Reprinted from MEDLIB-L@LISTSERV.ACSU.BUFFALO.EDU;
November 17, 1998
As written by Marcy Horner
I just had a discussion with my CEO about MDConsult.... we decided against offering it for a number of reasons...
1. From a risk management point of view: the MDConsult search engine only searches the journals published by Lippincott/Williams and Wilkins ( about 40) - physicians may think they have covered the literature when in fact they have only seen a very small part of it... if they make patient care decisions based on such a small subset of information, they may not be making a truly informed decision.
2. From a cost control point of view: there is no way to attach local library holdings statements to MDConsult... no way for your staff to know that your hospital has already paid for that journal, and they can have the article without paying the publisher again.... there are no FAIR USE provisions, each time a staff member wants an article, you pay full price...(one BIG question is WHO will pay the full price... our medical staff has resisted an increase in library support payments even though journal prices continue to sky-rocket... they are not willing to pay for each article - and why should the library pay for what we can borrow under fair use?!)
3. The prices VHA Securenet quoted were considerably higher than what we currently pay to use Micromedix and Health Reference Center - products we already provide to our staff thru the library server
4. From a staff loyalty and local medical community point of view our medical staff members are committed to THEIR library, it binds our local medical community together, and has provided the basis for the development of a rural consortium that has many benefits beyond the provision of direct information services
We will be using VHA Securenet for our
purchasing department... there are some cost savings and advantages
there.
DeArmond Consumer Health Library
Kootenai Medical Center - Coeur d'Alene, ID
submitted by Marcy
Horner
We have modified the NLM classification schedule to fit our consumer health library - we use the NLM system, but we have renamed the major subject headings to reflect lay language.
| QU | VITAMINS | |
| QV | HERBS AND DRUGS | (note: although the NLM catalogs some herbals in WB as well, we have classified all our books and videos that deal with herbs in this section, as we find our patrons find it easier to have the material all in one place, and our collection is small) |
| QW | GERMS | |
| QX | BUGS | |
| QZ | GENETICS AND CANCER | |
| WB | ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE AND PHYSICAL THERAPY | (note: this is the widest departure from the NLM terminology.. we looked at the materials we had purchased in our initial collection and discovered most of the WB titles dealt with complementary or alternative approaches to medicine) |
| WC | INFECTIONS | |
| WD | ALLERGIES | (once again, when we looked at what our collection represented, most of the WD section dealt with allergies) |
| WE | BONES AND JOINTS | |
| WF | LUNGS | |
| WG | HEART | |
| WH | BLOOD | |
| WI | GUTS | |
| WJ | MEN'S HEALTH (AND KIDNEYS) | |
| WK | DIABETES | (once again, when we looked at what our collection represented, most of the WK section dealt with diabetes) |
| WL | NERVES & PAIN | |
| WM | EMOTIONS | |
| WN | IMAGING | |
| WO | SURGERY | |
| WP | WOMEN'S HEALTH | |
| WQ | PREGNANCY | |
| WR | KIDS | |
| WS | SKIN DISEASES | |
| WT | AGING | |
| WU | TEETH & GUMS | |
| WV | EAR, NOSE & THROAT | |
| WW | EYES | |
| WX | HOSPITALS | |
| WY | NURSING | |
| WZ | HISTORY & HUMOR |