Gale Virtual Reference Library

The Virtual Reference Library contains full-text versions of major reference works. Of special interest is is the new addition, The Encyclopedia of Biostatistics. The following health related resources are also available .

• NEW Encyclopedia of Biostatistics 2nd ed., 8v, 2005
• Cambridge Historical Dictionary of Disease 2003
• Encyclopedia of Bioterrorism Defense 2005
• Encyclopedia of Public Health 4v, 2002
• Gale Encyclopedia of Cancer 2nd ed., 2v, 2006
• Gale Encyclopedia of Children's Health: Infancy through Adolescence 4v, 2006
• Encyclopedia of Health and Aging 2007

A forthcoming title is the Encyclopedia of Epidemiology, (due December of 2007).

Drug Resources: Beyond the PDR

The Rudolph Matas Library has many excellent pharmaceutical resources available electronically.

Databases:
*MD Consult - Search the "Drugs" tab at the main page
*STAT!Ref - Includes DrugPoints System, Litt's Drug Eruption Reference Manual and USP DI Advice for the Patient. You may search multiple sources simultaneously.

E-Books:
*AHFS DRUG INFORMATION - (in R2 Books) AHFS DI is an unbiased source of drug information and includes evidence-based data.

*Goodman & Gilman's Pharmacology - (in AccessMedicine)

* Meyler's Side Effects of Drugs - (in Science Direct)

All of the e-books above and more may also be located by searching the Library Catalog. "IF OFF-CAMPUS" you must authenticate at the key on the Library Homepage.

Finding a GREAT online dictionary

The following online dictionaries are licensed by Tulane Libraries.


• Credo Reference Covers: More than 150 reference books, such as dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias, from about 30 respected publishers. Medical dictionaries are included.

• Stedman's Medical Dictionary (as part of Stat!Ref) is included under "STAT!Ref Resources". Link to Stat!Ref

• Oxford English dictionary (Online) An authoritative English dictionary providing access to the definitive record of the meaning, history and evolution of words. It includes quotations from a wide range of sources.

For other links See "Dictionaries, Quotes, & Thesauri Reference Web Sites"

U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF)

A new release in preventive service was announced by the USPSTF, Primary Care Counseling for Proper Use of Motor Vehicle Occupant Restraints.

The Task Force, which is supported by AHRQ, is the leading independent panel of experts in prevention and primary care. These recommendations are considered the gold standard for clinical preventive services. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) is the charged with improving the quality, safety, efficiency, and effectiveness of health care for all Americans. AHRQ supports health services research that will improve the quality of health care and promote evidence-based decisionmaking.

For more information about the Task Force, its methods and other recommendations, go to http://www.ahrq.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm.

Journal Ranking Systems, Journal Citation Reports (ISI) and Eigenfactor

Journal Citation Reports (ISI) help in the evaluation and comparison Of academic journals. Journal Citation Reports show the:

• Most frequently cited journals in a field
  
• Highest impact journals in a field
  
• Largest journals in a field

The citation and article counts are indicators that current researchers are using individual journals. By tabulating and aggregating citation and article counts, JCR offers a perspective for journal evaluation and comparison.

Eigenfactor ranks journals similar to how Google ranks websites. This is a non-commercial network-based journal ranking system sponsored by the Bergstrom Lab (Department of Biology, University of Washington).

Compare JCR with Eigenfactor. The links to the following pages will help you understand the different services.

• Using Journal Citation Reports Wisely
  
• About Eigenfactor

Academic Medicine, Special Disaster Issue (Aug.2007)

Excerpt from the Editor of Academic Medicine - A "new challenge is emerging: all institutions, including those of academic medicine, are increasingly at risk of facing major disasters, both natural and man-made. ...This is also a very special collection for another reason: several of the articles provide insight into the extraordinary commitment that members of the academic medicine community have to the students and residents whom they are educating ..." ([From the Editor] - Responding to Disasters: Lessons for Academic Health Science Centers / Whitcomb, Michael E. MD (pg. 731-732)

Link to Academic medicine, 82(8) August 2007

Issue Contents include: Tulane University School of Medicine / Krane, N Kevin MD (pg. 802-803) -- Baylor College of Medicine's Support of Tulane University School of Medicine Following Hurricane Katrina / Searle, Nancy S. EdD; the Writing Committee (pg. 745-756) -- Surviving Hurricane Katrina: Reconstructing the Educational Enterprise of Tulane University School of Medicine / Krane, N Kevin MD; Kahn, Marc J. MD; Markert, Ronald J. PhD; Whelton, Paul K. MD; Traber, Peter G. MD; Taylor, Ian L. MD, PhD (pg. 763-768) -- Coping with Disaster: Relocating a Residency Program / Conlay, Lydia A. MD, PhD; Searle, Nancy S. EdD; Gitlin, Melvin C. MD (pg. 763-768)

ILLiad requests are now free.

The Rudolph Matas Library will no longer charge a $2 fee for interlibrary loan requests. ILLiad, our interlibrary loan service, provides efficient online delivery service for documents that are not in the library collection. Book and book chapters can also be requested. The Library reserves the right to limit the number of requests submitted by an individual.

Interlibrary loan service is restricted to current Tulane Health Sciences Center faculty, students, staff, and employees of the Tulane Hospital and Clinic. http://matas-lib.tulane.edu/

EXAM MASTER Update

Recently Exam Master published over 300 new medical science questions. These questions cover a number of product outlines including USMLE and the Certification Review Series. If you create general topic or subject exams, you will see these questions intermixed with existing questions. http://www.exammaster2.com/wdsentry/tulane.htm

• Medical Students – USMLE Review – All three steps!
• Residents – USMLE Review, Medical Specialty Board Review
• Physicians – Medical Specialty Board Review, perfect for certification or recertification

Users must register and if off-campus authenticate on the Library webpage.