Study shows HSL’s high value for patient care

[excerpted from View From the Fifth]
An independent study conducted in 2011 found that library users based at UNC Hospitals placed a very high value on HSL’s resources and services.  Responding clinicians at UNC Hospitals told interviewers that our resources and services played a role in avoiding misdiagnosis, adverse drug reactions, medication errors, mortality and unnecessary surgery.

For the full story see the December issue of HSL’s View From the Fifth newsletter.

Dr. Sheldon Peck: HSL “a world-class, full-service scholarly health sciences library”

Dr.  Peck spoke at HSL on the “The Modern Value of Early Writing in Medicine and Dentistry” on November 13, 2012. The presentation was co-sponsored by the UNC Health Sciences Library and the Bullitt History of Medicine Club.

The following is an excerpt from his talk. For the entire presentation see this playlist on the HSL YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/user/hslunc).

Photographs from the event are at on the HSL Flickr site (http://www.flickr.com/photos/hslunc/)

Drs. Leena and Sheldon Peck recently donated a preeminent collection of dentistry books to the Health Sciences Library. For information on the collection, visit https://hsl.lib.unc.edu/specialcollections/peckcollection.

HSL librarians help physician shape worldwide treatment recommendations

[excerpted from News From the Fifth]
Pressed for time in preparing for a very important expert meeting of Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors without Borders – MSF), Dr. Benny Joyner  turned to HSL librarian Mellanye Lackey, who, along with Sara Suiter, SILS graduate research assistant, helped him gather and present evidence-based information he needed to help shape worldwide recommendations the organization would make on the fluid management of children.

Said Dr. Joyner, “having the body of evidence to support what I practice clinically allowed me to make a recommendation based not only in experience, but also a solid evidence base. And I would not have been standing on such a solid base during the meeting without Mellanye, Sara, and the HSL.”

For the full story, see the September 2012 issue of HSL’s News From the Fifth newsletter.

I Love My HSL: An Appreciative Inquiry video!

This video was presented last month (April, 2012) at the World Appreciative Inquiry Conference in Ghent, Belgium.  It wouldn’t have happened without you, our HSL patrons and friends!

The “I Love My HSL” project was selected as an Innovation in Appreciative Inquiry around the Globe.  The video is published as part of the Special April 2012 (Volume 14, Number 5) video issue, “Innovation2 & Appreciative Inquiry: Positive Images, Positive Action,” of AI Practitioner International Journal of Appreciative Inquiry launched at the AI World Conference in April, 2012.

Liza Cahoon Receives 2011 Chancellor’s Award

Aside

Liza Cahoon Receiving Chancellor's Award

The UNC Health Sciences Library (HSL)’s Elizabeth “Liza” Cahoon, an Information Associate with the HSL’s User Services department, was one of five recipients of the 2011 Chancellor’s Award. Liza is the fourth HSL staff member to receive the prestigious award in the past decade. She formally accepted the award during a ceremony at the Carolina Inn on Sept. 15, 2011, hosted by Chancellor Holden Thorp.

For the full story, see https://hsl.lib.unc.edu/newsletter/dec11#Cahoon.


We love our Graduate Assistants!

We love being a place where GAs can learn about the world of  health sciences libraries and contribute their unique perspectives.

On May 10th, HSL’s graduating SILS graduate students gave talks based on their master’s papers. After brief opening remarks by GA supervisor KTL Vaughan, Dave Ghamandi introduced the three speakers.

Audio files of each speaker are provided below. Photographs of the event have been posted to HSL’s Flickr website. Continue reading

NC Health Info “very helpful with many types of questions”

A person contacted me to find ratings and quality measures on doctors and hospitals in another state. I was able to use NC Health Info (https://nchealthinfo.org/) and its “Health Care” section to identify resources that covered other states in addition to NC, to see what the parallel state agency might be called, and what that agency might offer in the way of licensing info, complaints, etc. Success! Continue reading

Helping with “Behavioral Health Services for the Military and Their Families”

Christie Silbjajoris, Director of HSL’s NC Health Info, served on the NC Institute of Medicine (NCIOM) Task Force on “Behavioral Health Services for the Military and Their Families” established by the North General Assembly.  Christie was also asked to write a resource guide for the NC Journal of Medicine for their upcoming article on this topic.  The length of the Guide had to be reduced for the journal so the NCIOM decided to publish the Guide in its entirety as an appendix to their final report to the General Assembly.   Scott O’Brien, the editor of the journal issue, had this to say about the resource guide:

Hi, Christie. I’m very impressed by the breadth of the list you’ve compiled. I’ve been discussing this issue with my father, who served in the Marine Corps infantry in Vietnam. He’s pleased about the wealth of services currently available to military personnel and their families and proud of the efforts you and others have invested in promoting and providing these resources.”