Overcoming the linguistic divide: a barrier to consumer health information

Seeking health information online has become very popular. Despite this popularity, health consumers face many barriers to successfully retrieving good quality health information. This paper reviews the literature on the linguistic divide between health consumers and consumer health information. Consumer health vocabularies (CHV) and natural language processing (NLP) show potential for bridging the divide, thereby improving recall and precision from information retrieval systems. Developers of digital libraries can incorporate CHV and (or) NLP as help tools to facilitate health consumerd's search success. Deeper issues, such as health consumers's mental representation of medical domain, must also be addressed in future research for optimal benefit from such help tools

Enhancing gifts-in-kind assessment and processing with digital photography

Purpose: This paper sets out to explore the potential benefits of using digital photography in the evaluation of prospective donations of book collections. Design/methodology/approach: The paper describes a methodology for creating a collection of images to preserve bibliographic information from large book donations where time and distance restrictions limit the ability to carry out a thorough investigation on-site. This image collection will assist in the initial assessment of the collection's suitability for acceptance, documentation and creation of a gift list. Findings: Using digital photography allows for relatively quick and comprehensive documentation to aid in the evaluation of large potential gift-inkind donations. Additional benefits realized from acquiring digital images may include automation of gift list creation, publicity for the newly acquired collection, and enhancing exhibitions. This methodology utilizes readily available and affordable equipment that will likely be well within the resources of most libraries. Originality/value: This paper offers practical advice on employing current and emerging digital technologies to assess and enhance gift-in-kind donations

Curation in Education: Implications for Adult Educators in Teaching and Research

This systematic and integrative literature review examined curation in education with implications for adult educators in teaching and research and adult students in learning

Learning While Doing: Program Evaluation of the Medical Library Association Systematic Review Project

Objectives: The Medical Library Association (MLA) Systematic Review Project aims to conduct systematic reviews to identify the state of knowledge and research gaps for fifteen top-ranked questions in the profession. In 2013, fifteen volunteer-driven teams were recruited to conduct the systematic reviews. The authors investigated the experiences of participants in this large-scale, volunteer-driven approach to answering priority research questions and fostering professional growth among health sciences librarians. Methods: A program evaluation was conducted by inviting MLA Systematic Review Project team members to complete an eleven-item online survey. Multiple-choice and short-answer questions elicited experiences about outputs, successes and challenges, lessons learned, and future directions. Participants were recruited by email, and responses were collected over a two-week period beginning at the end of January 2016. Results: Eighty (8 team leaders, 72 team members) of 198 potential respondents completed the survey. Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated that the MLA Systematic Review Project should be repeated in the future and were interested in participating in another systematic review. Team outputs included journal articles, conference presentations or posters, and sharing via social media. Thematic analysis of the short-answer questions yielded five broad themes: learning and experience, interpersonal (networking), teamwork, outcomes, and barriers. Discussion: A large-scale, volunteer-driven approach to performing systematic reviews shows promise as a model for answering key questions in the profession and demonstrates the value of experiential learning for acquiring synthesis review skills and knowledge. Our project evaluation provides recommendations to optimize this approach

A Decade of Prior Learning Assessment: A Systematic Review of Global Literature

Prior learning assessment (PLA) offers a powerful tool to adult learners. The purpose of this review was to systematically examine the global academic literature related to PLA over a decade

Adult Learners and Credit for Prior Learning: Analytical Thinking and Motives

This study examined 364 adult learners using linguistic inquiry and word count (LIWC) of reflective writing assignments with implications for adult learners and educators and credit for prior learning (CPL)

Prior learning assessment: Systematic review of academic literature

Many argue a college degree is more important than ever and required for many occupations. However, pursuing one requires time and money. Prior learning assessment (PLA) offers one solution to overcome such barriers by documenting outside learning through competency portfolios or assessment testing to receive academic credit. The purpose of this systematic literature review was to examine the academic literature related to PLA within the United States. The review searched 669 databases, across 72 disciplines/fields, and yielded 47 peer-reviewed journal articles, published in 14 journals, during the last decade. Findings included six major themes with implications for adult education theory and practice

Learning while doing: program evaluation of the Medical Library Association Systematic Review Project

Objectives: The Medical Library Association (MLA) Systematic Review Project aims to conduct systematic reviews to identify the state of knowledge and research gaps for fifteen top-ranked questions in the profession. In 2013, fifteen volunteer-driven teams were recruited to conduct the systematic reviews. The authors investigated the experiences of participants in this large-scale, volunteer-driven approach to answering priority research questions and fostering professional growth among health sciences librarians. Methods: A program evaluation was conducted by inviting MLA Systematic Review Project team members to complete an eleven-item online survey. Multiple-choice and short-answer questions elicited experiences about outputs, successes and challenges, lessons learned, and future directions. Participants were recruited by email, and responses were collected over a two-week period beginning at the end of January 2016. Results: Eighty (8 team leaders, 72 team members) of 198 potential respondents completed the survey. Eighty-four percent of respondents indicated that the MLA Systematic Review Project should be repeated in the future and were interested in participating in another systematic review. Team outputs included journal articles, conference presentations or posters, and sharing via social media. Thematic analysis of the short-answer questions yielded five broad themes: learning and experience, interpersonal (networking), teamwork, outcomes, and barriers. Discussion: A large-scale, volunteer-driven approach to performing systematic reviews shows promise as a model for answering key questions in the profession and demonstrates the value of experiential learning for acquiring synthesis review skills and knowledge. Our project evaluation provides recommendations to optimize this approach

Decision-making in percutaneous coronary intervention: a survey

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Few researchers have examined the perceptions of physicians referring cases for angiography regarding the degree to which collaboration occurs during percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) decision-making. We sought to determine perceptions of physicians concerning their involvement in PCI decisions in cases they had referred to the cardiac catheterization laboratory at a major academic medical center.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>An anonymous survey was mailed to internal medicine faculty members at a major academic medical center. The survey elicited whether responders perceived that they were included in decision-making regarding PCI, and whether they considered such collaboration to be the best process of decision-making.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Of the 378 surveys mailed, 35% (133) were returned. Among responding non-cardiologists, 89% indicated that in most cases, PCI decisions were made solely by the interventionalist at the time of the angiogram. Among cardiologists, 92% indicated that they discussed the findings with the interventionalist prior to any PCI decisions. When asked what they considered the best process by which PCI decisions are made, 66% of non-cardiologists answered that they would prefer collaboration between either themselves or a non-interventional cardiologist and the interventionalist. Among cardiologists, 95% agreed that a collaborative approach is best.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Both non-cardiologists and cardiologists felt that involving another decision-maker, either the referring physician or a non-interventional cardiologist, would be the best way to make PCI decisions. Among cardiologists, there was more concordance between what they believed was the best process for making decisions regarding PCI and what they perceived to be the actual process.</p

Entrepreneurship, Self-Employment and Business Data: An Introduction to Several Large, Nationally-Representative Datasets

Only a few large, nationally-representative datasets include information on both the owner and the business. We briefly describe several of the most respected and up-to-date sources of data on entrepreneurs, the self-employed, and small businesses. More information including estimates of recent trends in business ownership and performance (e.g. survival rates, sales, employment, payroll, profits and industry) from these datasets is contained in Fairlie and Robb (2008)