Considerations for small libraries in adopting virtual reality technology for medical education

Objective: Describe considerations for small libraries considering the adoption of virtual reality technology as a resource for health sciences education. Methods: A small academic medical library obtained grant funding to implement a virtual reality pilot project to support anatomy coursework. Results: Observations were made related to the technology selection and purchasing process, space and safety requirements for implementing VR, student patterns of use, supplementary VR programs of interest to medical students (including gaming and meditation programs for stress relief), and staffing/scheduling/maintenance of the system. Conclusions: Virtual reality technology is compelling for medical education; implementation resulted in increasing the library’s engagement with teaching faculty, students, alumni relations, and the curriculum. However, implementation requires careful consideration related to staffing, technology choices, use cases, safety, and other matters. Small medical libraries should be aware of various limitations and considerations prior to making large investments of money, space, or personnel time. Examples will be provided of concrete considerations for libraries

A Longitudinal Examination of Mobile App Usage in Medical Students

Objective: The objective of this study is to determine both the usefulness of librarian instruction on mobile apps and student preference for mobile apps during 3rd and 4th year clinical rotations. Methods: An electronic RedCap survey was administered to students for the purpose of gathering baseline information on library-provided mobile apps and instruction. This brief survey was given to 3rd year medical students at the beginning of this school year (2021-2022) with a second follow-up survey scheduled for later in the academic year. (spring 22) The students were asked questions about their mobile app usage and preferences as well as how often they reach out to librarians for assistance. The follow-up survey will assess any changes in preferences for or comfort with apps and will monitor any changes to the number of self-reported interactions with library staff. Results: Results of the initial survey confirmed that students are largely comfortable with the technical aspects of mobile app use both in and outside of the medical sphere; however, they may require more guidance on app content to determine which apps are most useful for researching different topics or different styles of questions. DynaMed was chosen by students as their favorite medical mobile app so far likely due to its wide coverage of topics and content. While the library instruction session increased student confidence with using medical mobile apps, students showed a lack of history of contacting librarians for assistance. Conclusions: This survey confirms librarian suspicions that students may require guidance not on how to use apps, but on which apps are recommended for use in which scenarios. Although students report that library instruction is beneficial for their understanding of app use, they also report that they do not frequently ask librarians for assistance. This may be due to various reasons such as student insecurity, lack of perceived time, or lack of understanding about which questions may be asked or what apps to ask questions about. The follow-up survey will gather information on these topics and will seek to address student knowledge of which apps to use in different clinical scenarios as well as whether contact with librarians has increased or whether faculty recommendations in clinical settings change student app preferences

Epidemic Leptospirosis Associated with Pulmonary Hemorrhage—Nicaragua, 1995

In October 1995, epidemic “hemorrhagic fever,” without jaundice or renal manifestations, was reported in rural Nicaragua following heavy flooding; 2259 residents were evaluated for nonmalarial febrile illnesses (cumulative incidence, 6.1%) and 15 (0.7%) died with pulmonary hemorrhage. A case-control study found that case-patients were more likely than controls to have ever walked in creeks (matched odds ratio [MOR], 15.0; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.7–132.3), have household rodents (MOR, 10.4; 95% CI, 1.1–97.1), or own dogs with titers ≥ 400 to Leptospira species (MOR, 23.4; 95% CI, 3.6–`). Twenty-six of 51 case-patients had serologic or postmortem evidence of acute leptospirosis. Leptospira species were isolated from case-patients and potential animal reservoirs. This leptospirosis epidemic likely resulted from exposure to flood waters contaminated by urine from infected animals, particularly dogs. Leptospirosis should be included in the differential diagnosis for nonmalarial febrile illness, particularly during periods of flooding or when pulmonary hemorrhage occurs

ClinicalAccess

ClinicalAccess is a clinical decision support tool released in early 2014. It incorporates some familiar aspects of other clinical decision support tools while adding new elements to its interface, such as the ability for users to submit their own questions. Answers provided by ClinicalAccess are supported by evidence and references from McMaster Plus, other McGraw-Hill products, and links to articles in PubMed, amongst other resources

3D Organon VR Anatomy: A Virtual Anatomy Medical Education Tool

3D Organon VR Anatomy is a virtual reality program that allows individuals to interact with anatomy in a 3D environment. This column provides a brief overview of the product and its potential uses within a medical library

Henry Stewart Talks: The Biomedical & Life Sciences Collection

Henry Stewart Talks: The Biomedical & Life Sciences Collection is a subscription database containing a variety of lectures on basic science and medical topics. Lectures in this database may be used as a supplement to existing college courses. Additional features of Henry Stewart Talks include several full courses available to faculty upon request and syllabus assistance to link course goals to lectures in the database. Other aspects of Henry Stewart Talks include evidence and expert transparency and ADA compliance of content

Medical Librarian Citation Manager Use and Instruction across the United States

Objectives: This study is an examination of the state of citation manager use and instruction by medical librarians across the United States and US territories. It focuses on librarian preference for citation managers and related instruction. The purpose of this study is to reveal barriers to and preferences for citation managers and citation manager instruction in hospital and academic libraries. Methods: A literature review performed prior to undertaking this project revealed minimal current literature on citation manager instruction in health sciences and medical libraries. Citation managers evolve quickly, negatively impacting the relevancy of older literature. In effort to capture current reflections on citation manager use and instruction in health science and medical libraries, a qualitative survey was devised and disseminated via medical library listservs in late summer 2017. Questions included in this survey as well as the survey platform and data collection procedures were approved by East Tennessee State University’s Institutional Review Board. Questions discussed librarian citation manager use preferences, instruction styles, barriers to instruction, and perception of value. RedCap was utilized for survey dissemination and analysis. Survey recipients received two weeks to respond to survey questions after which data was compiled and analyzed by researchers to reveal trends. Results: This survey garnered 238 responses, 61% from academic librarians, 27% from hospital librarians, and 12% from other librarians. Respondents identified Zotero as the most utilized free citation manager and EndNote as the most utilized paid citation manager. Lack of patron interest was the most significant barrier identified by hospital librarians while lack of citation manager awareness was the greatest barrier for academics. Although 97% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed that citation manager use instruction falls within library instructional domains, 82% of librarians surveyed report that they did not receive citation manager instruction while pursuing their library degrees. Conclusions: As librarians assume responsibility for citation manager instruction and use, time must be dedicated to training of librarians to utilize citation managers and effectively teach them to others. Whether this training should occur in school or on the job is debatable and subject to circumstance. Additional recommendations include increased promotion of citation manager availability, purpose, and instruction opportunities in institutions where this is feasible. Limitations of this study include a small sample size with a bias towards respondents familiar with citation managers working in institutions with citation manager subscriptions

Lessons Learned: Medical Library Pilot Testing of a Virtual Reality Anatomy Lab

In recent years many schools have begun to incorporate virtual reality tools and programs into their curriculum. This paper relates the results of a library pilot project on the usefulness of virtual reality headsets and programming for graduate students studying physical therapy and medicine. Authors review the existing literature on virtual reality use in education with a specific focus on libraries. This information is incorporated into lessons learned by researchers regarding hardware and software choice, attracting students, and potential deterrents or safety issues relating to virtual reality use in libraries