Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing : Now free and Online!

The second online issue of "The Australian Journal of Advanced Nursing" is now available.

Some of the articles in the latest issue are :
* The future nursing workforce in Australia
* Working in an overcrowded A. & E.
* Income inequality and health status - a nursing issue
* Can I do everything? Time menagement in a neonatal unit.

Check it out!

Over the Counter but No Longer under the Radar - Pediatric Cough and Cold Medications

The December 6 issue of NEJM article by Joshua M. Sharfstein, M.D., Marisa North, B.A., and Janet R. Sewint, M.D. examines the issue of over-the-counter cough and cold medications has received unprecendented attention from regulators, physicians, the media and parents. This scrutiny represents a long-overdue reassessment of products that were purchased by 39% of US households during the past three years.

The link above gives access via the libraries' A-Z Electronic Journals Site.

MJA features government intervention in aboriginal communities

The Christmas issue of the Medical Journal of Australia features lively discussion and opposing views on the Commonwealth's intervention into aboriginal communities in the Northern Territory. One of the opponents, John Boffa from The Aboriginal Medical Services Alliance speaks out against the decision to make the new legislation exempt from the Racial Discrimination Act, while Dr Bill Glasson from the Emergency Response Taskforce argues that it is not paternalistic to act against unacceptable behaviour.

The Obesity Epidemic

Another fascinating program on ABC Radio National's Health Report this week. If you missed it, click on the link for a transcript or podcast. Dr Robert Lustig explains the connections between insulin, the gi index, fibre and why the adding of fructose to western foods is making our children overweight. You'll never buy fruit juice again!

Medical Journal of Australia - what's there for you?

The Medical Journal of Australia (MJA) is Australia's leading peer-reviewed journal of medical practice and clinical research. The full text of every issue since January 2002 is available free on the web at http://www.mja.com.au/index.html

Key pages:
Topics is a list of topic areas covered by the eMJA — use this to get a list of available articles by broad topic areas.

Clinical guidelines are authoritative documents issued by medical colleges and other reliable sources that are designed to guide doctors and other health care workers to the best practice in particular fields of medicine.

The Archives lists all the articles published in print by the MJA since January 1996.

Articles that were rapidly published online before print are listed on the Rapid Online Publication page.

All Supplements to the MJA are listed together on the Supplements page. Recent additions are 'Early Interventions in Young Mental Health'; 'Spirituality and Health' and 'Clinical practice guidelines for communicating prognosis and end-of-life issues with adults in the advanced stages of a life-limiting illness, and their caregivers'

How do I get hold of out-of-print books?

There's a particular book your lecturer has recommended as being the last word on the subject - nothing else will do. But when you go to order a copy you discover to your dismay it's out of print!
Of course you can contact your friendly NCAHS Librarian and we can do some detective work for you, including trying to organise a loan from another library. But if you're one of those self-sufficient types, your next step is probably amazon.com.
There is an alternative, however, to paying freight costs and an unfavourable conversion from $US, not to mention waiting weeks for your parcel to arrive.
Have a look at Biblioz - an Australian company specialising in tracking out of print books. Sometimes they have to source your book overseas, so you could still be in for a wait, but its all in aussie dollars and you can even speak to a human being if you need to.

OvidSP is about to change the way you search

CIAP has released the new Ovid search and discovery platform, Ovid SP. Everything looks different as they've incorporated new features including natural language searching, Endnote compatability and personalised accounts. One day you'll be using the familiar Cinahl or Medline, and the next day...
Contact your library for training or quick help in using the new features. Or click here for an

How good is "Good Cholesterol"?

Some experts have been questioning just how beneficial is a high level of HDL - the part of our cholesterol which carries fat away from our arteries. Ask your librarian for a copy of this article if you want the latest evidence on the relative merits of HDL and LDL
New England Journal of Medicine 2007 Vol 357 : 1301-10
Barter P et al. "HDL cholesterol, very low levels of LDL cholesterol, and cardiovascular events".

New search engine!

Netting the Evidence: a search engine dedicated to the methodology of evidence based practice. This google search engine searches over one hundred web sites (107) associated with the METHODOLOGY of evidence and helps to meet the increasing challenge to keep up to date with resources in Evidence Based Practice.

Exercise and General Health

Does a bit less exercise make you a bit less healthy, and a bit more exercise make you a bit more healthy? Find out on this week's ABC Radio National's Health Report with Dr Steve Blair, Professor of Exercise Science University of South Carolina