1. Resources for lifelong learning
+ Public health information
Elena Springall

2. Contact Info
 Elena Springall
 416-978-0853
 elena.springall@utoronto.ca
 ask.gerstein@utoronto.ca

3. Learning Objectives –
Public Health Information
 Be aware of specialized sources for
public health information
 Pick the right resource for the situation

4. Public Health Information
more synthesized
less synthesized

5. Public Health Information
Guidelines, best
practices
Systematic
reviews
Synopses
Articles

6. Guidelines
Guide to Clinical Preventive Services
US Preventive Services Task Force
Guide to Community Preventive Services
US Task Force on Community Preventive
Services
MMWR Recommendations and Reports
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
National Guideline Clearinghouse
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
NICE Public Health Guidance
National Institute for Health and Clinical

11. Best practices
Model Practice Database
National Association of County and City Health Officials
Interactive Domain Model Best Practices for Health Promotio
Interactive Domain Model Best Practices Approach to
Better Health
Promising Practices Network
RAND Corporation
Canadian Best Practices Portal
Public Health Agency of Canada

15. Systematic reviews
 PubMed Clinical Queries
 The Cochrane Library
 Campbell Collaboration
 Joanna Briggs Institute
 NICE
 AHRQ Evidence-based Practice
 Effective Public Health Practice Project

16. News & Emerging Outbreaks
 News from PHAC
 CDC Public Health Matters blog
 FluWatch
 HealthMap
 WHO News via RSS
 CDC COCA (Clinician Outreach & Commun

17. LLL - Learning Objectives
 Learn to create and maintain a
personal program to keep up to date
and enhance professional competence
 Describe basic methods to critically
evaluate new information sources
 Describe characteristics of high
quality patient information and
develop awareness of trusted sources

18. Practical methods for LLL
 Good current awareness programs are:
 Efficient, preferably AUTOMATED
• (SET it and FORGET it)
 Focused on your highest priorities
 Manageable (you can make time to
read what arrives)

19. Current awareness programs
 First, develop goals:
 e.g. Read everything by supervisor
 e.g. Everything in the big 5 on my
specialty

20. Your current awareness program
 Second, develop activities to achieve
those goals
 Automated searches
 TOC email updates from key journals
 RSS feeds
• News updates
• Key blogs

21. Your current awareness program
 Third, evaluate effectiveness
 Too much? Too little? Bad/no results?
 Adjust, then try again
 (Ask a librarian for help or suggestions)

22. Thinking about Goals
 What news do I need to hear in order to
do my current job properly?
 What news do I need to hear in order to
keep up to date with my professional
development?
 What am I passionately interested in
knowing more about? (May have little or
nothing to do with work, that’ s ok)

23. Ok, YOUR TURN
What are your current
awareness GOAL(s) ?

24. Turn the Goal to ACTIVITY
My NC
BI
Example:
 GOAL: Read
everything new about
hpv vaccines
 ACTIVITY: Pubmed
automated search for
any new articles on
Gardasil/Cervarix/
HPV vaccine

25. Step 1. Run the search
 My NCBI

27. Step 2
Save
search

28. Call it something meaningful

29. Change the frequency, day
of the week, format of
delivery to suit your
preferences

30. http://plus.mcmaster.ca/EvidenceUpdates/
Evidence Updates (McMaster PLUS)

35. TOC alerts
 Get e-mail, RSS feeds, podcasts from the big 5
medical journals

36. TOC alerts
 Use the journal’s site or TicTOCs:
http://www.tictocs.ac.uk/

38. RSS Feeds
 Can get from journal’s website, TicTocs
 Can also search for feed within Google
Reader, Bloglines…

40. http://www.bt.cdc.gov/coca/registry.asp
CDC Emergency Updates

41. COCA conference calls

42. Twitter
 @CochraneCollab
 @CDCemergency
 @CDCgov
 @gersteinlibrary

46. Critical Evaluation of Sources
 More advertising, more wary!
 Statements of responsibility, credentials
 Quality of content, interface
 How current?
 Pop ups?
 Personal information collected?

47. Case Study: Sermo

48. Case Study: Sermo

49. What about your patients?

51. Be Picky when Picking Sources
 Pick professional sources for….
• Reliability (both content AND schedule)
• Can it deliver in a set-and-forget mode?
• Relevance to your learning GOALS
 Pick patient information sources for…
 Quality – reflect latest/best knowledge
 Readability (consider levels, language)
 Usability/learning styles (Interactive? Print?)

52. Your questions?

53. Contact Info
 Elena Springall
 416-946-5759
 elena.springall@utoronto.ca
 Gerstein Science Information Centre