 2009:

Acne (Skin Disorders Specialist Library) 2nd March
This is the third Annual Evidence Update on Acne Vulgaris (common acne). As last year, the search for new evidence has been extended to randomised controlled trials as well as systematic reviews, because so few new systematic reviews have been published. Also included is a “what’s new” commentary and an updated version of systematic reviews on acne published since 1999, mapped by topic.

Dysmenorrhoea and endometriosis (Women's Health Specialist Library) 2nd March
The update aims to provide clinicians with the most up-to-date knowledge on the diagnosis and management of endometriosis and dysmenorrhoea.

Prostate cancer (Cancer Specialist Library) 9th March
The Annual Evidence Update consists of all relevant systematic reviews and national guidelines that have emerged in the twelve months since the last update in March 2008 covering causes, risks and prevention; screening; asessment and diagnosis; treatment and disease management, and service delivery and standards. The update is timed to coincide with Prostate Cancer Awareness Month.

Hearing disorders (ENT Specialist Library) 16th March
Hearing disorder research continues to proliferate and this evidence update will present a concise summary of the latest emerging evidence on key topic areas, combined with expert commentaries and a list of current therapeutic uncertainties to highlight priorities for future research. Topics will include:

• Hearing aids
• Cochlear implants
• Tinnitus
• Newborn hearing screening and early assessment
• Glue ear
• Auditory processing disorder

Tuberculosis (Infections Specialist Library) 23rd March
The Infections Specialist Library in collaboration with the National Knowledge Service – TB will launch its Annual Evidence Update on Tuberculosis on 23rd March 2009. This has been timed to coincide with World TB Day on 24th March 2009. Topics include:

• Vaccines to prevent TB
• Treatment Completion
• Line probe assays
• HIV testing in TB clinics

Experts in the field will be providing commentaries on these subtopics, and links to other useful websites will also be provided.

Inflammatory bowel disease (Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Specialist Library) 23rd March
The NLH Gastroenterology and Liver Diseases Specialist Library project team has carried out a systematic search on inflammatory bowel disease to identify all high level evidence published in the past year, namely guidelines, systematic reviews, health technology assessments and economic evaluations. Leading experts from around the UK have read and appraised these for their validity and relevance to the busy clinician.

Pain (Supportive and Palliative Care Specialist Library) 30th March
This Annual Evidence Update collects together the latest high quality evidence on three important aspects of pain in supportive and palliative care: cannabinoids for pain management; pain management in dementia, and pain and cancer survivorship.

UK Database of Uncertainties about the Effects of Treatment

The UK Database of Uncertainties about the Effects of Treatment (UK DUETs) has become a Specialist Library within the National Library for Health.

UK DUETs is being developed primarily to help those prioritising research in the UK to take account of the information needs of patients, carers and clinicians, as promoted by the James Lind Alliance. The database was established to publish uncertainties about the effects of treatments that cannot currently be answered by referring to reliable, up-to-date systematic reviews of existing research evidence.

Systematic reviews are based on worldwide searches for reliable, relevant evidence, analysed using methods to reduce biases and the play of chance. More detailed information about systematic reviews and fair tests of the effects of medical treatments is available in The James Lind Library.

DUETs draws on three main sources to identify uncertainties about the effects of treatments:

• patients', carers' and clinicians' questions about the effects of treatments
• research recommendations in reports of systematic reviews and clinical guidelines
• ongoing research, both systematic reviews in preparation and new 'primary' studies

Identifying uncertainties relevant to patients and clinicians
There are many important uncertainties about the effects of treatments. To help ensure that treatments are likely to do more good than harm, these gaps in knowledge must be identified and those deemed sufficiently important must be addressed in research, either by systematic assessment of what can be known from existing evidence, or by extending the evidence base. Research on the effects of treatments too often fails to address questions that matter to patients, and to the clinicians to whom they turn for help. For this reason, UK DUETs identifies and publishes unanswered questions about the effects of treatments which have been asked by patients and clinicians, while also noting therapeutic uncertainties identified through systematic reviews, clinical guidelines, and other formal mechanisms.

Cochrane Library - latest issue now online

The latest update to the Cochrane Library (Issue 1, January 2009) is now available. The 112 new reviews include:

• Acupuncture for tension-type headache
• Interventions for preventing weight gain after smoking cessation
• Publication bias in clinical trials due to statistical significance or direction of trial results
• Interventions for treating obesity in children
• Post-operative radiotherapy for ductal carcinoma in situ of the breast
• Vision screening of older drivers for preventing road traffic injuries and fatalities
• Pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for body dysmorphic disorder
• Low glycaemic index, or low glycaemic load, diets for diabetes mellitus
• Very early versus delayed mobilisation after stroke
• Interventions for treatment of neonatal hyperglycemia in very low birth weight infants
• Dietary interventions for rheumatoid arthritis
• Antimicrobial prophylaxis for colorectal surgery

Click here for a document detailing all the highlights of the new issue.

If you require training on how to search the Cochrane Library please contact the library (ext 1545).

Book sale update

The library's book sale held on 28th January raised just over £300 to go towards the purchase of resources for trained staff working in the maternity department. We would like to thank everyone who donated items for the sale and who came along and parted with their cash. Here we see Yvonne Widdowson and Dr Rasool browsing some of the items on offer.

Our homemade cakes also raised £15 for the hospital's Happy Hearts Appeal.

The sale was so successful that we will be holding another in the near future. Watch this space!

Annual evidence updates - February 2009

The National Library for Health (NLH) Specialist Libraries have been developed to identify and meet the information needs of particular communities of practice. They are web-based collections containing clinical and non-clinical information on the major health priority areas. Each NLH Specialist Library identifies and provides access to quality assessed information of relevance to the community that it serves.

An aspect of this involves the production of Annual Evidence Updates, which aim to highlight the best current evidence for selected healthcare topics. Annual Evidence Updates consist of the good quality evidence from a search of research evidence on a particular topic over a 12 month period, plus user-friendly summaries written by relevant experts, and links to guidelines, secondary research and primary research, if applicable. All information included in Annual Evidence Updates has been subject to rigorous selection criteria.

The calendar of currently confirmed Annual Evidence Updates for 2009 is now available. The following Annual Evidence Updates are scheduled for February 2009:

Tinnitus (ENT and Audiology Specialist Library) 9th February
Tinnitus research continues to proliferate and in conjunction with National Tinnitus Week, this evidence update will present a concise summary of the latest emerging evidence on various sub-topics, combined with a list of current therapeutic uncertainties to highlight research gaps. Sub-topics will include: aetiology, risk factors, diagnosis, treatment, clinical tools, patient experiences, outcome assessment and service delivery.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Supportive and Palliative Care (Supportive and Palliative Care Specialist Library) 9th February
The best current evidence on three key topics is collected together:

• nausea and vomiting
• constipation
• bowel obstruction

Chest Pain (Cardiovascular Diseases Specialist Library) 23rd February
This annual evidence update updates the previous AEU published in February 2007.

Chest pain is a common reason for patients seeking healthcare, often as an emergency. But not all chest pain is cardiac in origin, and (for example) the proportion of patients calling for an ambulance with chest pain who have proven heart attack is low – less than 10% in some studies. We have identified key systematic reviews and related documents to support clinicians and commissioners in identifying the best available, current evidence on this topic. NICE are due to publish guidance on chest pain in December 2009.

The update includes commentaries from an Expert Group, chaired by Clinical Lead, Professor Tom Quinn, from the Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences, University of Surrey.

Cake recipe

At today's book sale Janet and Mary's homemade cakes have been available in aid of the hospital's Happy Hearts appeal. We hope to be able to give them a sizeable donation.

Inevitably there have been enquiries about recipes. Here is the one for my ginger and prune cake. It's extremely easy to make and leaves minimal washing up. It's a cake that tastes better after a day or two, becoming even more moist and sticky, and I find it's rather nice with butter, or could even be used as a pudding with custard. Mmmm!

Ingredients:

6 oz ready to eat prunes, chopped (stoneless weight)
9fl oz hot water
1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
4 oz unsalted butter
4 oz dark muscovado sugar (I find normal dark soft brown sugar works fine too)
4 oz golden syrup
9 oz self raising flour
1 tbsp ground ginger
2 large eggs
2 tbsp maple syrup

1. Preheat oven to 180C, 350F or gas mark 4. Grease and line a 9" square, deep cake tin.


2. Put prunes, bicarb and water in a large saucepan and heat until boiling.


3. Remove from heat and add the butter, sugar and golden syrup, stirring until melted.


4. Add the beaten eggs, flour and ginger and mix thoroughly.


5. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 35-40 mins until firm to the touch.


6. Cool in the tin for 10 mins, then turn out and finish cooling on a wire rack. Brush with maple syrup and cut into squares.

I use a 2lb loaf tin rather than a square tin. This works equally well, although if you've got a fan oven I'd advise cooking the cake at a slightly lower temperature to ensure that it cooks evenly.

Training: searching the literature

The library offers a range of training on how to most effectively find healthcare information using the wealth of online databases and other resources available. We have some timetabled sessions held in the education centre IT skills training room. These are hands-on classes for small groups covering accessing online journals and databases through the NHS Athens password, and how to construct effective searches using those databases (e.g. Medline, CINAHL and Embase).

Remaining dates to April 2009:

• Thursday 5th February
• Wednesday 18th February
• Thursday 5th March
• Thursday 19th March
• Monday 6th April
• Thursday 23rd April

To find out more about the Searching the literature course and to book your place, visit our training page.

Book sale

Although we do have a number of healthcare textbooks on the table outside the library which are available for purchase, on Wednesday 28th January, the library will be hosting a "books etc" sale in the Old Nursing Library (opposite the entrance to the library) between 11 am and 3 pm.

A number of books, CDs and DVDs (on all topics) will be available for purchase as well as some delicious homemade cakes baked by members of the library team.

If you have any books that you no longer want we would be grateful for donations. Please bring them to the library during the week beginning Monday 26th January.