LI819 Final Project: Teach Other People about Databases

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Database: PubMed
Instruction Provided: Advanced PubMed
Instruction Provided to: Neurosurgical Residents

Goals and Objectives for this Session:
Learn techniques for constructing effective search strategies
Explore PubMed related tools
Increase efficiency in utilizing PubMed and other databases
Share trends and ways to stay professionally current


Session Rundown:
I started the session by introducing myself and providing an outline of the presentation (for annotations)
to each of the residents. I had asked them to bring their own device and the majority of the residents were
utilizing laptops. A few of the students brought tablet computers, but did not have any trouble accessing
the resources for the presentation.
The session began with a refresher on constructing effective search strategies. I demonstrated building a
search utilizing Boolean operators, and performed a search in PubMed regarding a pre-selected topic
intra-aortic balloon pump counterpulsation for refractory symptomatic vasospasmand then navigated
the results with the residents. When the residents noticed that many of the results were not relevant to the
specific topic, I proceeded to the next slide which contained multiple tips and tricks for searching
certain databases. The residents were especially interested in truncating their searches and I gave them
several minutes to search the database on their own using the tips we had just discussed.
Within PubMed, I pointed out the Search Details portal on the right side of the main results page. I had
the residents perform several searches and then we discussed the way they often searched PubMed using
natural language; while PubMed translates those searches into algorithms the database understands. After
exploring the Search Details portal, I demonstrated how to utilize filters within a search. Each resident
created two custom filters, one for University of Kansas Medical Center specific research and the other
for core journals (British Medical Journal, Journal of the American Medical Association, and New
England Journal of Medicine).
I followed the filters section with a brief overview of the Related Citations and Systematic Reviews
portals, and then gave the students a 10 minute break. During the break they were given four potential
searches and had the duration of the break to try and complete each search. After the break, five minutes
evaluating the residents search results. I then spent ten or fifteen minutes discussing the MeSH database
within PubMed and we briefly selected MeSH terms for each residents specific topic.
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After the search building section was completed, I moved on to some of the more interesting aspects of
the NCBI databases. During this section I covered:
PubMed Clinical Queries
PubMed Topic-Specific Queries
PubMed Core Journals List
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubMed Health
The residents then matched which section of the database they would navigate to in order to answer a set
of questions posed to them.
The section the residents were most interested in was the PubMed Hacks section, which provided tips
for searching and using PubMed. This section contained how to:
Locate and identify the PMID (PubMed Identification Number)
Locate and identifyi the PMCID (PubMed Central Identification Number)
Utilize the PMID/PMCID for hyperlinking and fast-link purposes
Utilize the Single Citation Matcher
Search the NLM Catalog located within PubMed
Read a catalog record in the NLM Catalog
Create a MyNCBI account within PubMed
The final section of the presentation provided an overview of the ways in which health professionals can
stay current within their chosen specialty or field of study. This section discussed a variety of PubMed
mobile apps, provided an overview of the new systematic review portlet, linked to Pubmed tutorials and
webinars, and briefly touched on the new PubMed Commons utility.
At the end of the session, the residents participated in a PubMed Jeopardy game and then filled out a
survey in order to assess the relevancy of the instructional session.
All resources utilized during the presentation were emailed to the residents several hours after the initial
session and each resident was given a handout with my contact information.
Observations:
The session ran for almost two hourswhich was my allotted timeand in the future I would break the
session up into multiple, smaller sessions. The residents were very attentive throughout the entire
presentation and almost every slide solicited either a question or feedback from one of the residents. They
were very curious how seasoned medical professionals utilized the tools they had been shown, and
provided suggestions for other mobile apps that they were already integrating into their clinical practice.
Overall, the session was a hit among the residents and their coordinator asked that I return again next
year.
The attached appendix contains the slides from the presentation, as well as the survey questions.
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Appendix

Presentation slides..4
Survey questions....8















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The presentation/session I attended was... *
Name of presentation/session

This is a required question

On a scale of 1 - 5, how helpful did you find this session *
1-Not helpful to me; 5- Extremely helpful

1 2 3 4 5





I found ___________ to be the most helpful portion of the session. *
Effective Search Strategies
MeSH
Additional PubMed Resources
PubMed Hacks (includes Mobile Apps)
What's New
EndNote/Citation Management
N/A

I would recommend these portions to a friend or colleague: *
Check all that apply
Effective Search Strategies
MeSH
Additional PubMed Resources
PubMed Hacks (includes Mobile Apps)
What's New
EndNote/Citation Management
N/A




LI819 Final Project: Teach Other People about Databases

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I learned something from this session. *
Yes
No

In the future, I would like to learn more about *
Check all that apply
Citation Management
PubMed Basic Searching
PubMed Advanced Searching
How to Search Other Databases (Web of Science, UpToDate, Zynx, etc..)
NIH Compliance and Public Access Policy (PMC)
Google Glass
Evidence-Based Practice Resources
Mobile Applications and Web Tools
Copyright and Publication
Other:


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