Maria J Grant

Liverpool John Moores University | LJMU

Searching for health information is a core activity for health library and knowledge workers, whether seeking to support health care workers in overcoming barriers to accessing drug information, exploring the potential of text mining in developing search filters, translating search filters for use on alternative databases, or the importance of upda...

Dissertations into Practice is changing. Details on how those new to health information, library and knowledge work can get involved coming shortly.

The rigours of the past few years have demonstrated the importance of good health literacy levels with the imperative of being able to obtain and interpret information to maintain and improve one's health never more apparent. With this in mind, this issue is focused on consumer health information, the gender and population group differences that ex...

To mark the CILIP Health Libraries Group celebrations of their 75th anniversary, this year's Virtual Issue brings together Health Information and Libraries Journal manuscripts that have been particularly influential or generated most interest in our readers, or represent a significant event in the journal's own history, while still having relevance...

Background Around 36,000 cardiac operations are undertaken in the United Kingdom annually, with most procedures undertaken via median sternotomy. Wound complications occur in up to 8% of operations, with an associated mortality rate of around 47% in late or undetected cases. Objective To undertake a systematised literature review to identify pre-o...

When you think about a journal you probably think of it in terms of its interactions with authors, but relations extend beyond this and are embodied in the actions and values of the editorial team and board. The Health Information and Libraries Journal editorial team and board pride themselves in the support they provide to enable and build confide...

Purpose The study aims to construct an understanding of professional academic writing network structures to inform organisational strategic investment in academic staff development. Design/methodology/approach Longitudinal social network analysis is used to examine the personal-networks evident in the publication portfolios of a purposive sample o...

Successful writing relies on your ability to define and take account of the audience who will ultimately read your work. Writing for your audience may seem like an obvious call to arms, and yet many writers forget this decisive factor, an element that will determine whether their writing can be accepted for publication and will ultimately be read....

Health library and information workers no longer find themselves restricted to presenting at purely local or national health‐related library events, a diversity evidenced by the two conferences supported by CILIP's Health Libraries Group this month, June 2019. The Health Libraries Group is an official sponsor of #EBLIP10, the 10th international Evi...

Maria Grant reflects on her ten years as Editor‐in‐Chief of the Health Information and Libraries Journal, her vision to enhance the quality and reach of the journal, and working with prospective authors in the health library sector to increase confidence in recognising and communicating the value of the work being undertaken.

Responding to referee comments, the Health Information and Libraries Journal Editorial Advisory Board has been engaged in a large‐scale project to review and revise local peer review processes. What has emerged is a review process which enables referees to provide a more nuanced review to the editorial team and authors. The revised processes have n...

After the excitement of this summer's Health Libraries Group conference, it is important to maintain that sense of momentum and enthusiasm that being with like‐minded library and information workers can bring. #HLG2018 certainly presented plenty of opportunities for collaboration and the enthusiasm to put ideas into action. The launch of CILIP's He...

Evidence-based Practice for Information Professionals - edited by Andrew Booth March 2004

Background: A nursing record system is the record of care that was planned or given to individual patients and clients by qualified nurses or other caregivers under the direction of a qualified nurse. Nursing record systems may be an effective way of influencing nurse practice. Objectives: To assess the effects of nursing record systems on nursi...

It's conference time again! There is an exciting programme in prospect in this year's biennial Health Libraries Group (#HLG2018) conference covering key elements of library and information workers’ daily practice. Uppermost in everyone's mind is the importance of ongoing personal and professional development with the Health Libraries Group Continui...

Purpose: To illuminate long-term experiences of mental illness from both research and autobiographical accounts. Design: A literature review of English-language papers, 1950-2014, relating to the experience of long-term mental illness indexed in AgeInfo, AMED, ASSIA, British Nursing Index (BNI), CINAHL, MEDLINE, PsycEXTRA, and PsychINFO. Findin...

In this final issue of 2017, we are in a reflective mood at the Health Information and Libraries Journal as we say goodbye to Audrey Marshall, Regular Feature Editor of Dissertations into Practice. While Audrey departs, Dissertations into Practice is now a firm fixture of the Health Information and Libraries Journal; there remains no better place f...

Aims and objectives: This critical review examines the extent that individualised education helps reduce depression, anxiety and improves self-care for people who've undergone Coronary Artery Bypass Graft surgery (CABG). Background: Individualised discharge planning is increasingly important following cardiac surgery due to recurrent admissions...

Background: Nurses are pivotal in the provision of high quality care in acute hospitals. However, the optimal dosing of the number of nurses caring for patients remains elusive. In light of this, an updated review of the evidence on the effect of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes is required. Aim: To undertake a systematic review and met...

Background: Nurses are pivotal in the provision of high quality care in acute hospitals. However, the optimal dosing of the number of nurses caring for patients remains elusive. In light of this, an updated review of the evidence on the effect of nurse staffing levels on patient outcomes is required. Aim: To undertake a systematic review and meta-a...

The March 2017 issue of the Health Information and Libraries Journal marks the 10 year anniversary of the inaugural review published in the journal's review series. The review series was conceived to meet the growing appetite of health library and information workers to access synthesised evidence to inform their practice; something we'd already be...

Narrowing the gap between what we want to achieve as writings – publishing a report of our project – and what we achieve as readers – finding a study to inform our practice – can be challenging. One solution in enabling us to achieve this goal is to learn from close reading the writing of others, including writing in development. Close reading, app...

Academic writing can seem a daunting prospect although with the right support and information it can be more achievable than you think. In this first set of editorial comments of 2016, editors from all sections of the Health Information and Libraries Journal outline the origins of the individual section of the journal which they oversee and highlig...

For Health Information and Libraries Journal, 2015 has had a distinctly international feel to it, something we have consciously been fostering for the past eight years. This issue is no exception in mirroring the journal’s Regular Feature International Perspectives and Initiatives, edited by Jeannette Murphy, in shining a light on the best internat...

Many people are still not receiving the right care. It is imperative for health care librarians to come together around a common vision to achieve Knowledge for Healthcare so that the right knowledge and evidence is used at the right time in the right place. The authors describe five workstreams within a modernisation programme: Service Transformat...

As a regular referee for the Health Information and Libraries Journal, Richard Stephens - Winner of the 2014 Wellcome Trust Science Writing Prize - has been impressed by the science on offer in the Health Information and Libraries Journal. But he has also been struck by how often similar problems with statistical analysis reporting come up during t...

Jackie Cheeseborough and Shane Godbolt describe the role that UK health information professionals have in global health and in supporting colleagues from developing countries to continue to develop as a provision. They give an overview of a range of organisations working to improve access to health information in developing countries and in particu...

At its best, peer review can mean receiving constructive feedback to help you make the most of your writing. At the Health Information and Libraries Journal, we strive to make the peer review a positive process for both authors and referees. We adopt a process of double-blind peer review. To receive two reviews in a timely manner, three referees ar...

Anne Brice, recipient of the 2014 Cyril Barnard Memorial Prize, reflects on the themes of names and skills of the health library and information professions. She questions whether service users share the same concerns of librarians that this nomenclature is too narrow and too closely associated with the buildings that provide its name. She proposes...

Acknowledging the need for continuous improvement to keep health libraries at the forefront of patient care, Richard Bridgen considers the alternative ways in which library and knowledge services can be provided, from regional hubs to embedded services. Richard echo's the words of the CILIP Chief Executive Officer that services are likely to be jud...

The chances are the first thing you when you set out to write an article is the title. But what factors transform a mediocre title into a good title? Firstly, it should be both informative and specific, using words or phrases likely to be used when searching for information, for example 'nurse education' rather than simply 'nurse'. Secondly, it sho...

With its roots in evidence-based medicine, Evidence Based Library and Information Practice emerged 15 years ago and, with health librarians leading the way, has since been adopted by librarians and libraries in all sectors. EBLIP is an iterative process that may see you undertaking your own research although most likely, it will see you integrate y...

In 2013 the NHS Commissioning Board launches its new integrated customer service platform. The new service utilises the full range of channels (web, telephone, apps etc) to provide access to information to support transparency, participation and transactions. Digital health services have proven benefits in informed choice, shared decision making an...

The Department of Health published a new health information strategy in May 2012. The document provides a framework for health information in England over the next 10 years. Health information developments in England, however, do not mirror developments in other parts of the United Kingdom. This article is a personal reflection on the new health in...

Why with an increase in the amount of health information, and ways of accessing it, so many people experience poor health? What is the role of health library and information professionals in improving public health? These questions are of great interest to me. There are many examples of initiatives, particularly in the public library sector, which...

One of the intended legacies of the London 2012 Olympics is to increase the level of physical activity amongst the general population. Health information on the positive health benefits of sport and nutrition can assist in this goal and its positive benefit can been seen in communities within and beyond the United Kingdom, particularly within an ed...

Objective: To identify and summarise studies of the psychological well-being of informal carers of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Design: The review included studies if they reported the carers perspective of caregiving - studies that focused mostly on the person with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease were included only i...

While research training often takes place during every day practice, for the majority of library and information professionals, essential training will have been received as part of the dissertation element of their degree. However, there is a danger that important dissertation study findings are not disseminated if, for example, the student has mo...

The process of writing for publication is a challenging one. It moves us from the spoken and written word into a realm that requires us to provide supporting evidence to develop an argument in a logical and progressive way. In English language journals, as elsewhere, the quality of the written word is a determining factor in the likelihood of a pap...

In the recent times of recession and budget cuts, it is more important than ever for library and information services to deliver cost-effective services. This rapid review aims to examine the evidence for the most cost-effective ways of delivering enquiry services. A literature search was conducted on LISA (Library and Information Sciences Abstract...

Public engagement with eHealth is generally viewed as beneficial. However, despite the potential benefits, public engagement with eHealth services remains variable. This article explores reasons for this variability through a review of published international literature. A focused search, conducted in January 2009, of three bibliographic databases,...

Whilst many of us engage in supporting clinicians in identifying, appraising and using evidence, how many of us adopt the same approach to our own work? A recent survey by the UK LIS Research Coalition indicated that 60% of respondents use research reports as a source of information whilst a similar proportion of health library respondents use prof...

Reviews are seen as a way of exploiting existing data or research findings more fully and can offer a summarised insight into the current understanding of the evidence. Library and information science (LIS) workers can use reviews to inform their decision-making and service planning. Although the LIS evidence base continues to grow there will frequ...

Often overlooked by prospective authors, one of the keys to successful writing projects is to find the right audience for your writing. Early in the writing process you should identify where you wish to publish. Publications have preferred styles of presentation and, crucially, defined remits so once you've identified the place of publication, it s...

For the inexperienced writer it can be difficult to know how to start writing, while for those with some writing experience, it is often seen as a luxury for which there is precious little time to indulge. This reflective case study describes the role of a cross-disciplinary writers’ group, as a writing intervention, within a higher education insti...

As any good library or information worker knows the accurate and consistent application of keywords can serve to enhance the content representation and retrieval of literature. Research has demonstrated that this aspect of the library and information science evidence base is particularly well represented. Drawing on the thesauri of the Library & Sc...

This inaugural virtual issue of the Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) celebrates the contribution of health information in informing health and social care library and information provision. It has been drawn together to reflect the 2010 biennial Health Libraries Group conference theme of Keeping Information Centre Stage Amid Changing...

With conference season upon us, consideration is given to the importance of subject-specific and library association conferences. The biennial Health Libraries Group (HLG) conference meets both these criteria and takes place in Greater Manchester in July. The conference provides an opportunity for peer-to-peer learning, identifying new trends and p...

The 2010-2014 strategic plan builds on the reputation of Health Information and Libraries Journal (HILJ) as a dynamic internationally inclusive journal and will ensure that the journal remains relevant to the day-to-day practices of its readership. The plan seeks to maintain the high quality of the journal, build on the already strong relationship...

It is commonly accepted that public engagement with eHealth is beneficial. However, engagement is also variable. This article presents the findings of a review of published evaluation studies around eHealth services. A targeted search of MEDLINE, CINAHL and EMBASE returned 2622 unique abstracts. 50 articles met the inclusion criteria and were subje...

The expansion of evidence-based practice across sectors has lead to an increasing variety of review types. However, the diversity of terminology used means that the full potential of these review types may be lost amongst a confusion of indistinct and misapplied terms. The objective of this study is to provide descriptive insight into the most comm...

A nursing record system is the record of care that was planned or given to individual patients and clients by qualified nurses or other caregivers under the direction of a qualified nurse. Nursing record systems may be an effective way of influencing nurse practice. To assess the effects of nursing record systems on nursing practice and patient out...

For the successful achievement of evidence-based practice, clinicians, managers and purchasers need evidence on whether a particular intervention works and ways to judge the appropriateness of the outcome criteria and measures used. Guidance is needed on what outcome measure to use, especially within routine clinical care settings. Beginning with a...

Simulation is an approach to teaching and learning which is gaining a greater emphasis within nurse education. This has been fueled by the Nursing and Midwifery Council's (NMC) decision to identify a baseline standard for using simulation safely and its inclusion as a contributory part to practice learning [Nursing and Midwifery Council (2006a). Th...

To systematically review published literature on the role of reflection in the library and information science sector. To identify examples of good practice and to investigate the reported contribution, if any, of reflection by library and information workers as part of their professional practice. Free text searches (reflective or reflection* or r...

This paper reports a systematic review to identify the education needs of the workforce within primary care to promote the effective delivery of integrated health and social care services. The need for different professionals to work more closely dominates global health policy. The drive to develop a workforce prepared for the future is crucial to...

To develop and evaluate a web-based interactive information skills tutorial integrated into the curriculum. To determine whether the tutorial was acceptable to students and explore the use of a skills assessment tool in identifying whether the tutorial improved skills. The development of a tutorial on OVID medline to teach transferable information...

The objective was to gain an overview of researchers experiences of searching the literature, with particular reference to the use of optimal search strategies (OSSs) and searching for qualitative research studies. A 13-item semi-structured questionnaire investigating search behaviour was distributed to members of the Cochrane Qualitative Methods N...

Practical and easy-to-use, this text effectively introduces different sources of information and how to use them. Its unique format is meant to increase the user's awareness of available health-related references and to help the user understand techniques involved in undertaking a literature search. Such knowledge aids in demystifying the jargon as...

Critical appraisal of research studies forms a central role within the application and uptake of evidence-based approaches within health and social care. While there are established checklists for evaluating quantitative research, this is not the case for qualitative research. This article outlines the process of developing an evaluative tool for q...

For the successful achievement of evidence-based practice, clinicians, managers and purchasers need evidence on whether a particular intervention works and ways to judge the appropriateness of the outcome criteria and measures used. Guidance is needed on what outcome measure to use, especially within routine clinical care settings. Beginning with a...

The concepts of evidence-based practice and clinical effectiveness are reliant on up to date, accurate, high quality, and relevant information. Although this information can be obtained from a range of sources, computerised databases such as MEDLINE offer a fast, effective means of bringing up to date information to clinicians, as well as health se...

Reports on the first phase of an evaluation of the UK Clearing House on Health Outcomes (UKCHHO) undertaken by a sample survey of purchasers and providers on its mailing list and users of its enquiry service. Explores user satisfaction with the services and publications of the project, uses made of the information provided and perceptions of the fu...

An overview of the models and data relevant to children's transitive reasoning is provided. We propose a new conceptual framework, one which is embedded in a dynamic model that accounts for children's failures to reason transitively. It is assumed that rather than reasoning in a transitive manner, children often encode both relational and absolute...