Interested applicants should consult the full position description that outlines more responsibilities at http://utah.peopleadmin.com/postings/23049.

Since Google Reader is a tool we at the Eccles Library have recommended using for RSS feeds in the past, we wanted to make sure you, our patrons, are aware of this and provide some options.  Here are the four Google Reader alternatives that I have seen suggested the most:

Feedly – https://www.feedly.com/
NewsBlur – http://www.newsblur.com/
The Old Reader – http://theoldreader.com/
NetVibes – http://www.netvibes.com/

You can find overviews and comments about these and other RSS tools in posts on Gizmodo and The Verge. If none of those work for you, there are plenty of other options, including ones that make your RSS feed look like a Star Wars movie opening or a Star Trek computer display.

Basic information about retrieving your Google Reader data before July 1st can be found on the Google support page. For more information about how to transfer your data and feeds from Google Reader to your new reader, try this Lifehacker post.

Personally, I have been trying out Feedly for the last few weeks.  This is one of the easier transitions because Feedly pulls your RSS subscriptions directly from your Google Reader account.  I have found that after tweaking some of the preferences, I feel pretty comfortable using it and am no longer quite so devastated about losing Google Reader. I have tried the Chrome and Firefox plugins, as well as the iPhone and iPad apps.  I think I even like the mobile apps a little better than using Google Reader on my iPhone.

Which RSS reader are you using?

Two options for University of Utah users listed below:

1. Sign in to NCBI via library’s EZproxy at https://ezproxy.lib.utah.edu/login?url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/account/signin/ — bookmark this!
2. Or use two browsers or two tabs:
   1. Open PubMed first, sign in to NCBI
   2. then Open new tab or browser and log in via “off-campus access” button from the library homepage.

1. Register a team by March 4th.
Email Erica Lake: erica.lake@utah.edu

2. Create a 30-second to 1-minute public service announcement.

Choose any health literacy issue, such as:

• Failure to take medications correctly
• Overuse of the emergency room
• Medical diagnoses being made at later stages

3.  Submit your video to Erica Lake by March 25th.

Contest winners will have their PSA aired on a local TV station, featured on Dr. Vivian Lee’s blog, and promoted on university websites and social media outlets. All participants will be entered into a drawing for a new Kindle.

Contact Erica Lake for more information
erica.lake@utah.edu :: 801-581-4685

PMC has introduced PubReader, an easier way to read PMC articles on the web. The text is displayed as two columns which mimics the pages of a book. The navigation is simplified and all the figures are accessible from anywhere within article. Designed to improve display on the smaller screens of tablet devices, it also looks great on a computer. Although they have not finished testing, PubReader is supported on most browsers.

Try it out on some of the recent PMC articles published by University of Utah researchers.

To view an article in PubReader, use the PubReader links found under the article information in the search results:

Or on the top right of the article page under “Formats:”

On Wednesday, December 5th from 4pm-5pm in room 2600 of the Health Sciences Education Building, the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library presents Appy Hour!

Appy Hour will focus on apps for various mobile devices that you can use for your work, your research, and more.  Bring along your own iPad, Android tablet, smart phone, or other mobile device and share your favorite and most useful apps.  Invite your colleagues and learn about the apps they are using!

Appy Hour Announcement

Read more at fyi news article.

Here is Google’s video describing this new service:

While Google does not share its trade secrets, the ReadWriteWeb blog reports that, in part, this system relies on Freebase, “a structured database of semantic information. It maps synonyms to help Google understand the meaning of words.” It also incorporates content from Wikipedia, Google Books and the World CIA Factbook [1], which means it is seeking to be more authoritative. This has implications for online content providers. As the EverSparkInteractive blog notes:

Because Google is providing this information to users, you can bet your bottom dollar the search engine will expect the sites it top ranks to provide information like this. So, when you are writing content for your website, remember to include verifiable facts. [2]

While libraries specialize in providing authoritative content via free and subscription databases and other resources, will Google’s new approach recognize this and increase their visibility? Librarians wear many hats, and it can be quite easy to slap up web content without proper metadata, let alone add important links “above the fold.” The structure and organization of information on a library’s website — its information architecture — may or may not be carefully planned and executed. How will this affect its ranking by Google now?

Have you used the new KG? Have you found it helpful? Tell us!

Reference:

1.         Mitchell, J., Google Goes Back to What It Does Well: Finding Things. ReadWriteWeb, 2012. 2012(May 29): p. Online article or blog post about changs to Google’s search interface, and the addition of the Knowledge Graph, with Wikpedia-like content.

2.         Baumwell, A., Google Knowledge Graph: Will It Change the Face of Search? EverSparkInteractive, 2012. 2012(May 29): p. Online article or blog post about changs to Google’s search interface, and the addition of the Knowledge Graph, with Wikpedia-like content.

First, the Center for Health Literacy Promotion Blog has a great story about “Esther,” a woman in the 1830′s whom the author calls “ahead of her time.” Too sick a 21 to help on the family farm or marry, she became a servant in a convent. When she became too sick to work there, she was sent home, where she founded a school, taught others to be teachers (who then started other schools), and broke social norms of the time to teach boys and girls together. At age 40, she and her teachers were recognized by the Catholic Church, becoming the Order of the Sisters of Saint Anne. While it may seem far afield to mention religious education in this context, closing words from the post make it a bit more relevant:

Aunt Esther was born two hundred years ahead of her time. Today her vision of literacy as the foundation for health, an escape route from poverty and the key to the advancement of women and society is an idea whose time has come. She inspires my work at the intersection of health and literacy.

The second item worth noting is a wiki created by researchers at the University of Michigan that is a catalog of more than 100 medical devices and technologies that can be used in poorer areas of the world. Example include:

• Pedal-powered nebulizer for asthma treatments
• Using a hand-cranked salad spinner as a centrifuge for blood samples
• Small, wax-filled sleeping bags that could be used to keep premature babies warm

Finally, an article in the Wall Street Journal asks some challenging questions about mobile devices and the future of medicine. In short, with all of the add-ons that are being created for smartphones, how will this transform the practice of medicine? The author offers these examples:

You can get an add-on to a smartphone which does eye refraction and then texts [the prescription] to get your glasses made. If you’re an optometrist, you might be worried about that. Or you can get your skin lesion scanned and get a text back quickly that there’s nothing to worry about. If you’re a dermatologist, that’s a big part of your practice. You will be able to take a DNA sequence on a USB port and pop it into your smartphone and get data out of it. It just goes on and on.

For patients that live a distance from a specialist in one area of medicine or another, online appointments could be used to maintain communication and improve patient outcomes. And many yet-to-be-invented uses of technology will radically alter how medicine is practiced. Yet medicine, as a profession, is slow to change. Will technology change that, or will it leave traditional medicine behind?

What do you think of these different stories and what they have to offer? Tell us!

What uses are these devices being put to?

Amanda Chiplock MLS, the Acquisitions Emerging Technologies Librarian at the Nova Southeastern University Health Professions Division Library reported that most of the physicians who borrow their iPads are using them for teaching and presentations (45%) or videos and research (40%) [from iMedicalApps post].

Doctors and other patrons who check out these devices can install their own software selections, and retain access to those apps for use via their account at the iTunes Store, should they decide to purchase an iPad for themselves. Challenges arise when using these devices to access institutional electronic medical records (EMR), but they are not insurmoutable. Upon return to the library, these devices are easily wiped and reset back to their basic configuration for the next patron.

As noted in an earlier post, the Eccles Health Sciences Library also has a mobile device check-out program, providing patrons the option of test-driving any of the following eReaders and tablets before purchasing one for themselves:

• Apple’s iPad (3 available)
• Motorola Xoom (3 available)
• Amazon Kindle (6 available)
• Barnes and Noble Nook (3 “1st Edition” and 3 color)

The check-out period is two weeks (as of this writing), and upon check-in, patrons are asked to complete a brief survey on how the device was used, etc.

Have you checked out an iPad, eReader or other mobile computing device from Eccles Library or another library? What device did you check out, and how did you use it? What did you like and dislike about it? Tell us!

Can’t stay current with important information about your field?

Do you wish there was an easier way to keep on top of what’s happening?

Join us for ‘Keeping Current with Social Media’ on April 6th at 2pm in HSEB 3100B. Amy Honisett and Peter Jones from the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library will show you the basics of two great tools (RSS Feeds and Twitter) you can use to streamline your information overload. They will also briefly cover dashboards, which are services that collect your many social media accounts into one place.

Register online at: http://bit.ly/HpAfwi 

Recently, physicians at the University of Chicago published a research letter in the Archives of Internal Medicine detailing their experience with the routine use of iPads by internal medicine residents during their regular duties.

What they documented was that use of the mobile device was objectively associated with faster order entry after patient admission and the subjective assessment that it saves up to one hour per day for each resident.

Prior to initiating the program, investigators wisely met with hospital IT to determine their concerns and set up rules for usage of the devices. After initially having residents individually install apps via their own iTunes accounts, it was decided to work through a third-party vendor to standardize the devices — in this case, working with a company called Mobile Iron. Additional security protections included an eight-digit alphanumeric screen lock code (instead of the standard four-digit numeric code), and setting the iPads to automatically erase themselves after five unsuccessful attempts to log-in.

A great deal of interest has been generated since the research letter was published, and the authors plan to share what they’ve learned at conferences and workshops. In addition, the local ABC Television station did a segment on this event, which you can see below.

Have you used an iPad or other tablet computer in a medical setting? How did it work for you? Tell us about it!

The challenges faced by young people with various forms of cancer are difficult, to say the least: taking a variety of medications such as antibiotics, antiemetics, stool softeners, plus eating healthy when peers and the culture surrounding them are enjoying copious amounts of junk food. Roxxi the nanobot powers-up by following a real-life cancer regimen, and then she sets off to battle cancer.

Does this virtual-ly active role in battling cancer translate into increased motivation and empowerment for the young person playing it? According to a 2008 randomized control trial published in the journal Pediatrics, this video game intervention “significantly improved treatment adherence and indicators of cancer-related self-efficacy and knowledge in adolescents and young adults who were undergoing cancer therapy.”

For those who enjoy them, video games provide hours of satisfying play and escape from day-to-day challenges. A recent study examining the brain activity of patients who played this game provides a glimmer of how it translates into better adherence to the regimen necessary to battle cancer. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging technology to observe the reward circuits in their brains, 57 patients were assigned to either play or watch the Re-Mission video game. The result, as reported in a press release:

“Active involvement in video game play sparks positive motivation in a way that watching and hearing information does not,” said Steve Cole, Ph.D., Vice President of Research and Development at HopeLab, professor of medicine at the University of California, Los Angeles, and co-author of the article. “All participants in the study received the same information. It was the active participation in gameplay that made the big difference in motivation. This study helps refine our ‘recipe for success’ in harnessing the power of play in the service of health.”

Many libraries have embraced gaming as a way to connect to patrons. Imagine a library with a collection of video games with the artistry of the biggest sellers that promoted healthy living, and help young people cope with life’s challenges. Such an image gives this librarian hope that we might begin reversing the epidemics of obesity and other preventable diseases in this country.

Have you or someone you know played Re-Mission? What other health-inspiring video games would you like to see? Tell us about it!

iMedicalApps.com has published an insightful article about how the new hardware in Apple’s latest offering can benefit physicians and other health care professionals.The article highlights an increased screen resolution as a benefit to medical imaging and the addition of a voice dictation feature to the on-screen keyboard as a useful tool in many areas of health care practice. A last feature with significant potential in mHealth and telehealth is the upgraded camera and the ability to shoot video at resolutions up to 1080p HD combined with the optional high-speed 4G/LTE cell network connectivity.

This new device has a great deal of potential for health care education and practice.

The story goes on to cite the story of a 32-year old automobile accident victim, who could not move his left hand, arm or leg immediately after the injury. Use of the high-definition fiber tracking showed that the nerves serving the hand had greater damage than those for the arm and leg. The patient is now walking and using his arm, but cannot open his hand.

Knowledge is power, and for a person with TBI, it would be immensely helpful to know that a lack of progress in recovering is not due to a lack of effort on their part. In the future, scans like these might also be used to track and learn about how our brains grow new nerve connections.

The case report on this was published today in the Journal of Neurosurgery.

What scientific technological breakthroughs do you predict we will see in this decade? Tell us!

Then join John Bramble, Technology Coordinator for the NN/LM MCR on Monday, February 27, 2012 at 11:00 a.m. MT, 12:00 p.m. CT for a demo of some of the basic features of the iPad 2. An iPad 2 is not required, and this online presentation is free and open to the public.

To join John online:

• Come to the online webinar room
• ***Dial-in instructions will be posted in the webinar room.***
• You do NOT need to register.

A sandbox session is just that: a chance for you to schedule time to play and learn something new to you, with someone there to answer your questions. Questions? Contact John via email at or at 801.585.5743 (Direct), 800.338.7657 opt. 1, 2, 6 (Toll free)

Interdisciplinary teams of graduate or undergraduate students can win a portion of $18,000 in prize money for creating ”effective, innovative apps that take on the nation’s pressing health issues” utilizing existing DHHS health data to “engage and empower people in ways that lead to better health:”

The Challenge

With an abundance of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) data and other health data available as part of the Health Data Initiative (HDI), students have an unprecedented opportunity to create interactive apps and other tools that engage and empower people in ways that lead to better health. Working in interdisciplinary teams that meld technological skills with health knowledge, the IOM and NAE believe that college students can generate exciting and powerful new products – the next “viral” apps – to improve health for communities and individuals.

To “Go Viral To Improve Health”:

• Identify a health problem in your college’s surrounding community
• Assemble an interdisciplinary student team
• Develop an app using data from the HHS Health Indicators Warehouse and other data sources
• Demonstrate how your solution will engage people in your community to promote action that will improve their health

Details are available at the Institute of Medicine website, and groups wishing to promote this challenge can download and print a flyer.

If you were part of such a team, what would you design? How would you use an app to address a pressing community health problem? Tell us!

And while it does not require any special plugins (Flash, Java, etc.) to run, it does require that users have a WebGL-enabled browser, which the Safari web browser on the iPad 2 currently does not. As a free website for elementary and secondary education, it is a great resource. If you need a 3-D human anatomy app for your iPad, the iMedicalApps blog recently posted about the “Top 4 iPad anatomy medical apps,” which are:

• Pocket Body
• Visible Body
• Essentials Of Clinical Anatomy, and
• the NOVA Series

Do you use a 3-D anatomy app  or website? What do you like or dislike about it? Tell us!

Uganda’s multi-level health system served as the location for this proof-of-concept test. Using a traditional light microscope connected to a Java-enabled mobile phone with built-in camera, specially designed software for data transfer and labeling, and anonymous laboratory samples, researchers were able to capture interpretable images and video at different resolutions. Some phones worked better than others for this, and file size limited the number of images that can be sent at one time.

Another valuable aspect of this study is that it “used a bottom-up approach.”

End users and stakeholders were included in the design process and the initial testing of the system, increasing the chance of our concept to meaningfully improve laboratory services and support health workers and practitioners in their diagnosis and training.

Members of remote clinics expressed even expressed an interest in sharing slides between clinics for knowledge sharing and education. And health sciences students could benefit from having web access to multiple examples of similar conditions instead of a relative few in a textbook.

Reference:

Tuijn, C. J., B. J. Hoefman, et al. (2011). “Data and Image Transfer Using Mobile Phones to Strengthen Microscopy-Based Diagnostic Services in Low and Middle Income Country Laboratories.” PLoS ONE 6(12): e28348.

Program Description:
In an effort to expand its Web media service offerings, the University of Utah is working with Kaltura to provide simple, self-serve video publishing capabilities to all faculty, students, staff, researchers, and clinicians in a variety of convenient environments. Kaltura is a commercial online video publishing platform with an emphasis on open standards and flexible integration capabilities. Dave will provide an overview of the project’s goals and progress to date

Presenter
As the manager for University Information Technology (UIT) Streaming Media Services, Dave Adams is responsible for the coordination and support of Web media publishing strategies for the University of Utah campus, health sciences, hospitals and clinics. Dave provides infrastructure, tools, and support for all major video service providers including Instructional Media Services, the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the J. Willard Marriott Library, Media Solutions, Health Sciences Center Web Resource Center, and many colleges, departments and academic programs.

For more details, visit the LIFT Forum page.

Program can be viewed from off-site via links from the web page; and available on demand after the program.

The LIFT Forum is co-sponsored by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the Media-on-Demand committee.

Questions can be directed to: Jeanne Le Ber; 801-585-6744

While its design lacks visual appeal, its functionality and convenience allows users to keep up with new research in the field from the top journal in the field of Pediatrics. (For a more detailed look at the app, read the recent review in the iMedicalApps blog.) It is available for the iPad, iPhone and iPod touch. Best of all, its FREE.

Do you use this app? How has it worked for you? Tell us about it!

Traditionally, libraries have offered tours to incoming groups, where new students and faculty hear about services offered, and take home a handful of printed materials listing everything their library can do to help them in their work. Unfortunately, most of this information is never looked at, and ends up in a “circular file” (i.e. the trash).

Since the invention and proliferation of social media — blogs, Facebook, Twitter, wikis, Second Life etc. — libraries have new venues for outreach and promotion. One software-as-service online tool that might be considered here is the ability to create short animations on any subject, such as “What is interlibrary loan?”
GoAnimate.com: Interlibrary Loan 1 by Firesidelibrarian

In addition, special events of all kinds are used to attract “diverse diverse, underserved and expanded user populations” (Fabian, 2003) to library events and resources. At the University of Buffalo, Arts and Humanities librarians formed partnerships with cultural institutions and academic departments to reach out to new audiences in new ways: teaching assistant workshops, multi-media kiosks, book talks and library exhibits.

In each of the four outreach activities, the Team found that the efforts of partnership produced more effective and successful results. For the library exhibits, partnerships with area cultural institutions and academic departments helped to ensure not only stimulating content, but an expanded market for our offerings. Additionally, librarians found that embracing technology solutions for their exhibit space limitations not only engaged unexpected users, but also opened up new opportunities for applying emerging technologies to more traditional library services, for example, library instruction.

Eccles library faculty are looking at ways to use similar events to draw in patron groups. Watch for more information in coming weeks. And if you have an idea to share, tell us about it!

Reference:
Fabian, C. A., C. D’Aniello, et al. (2003). “Multiple Models for Library Outreach Initiatives.” The Reference Librarian 39(82): 39-55.

The Library recently purchased a number of eReaders and mobile devices for faculty and students to check out and try before purchasing. They include:

• Apple’s iPad (3 available)
• Motorola Xoom (3 available)
• Amazon Kindle (6 available)
• Barnes and Noble Nook (3 “1st Edition” and 3 color)

Eccles Library staff and faculty demonstrated each of the devices at our September LIFT Forum (see earlier blog post), after which attendees had the opportunity to try the devices.

These devices come pre-loaded with software and eBooks for patrons to peruse. Are you considering purchasing one of these devices? Or are you just curious about them? Stop by the Library and check one out today. And then come back and tell us what you think!

Program Description: Eric Denna, Chief Information Officer at the University of Utah, will field questions related to the topic of cloud computing. As employees of the University of Utah many of us have questions about University policy and security related to the cloud. During this informal forum, Eric promises to answer all our questions about cloud computing or any other computing concerns.

Examples of cloud computing include web-based email, Google Wave, Slide Share, and services like Humyo or ZumoDrive that allow for online storage of data on someone else’s server.

Presenters
As Chief Information Officer for the University of Utah, Eric Denna has responsibility for Information Technology strategic planning, policy, standards, architecture, and the overall campus-wide IT governance process. He supervises networking, unified communications, administrative computing, classroom technology services, the university webmaster, Web design, video production, duplication, streaming, research computing, and services provided by the Center for High Performance Computing. In addition, Denna shares responsibility for central campus data centers and IT infrastructure services, IT compliance, and operational security with the University Hospitals and Clinics.

For more details, visit the LIFT Forum page.

Program can be viewed from off-site via links from the web page; and available on demand after the program.

The LIFT Forum is co-sponsored by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the Media-on-Demand committee.

Questions can be directed to:

Jeanne Le Ber; 801-585-6744 or jeanne.leber@utah.edu

UPDATE:

This online conference ends Friday morning, October 21, 2011. The last web presentations will be presented in the Auditorium in the Eccles Institute of Human Genetics, directly behind the Eccles Health Sciences Library:

• 8:45 – 9:45 a.m.: IT from Both Sides of the Executive Table
• 9:45 – 10:00 a.m.: Online Conference Closing

There are two additional time slots for presentations (6:30 – 7:20 a.m. and 7:30 – 8:20 a.m.) where suggestions are welcome. Just consult the online list of presentations and bring your ideas when you come.

Join us!

Program Description
Faculty and staff of the Eccles Library showcase their favorite apps for mobile devices. Each presenter has three minutes to present, describe and demonstrate a specific app and take one or two questions.

Apps to be presented include:
•    Dropbox
•    Evernote
•    GoodReader
•    Idea Flight
•    Inkling
•    Mendeley
•    QR Code Readers
•    Simplenote
•    Voice Memo
•    Weather and birds
If you are interested in showing us an app that you like please contact Jeanne Le Ber (contact information below).

Presenters
Faculty and staff of the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and you!

For more details, visit the LIFT Forum page; program can be viewed from off-site via links from the web page; and available on demand after the program.

The LIFT Forum is co-sponsored by the Spencer S. Eccles Health Sciences Library and the Media-on-Demand committee.

Questions can be directed to:
Jeanne Le Ber; 801-585-6744.

This column has featured many posts on mobile technology during the past two years, with particular emphasis on applications for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. This would not have been possible without the vision and creativity of the late Steve Jobs, founder and former CEO of Apple Computer, who passed away yesterday at the age of 56. Jobs transformed our relationship with computers and technology, democratizing access and enabling everyday people to do basic and amazing things.

Prior to Apple Computer’s debut, a select few had the know-how and access to utilize the enormous machines in temperature-controlled rooms at select sites in universities, businesses and government agencies. Jobs and his team at Apple built computers (Apple II, Macintosh, iMac, etc.) with graphical user interfaces (GUI, for short) that simplified interaction between human and machine so that everyday people could own and operate one.

When Steve Jobs gave the 2005 commencement speech at Stanford University, he spoke of his brush with death when he was first diagnosed with pancreatic cancer, which his physician indicated would probably be incurable:

“I lived with that diagnosis all day. Later that evening I had a biopsy, where they stuck an endoscope down my throat, through my stomach and into my intestines, put a needle into my pancreas and got a few cells from the tumor. I was sedated, but my wife, who was there, told me that when they viewed the cells under a microscope the doctors started crying because it turned out to be a very rare form of pancreatic cancer that is curable with surgery.”

Jobs had the surgery and recovered from the cancer.

During the last 2-3 years, medical uses of mobile devices such as the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad have increased dramatically, from interactive medical textbooks, to tracking blood glucose levels, to eye exams, to low-cost medical technology — with too many more examples to name in a single post. Steve Jobs looked beyond what was to what could be done with computing:

“Your time is limited, so don’t waste it living someone else’s life. Don’t be trapped by dogma — which is living with the results of other people’s thinking. Don’t let the noise of others’ opinions drown out your own inner voice. And most important, have the courage to follow your heart and intuition.”

So I tip my hat in tribute to Steve Jobs, whose technological vision and creativity will live on to help many have better health through technology.

(Photo from Wikipedia article on Steve Jobs.)

• 8 built-in search engines for access to millions of articles.
• Download and store PDFs of the articles you read.
• Highlight and add notes to your PDFs.
• Pinch and zoom features native to the iPad.
• Email, print and share a paper with other Papers users wirelessly.
• Stores 5,000 papers.
• Import papers from web-based storage services like Dropbox.

Papers will sync with the desktop version ($79), adding even more powerful literature management.

Papers is also available for the iPhone.

Have you used Papers, either the mobile or the desktop version? Tell us about it!

Detection

At Michigan State University, civil engineering professor Syed Hashsham is developing a device that performs genetic analysis on microRNAs and various other genetic markers, and can be operated by an iPod touch or Android-based tablet. Professor Hashsham received a grant from the Michigan Economic Development Cooperation to develop the “Gene-Z” along with Jim Tiedje from MSU and Erdogan Gulari from the University of Michigan. This device, if successfully developed, could provide a low-cost technology for early detection of cancer, which is sorely needed in less-affluent countries. (Thanks iMedicalApps!)

Management

The cancer information site Cancer.net has a free iPhone and iPad app for cancer patients and their families:

The free app allows cancer patients and their family members to look up pertinent information based on cancer type and download a wealth of oncology related information in the form of videos, podcasts, and up to date articles.

Where the app truly shines is in there key features: Ability to store questions, medications and symptoms. The way this app implements these key features is absolutely stunning, and makes the application a must have for cancer patients and their family members. (From the iMedicalApps blog.)

A full review of the app is available at the iMedicalApps blog.

As pointed out in the iMedicalApps blog, this study has several important shortcomings:

• Small sample size
• It does not take into account “more advanced fusion pumps which can simplify parts of the process.”
• One of the study’s primary authors is a contributor to the app’s development, though without financial investment.

From this author’s perspective, there are two important implications to this study. First, follow-up is needed, taking into account the typical equipment and stress present in the situation. Second, it appears we now trust computers and their programmers more than the writers of printed medical texts. Yet the only oversight of such devices comes from the medical professionals involved in their development. Is the current system sufficient to protect patients from technical problems and market-related pressures? If a book is dropped, its text does not change. Does dropping and repeated use of mobile devices affect the functioning of the software contained within? If it does, can that put a patient at risk?

What do you think? Tell us!

What would this mean for libraries? If every student has every book for every course, libraries would not have to purchase a copy to keep on reserve. They could focus more on purchases that would complement a given course’s content, including professors’ preferred journals.

But what form would this complementary content take? If eBooks become the norm, replacing print, we would need new ways for students to access our resources — journals, reference materials, etc. In other countries, to pay for purchases it is common to swipe one’s cellphone. Would libraries need a kiosk or similar device where students would swipe their eReader and receive materials they ordered during their research? Or would that functionality be handled by a learning management system (a later version of Blackboard)? If the latter were the case, libraries might simply become database-purchase-and-management centers, gradually losing the library-as-place concept and function.

Or, librarians could take the lead, and build a system that pulls topics from the instructor’s syllabus in a course management system (CMS), noting which areas will be covered at what point in the semester. The librarians could then uploading links to helpful resources directly to the CMS tailored to the class schedule. As students submit topics & descriptions for assignments to the CMS, librarians monitor them and offer personalize search assistance, even inviting students to the library for one-on-one search coaching.

These are two visions of the future of libraries. What do you think? What is your vision? Tell us!

The horse is out of the barn folks, now let’s see which hospital IT departments evolve and which ones don’t. Technology has forced many professions to evolve, including the ones born of technology.

Have you used mobile technology in a medical setting? What device(s) do you use? What challenges have you faced in terms of security concerns by your institution’s IT department? Tell us about it!

At the bottom of any EBSCO search or search results page there is a link “New: EBSCOhost iPhone/iPod Touch Application.” When clicked on, this link opens a window where you can enter your email to receive the two-step instructions for installing the app.

1. Download the app from the iTunes App Store, and sync it to your iPhone/iPod touch.
2. EBSCO sends you a verification email. View the email on your iPhone and tap on the link to authenticate your app in order to access all the subscription databases University of Utah Libraries subscribe to.

According to the iTunes App Store, this robust app “enables users to:

• Choose which databases to search
• Limit results to full text or peer reviewed
• Sort by relevance or date
• Retrieve full text results in HTML and/or PDF formats
• Save results for offline access at a later date
• Email results to self or others
• View cover flow display of results”

In addition, it will save your 25 most recent searches automatically.

One feature that is lacking is the ability to export results to citation management software such as EndNote. Perhaps if EBSCO made it possible to sync search results with the “My EBSCOhost” feature of the online version, the end user could easily save their search results to EndNote when they get back to their computer.

Have you used EBSCOhost’s mobile app, or another one like it? Tell us about it!

• View images and related text.
• Search image captions, keywords and references to refine search results.
• Bookmark images for later research.
• Email images to your friends and colleagues.

Like so many apps on the market, SpringerImages has multiple subscription levels. The free, basic level allows viewing of images from Open Access, peer-reviewed articles,which amounts to about one-tenth of the three million images in their database. If you choose to pay for improved access, the options include “Medical and Life Sciences (Mobile)” for $29.99, and “All Subjects (Mobile)” for $49.99 per their sign-up system.

The “Home” screen feels crowded, with the top most item showing a tally of the number of images in their database and the number you actually have access to. Below this are a search box, a button for advanced searching, and a list to browse by topic that is so narrow that the user is more likely to select a topic rather than brush to scroll.

I offer two suggestions for making this app more widely available. First, many libraries and other institutions subscribe to SpringerImages for their quality content. Why not offer free or reduced-price access to the equivalent mobile version for students, faculty and librarians? This would get their product in the hands of more end users right away, and have the potential of bringing in new customers down the road when students graduate, or faculty & librarians change institutions. And second, while this app can be used on the iPad, a tablet-friendly version would allow for a better browsing experience.

Do you have a favorite medical images app you use? Tell us about it!

According to the Technology Review website published by MIT, using

a nanosensor “tattoo” and a modified iPhone, cyclists could closely monitor sodium levels to prevent dehydration, and anemic patients could track their blood oxygen levels.

A team at Northeastern University’s Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences is working to make this possible. They have created a specialized, invisible “tattoo” with nanosensors to detect sodium and glucose levels without breaking the skin. Once the tattoo is applied, the end user slips a case over their iPhone which contains “a nine-volt battery, a filter that fits over the iPhone’s camera, and an array of three LEDs that produce light in the visible part of the spectrum” which can read the tattoo. For now, researchers are exporting the data to a computer for analysis. In the future, it is hoped that an app can be developed to do this work.

No doubt diabetics and others who have to take their own blood samples on a regular basis would welcome an end to needle sticks! Do you have an idea for an app that could replace a regular and annoying medical procedure? Tell us about it!

(Thanks to the iMedicalApps blog for this information!)

Kid Normal References ($2.99) is a pediatric app that covers developmental milestones, dental development, normal heart rates and sleep patterns, and more. While designed for pediatricians and other medical professionals, it can also answer the question that all parents and grandparents ask: “Is my child or grandchild developing normally?”

This application also includes all CDC vaccination schedules (such as pediatric ages and catch-up schedules) in a variety of formats.

While it is only available for the iPhone and iPod touch, it will probably run on the iPad at iPhone resolution.

Have you used this or a similar app to obtain information about your child, grandchild, or pediatric patient? Tell us about it — pros, cons, etc!

To use Dosecast, “simply enter basic information about each drug you take, such as the name, dosage, and how and when you take each drug. You can setup reminders on a daily, weekly, or monthly schedule – or, unlike other apps, for a pre-set number of hours or days after the last dose. Dosecast adjusts to your changing day, enabling you to take a dose early or postpone it as long as you need” (from the website).

This app is free, and features flexible scheduling, reliable push-notifications, postponeable reminders, customizable dose amounts and instructions, smart silencing, and privacy and security. For an additional $3.99 in-application purchase you can quantity tracking with alerts, local notifications, and emailing.

Do you or someone you know use this or another medication reminder app? If so, how helpful or unhelpful is it for you? Tell us!

“With Keynote, an iPad application similar to PowerPoint, children are able to slide through pictures of what will take place from admission to discharge. With this device I can explain surgery preparation through pictures and age-appropriate language.”

The program is designed for children ages 3 and up, and allows for increased interactivity over books.

• How easy is this site to learn?
• How efficiently can end users complete their desired tasks?
• How easy will it be to come back to this site again later and remember how to use it?
• How quickly can the user and site together recover from errors?

If we can understand how the user experiences our site, we can design it to better meet their needs.

Etches-Johnson pointed out that at the core, an academic library website is a research tool, and she advocates that it should focus on frequently asked questions or sought-for types of resources. She also reviewed how one writes for the web; rather than pages loaded with lots of words, they:

• should be written in an active voice,
• can use short sentences or fragments, and
• are only as strong as the weakest feature.

Missed the lecture but want to learn more? Links to the Watch the video of the 2011 Mayden lecture, or browse Ms. Etches-Johnson’s slides.

Eccles Library is busy redesigning our website to incorporate mobile-friendly features. What would you like to see us offer? Tell us!

1. Unsubscribe
2. Turn off or filter the bacn (“bacn” refers to emails from retailers and social networking sites)
3. Use RSS
4. Aggressively archive into folders
5. Use filters and rules

What do you do to deal with email overload? Tell us!

The medical students at the University of Minnesota’s Duluth campus have all been given iPads to help with medical education — adding to the growing list of medical schools implementing “iPad medical curriculums”.

Why the iPad?

The University of Minnesota’s Duluth medical school had received a $2.3 million Health Resources and Services Administration grant to fund efforts to increase the use of electronic learning in the medical school curriculum.

This article goes on to cite the reasons for the iPad’s continued leadership in this market:

• Numerous apps
• Portability
• Lagging competition

Check out this video of iPads being used by the medical students at UMD.

What do you think? If you own an iPad, how helpful have you found it in your education? Let us know!

• $1,000 AMEX Gift Card
• $1,500 Apple Store Gift Card
• Trip for two to New Orleans

Guidelines, rules and FAQs for the contest are available on line. (Thanks to the iMedicalApps blog for alerting us to this opportunity.)

Students enrolled in medical programs at the University of Utah have access to a number of mobile apps through the Eccles Health Sciences Library website.

Do you have a favorite mobile app? If so, tell us about it!

We believe that a portable, widely available, real-time communication solution — like MediBabble — has the potential for profound impact and is too important to sell. Which is why we’re giving it away.

I invite readers and subscribers to this blog to download and test this app, then add your comments to this post telling us how well this works for you!

The University of Utah Libraries have embraced QR (‘quick response’) codes as a means of delivering additional information to patrons via their mobile device. QR codes are two dimensional codes that can be scanned with a mobile device’s camera and a reader application to link to various resources such as a URL, application, or video. This presentation will introduce QR codes and explore how they can allow libraries to connect faculty, students and visitors to the information they want at the point of need. The libraries on campus are currently using them to link to Web sites, access digital learning objects, promote classes, and guide users to specific library locations. Participants will learn how to use and create their own QR Codes in class. Come learn about the next generation bar codes and see how they can be useful to you!

Instuctors:

• Anne Morrow, Digital Initiatives Librarian at Marriott Library
• Nancy Lombardo, Information Technology Librarian at Eccles Health Sciences Library

Date: Thursday, March 17, 2011

Time: 2 p.m. – 3 p.m.

Place: Marriott Library 1120

The workshop is free, but please register so the instructors know how many to expect. See you there!

EndNote software is used for organizing references, and managing and publishing bibliographies. It can be used to locate and organize selected bibliographic data and create bibliographies for curricula vitae, manuscripts, grant proposals, term papers and other publications. University of Utah students, faculty and staff can purchase EndNote at a discount from the Campus Bookstore, or online through U.I.T. Software Licensing. Both Eccles Health Sciences Library and Marriott Library offer workshops on how to effectively use this powerful software tool.

Do you use EndNote? How helpful have you found it to be? Add your comments!

The app includes a disclaimer reminding users that it is not a substitute for professional medical advice. It functions more like the first aid handbooks previous generations of parents kept at home for urgent care or other unexpected medical situations. And no application, no matter how well written or by whom, can substitute for the knowledge and assurance that comes from taking a first aid class from quality organizations such as the American Red Cross.

Of the reviewed apps, only two are worth considering, namely Pubmed Clip and Pubmed on Tap. Of these, Pubmed on Tap is the most solid choice, with basically everything you will need onboard for a reasonable price. For a little more you can get Pubmed Clip, which has by far the best looking interface and offers some distinct features that set it apart from the rest. On the iPad it gave a lot of errors, but as an only recently released initial version, we expect it to improve with time [Both Pubmed Clip and Pubmed on Tap are customized for both the iPhone and iPad].

PubMed also has its own mobile version, but as these authors accurately point out, “Although Pubmed has a mobile version of its website, it looks outdated and is not the easiest to use.” The first page opens without any search box, but instead offers a list of links to select from. Clicking on “Search MEDLINE/PubMed” takes the user to a page with not one but three search boxes:

• Search with no filters
• Search systematic reviews
• Search via Clinical Queries

For a quick-and-dirty way of getting a site up, this actually has some merit if you are using a mobile device to find fast answers. Using the Clinical Queries search box with the “therapy” option selected, a search on “preeclampsia” comes up with 434 items. Unfortunately, there is no way obvious or easy way to narrow these results, which come 20 to a page, forcing the user to scroll excessively.

Perhaps with more practice, one could learn to use this site more effectively, but for now, a 3rd-party app appears to be a better solution.