Keeping up to date

Keeping up to date with the vast amount of literature published each year in clinical, management or education topics is a huge task.  However, there are a number of tools that can be used to help stay abreast of developments in your field.

We are very happy to advise or help with setting up database alerts, eTOCs and RSS feeds – please contact us!

 

  • What is it?  KnowledgeShare is a targeted current awareness service.   As high impact documents in your area are published, if you have signed up to for our KnowledgeShare service, we will let you know.  
  • Why use it?  For the latest high-level evidence in your field/interest.
  • How does it work? It uses a profile matching system (settings set on your profile will be matched with settings on documents). Your KnowledgeShare profile is created to be as broad or as specific as you require, e.g., you could receive everything added on obstetrics or limit to receive items related to gestational diabetes. KnowledgeShare updates are personalised and targeted to you.  Updates focus on summarised evidence that can change practice, and the latest publications on quality, safety, education and patient experience; you will not be inundated with primary research articles.

Fill in our online KnowledgeShare form to receive updates

Twitter is an ideal way to hear about activities in your area of interest.  You can follow people and organisations who are of interest, and add or create lists of people and organisations that are of interest.

Follow us @KGHNHSLibrary

  • What are they? These are regular alerts that you can set up from journal article databases such as Medline or Cinahl
  • Why use them? If you are working on a particular project or have a very specific interest, setting up a database alert allows you to tailor the results you see. This will include results from a wide range of journals rather than just individual titles.
  • How do they work? When you run a search on one of the healthcare databases save your search strategy and then click the “bell” on the relevant line to receive automatic updates to the results at regular intervals. You will receive by email any new results since the last time the search was run.

 

  • What are they? Contents tables listing the articles published within a journal issue
  • Why use them? If you have a favourite journal but don’t want to subscribe, sign up for the eTOC and you will receive summaried of the articles as they are published. Any that you need to read in full you can request from the library service.
  • How do they work? The eTOCs are created by the publisher and are sent to your email as each issue is published.

Many people in health and social care access multiple computers and mobile devices so bookmarking or using the favourites option on a browser is ideal as long as you use one browser on all devices, allow the browser to sync across all devices and remember to login each time on each device.  DO  ensure the device you are using is private and that you are not leaving your account open to anyone using a non private device when you leave it.

There are a range of tools available to enable you to bookmark resources to read or re-use later that are synchronised across devices when you log in.

 

  • What are they? Information sent out by publishers and other news producers that you can sign up to receive.
  • Why use them? If you want to see when your favourite websites add content, sign up for their RSS feeds and you will be alerted whennews is added.
  • How do they work? You need to download or register with an RSS feed reader and then remember to check regularly to see whether your news feeds have been updated.

Although these are considered a bit old fashioned now they are still useful.  They allow you to have updates for other websites highlighted in your browser or a Feed reader that you have signed up to use.  You can subscribe to feeds when you see a small orange RSS logo    on websites.