Electronic health record: integrating evidence-based information at the point of clinical decision making

The authors created two tools to achieve the goals of providing physicians with a way to review alternative diagnoses and improving access to relevant evidence-based library resources without disrupting established workflows. The “diagnostic decision support tool” lifted terms from standard, coded fields in the electronic health record and sent them to Isabel, which produced a list of possible diagnoses. The physicians chose their diagnoses and were presented with the “knowledge page,” a collection of evidence-based library resources. Each resource was automatically populated with search results based on the chosen diagnosis. Physicians responded positively to the “knowledge page.

Transcending Thresholds: A Phenomenological Study of How African American Women Working in the Federal Government Experience Professional Development

The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the professional development experiences of federally employed African American women and to discover whether and how they perceive race and gender as informing their professional development. The researcher used an existential phenomenological approach, guided by the following research questions: what are the professional development experiences of African American women working in the federal government?; what, if any, challenges to professional development have been experienced by this population, and what meaning do they find in those experiences?; and what are the perceptions of this population regarding how social-organizational constructs inform their professional development? The theories used in this study to illuminate the participants’ experiences included feminism, critical race theory, black feminist thought, and organizational development theory. Through data analysis, the study results pointed to “transcending thresholds” as the essence of how the selected population experienced professional development, which was elucidated through seven (7) themes: (1) twice the fight, (2) contending with challenges and barriers, (3) understanding self and self-efficacy, (4) professional development investors, (5) impact of education, (6) motivational factors and influences, and (7) collective responsibility. The results of this study provide organizational decision makers with a better understanding of this population’s perspective, which will provide better opportunities to more effectively address and manage conflicts stemming from their underrepresentation in higher-level positions. This study also contributes to the understanding of workplace conflict experienced by this population, which may inform policies developed by agencies that could help manage, reduce, or resolve those workplace conflicts

Discussing “eScience and the Evolution of Library Services”

Following an eScience day at the University of Utah held on February 20, 2012, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, MidContinental Region invited participants who attended either in person or via the broadcast to engage in an online discussion. This discussion provided the opportunity for them to debrief, continue to learn from each other, and share what was significant to them about the day. Using the research cycle as the focus, participants identified roles librarians could play, the skills and knowledge they needed, and the steps they should take in order to effectively support eScience. This article summarizes the ideas that resulted from their discussion

Using the Web-first Tailored Design Method in a Rural Population: A Follow-Up Investigation

Surveys remain a mainstay of social sciences research. The study’s primary purpose was to replicate a web-first tailored design method (TDM) in a previously surveyed rural population from a state in the mid-south of the U.S. to investigate changes in response mode (web versus paper). Most respondents did not change their response mode between the two data collection periods. They chose to complete their surveys on paper rather than the internet, even though most had access to and used the internet. The use of TDM continues to be an effective data collection strategy for a rural population. Given the emphasis on increasing internet access, speed, and reliability in rural areas of the U.S., along with other web-based services, future data collection efforts will likely involve web-based surveys. Concerns about false identities, bots, and security will continue to need to be addressed, and personal characteristics related to survey completion considered

Does a Web-first Tailored Design Method Work with Rural Populations?

Considering rural populations are historically difficult to reach, an important component of this research revolves around improving survey techniques in rural areas. To address this issue, a web-first Tailored Design Method (TDM), utilizing a mixed-mode of internet and postal mail surveys, was adapted to research the quality of life experienced by rural families. Aided by the Iowa State University Center for Survey Statistics and Methodology – Survey Research Services, data were collected from 62 rural counties in Arkansas. Socioeconomic-demographic factors were examined regarding survey response mode (i.e. mail vs. web) with some differences found. Logistic regression results demonstrated males were less likely to use web only responses compared to females. Similarly, higher education and income levels were associated with an increased likelihood of utilizing web response methods opposed to the mail-only response mode. Overall, the web-first TDM approach seems effective for garnering responses from harder to reach populations and should be considered when surveying rural populations