Dear colleague
The Essential Information Resources list is reviewed regularly by the Clinical Governance Working Group of UKMI. The previous list had expanded to over 30 pages and was becoming difficult to manage and keep up to date. In addition, the way it was divided into books and e-sources had become less relevant over recent years. The list also drives the changes that are made on the MiDatabank Master Resources List. To facilitate a review of the Essential Information Resources list the following questions were asked:
What is the purpose and function of the Essential Information Resources document?
1. To facilitate provision of an accurate, independent, current and evidence based enquiry answering service.
2. To facilitate purchasing decisions and priorities
3. To prompt changes to the MiDatabank Master Resources List
4. To audit MI centres against
What factors influence the content of the Essential Information Resources document?
· Increasing availability of freely accessible web-based resources via the general Internet or via national library arrangements
· Desire to move away from paper based to web based resources
· Increasing availability of resources available under ‘package’ deals e.g. medicines complete
· Increasing availability of resources available as paper and web based
It was decided that the resource list would be more manageable if it was split into two:
· Resources for Purchase by NHS Medicines Information Services
· Resources with Free Access for NHS Medicines Information Services
The reason for splitting the document this way is that when the list changes the actions needed by medicines information managers differ according to which list the resource appears in, especially with regard to budget implications.
How should these documents be used?
In both documents the resources are organised into general subject categories. In addition, journals, training tools and enquiry recording databases are listed.
Resources with Free Access
This is a list of resources that are freely accessible and considered useful to NHS MI services. It includes free paper resources (e.g. BNF, drug tariff) and freely accessible websites via the Internet or via national library arrangements. This list is not intended to be exhaustive.
Although UKMi cannot assure the quality of the listed resources, all those included are produced by reputable/well known organisations. URLs are available for download via the MiDatabank administrators and were correct at the time of publication but are liable to change. Where registration is required this is indicated. This document may also be used to store details of your departmental usernames and passwords if you haven’t entered them in MiDatabank. This can then be kept in an accessible place for all staff working in MI.
This list and the MiDatabank Master Resource list will be updated with new editions/ URLs etc. on an ongoing basis. However, as these resources are freely available any changes will not be routinely highlighted. Access to these resources will not be audited.
Resources for Purchase
It is recognised that the requirements of individual MI centres (MICs) are different and will depend on the service offered by each centre, the size of the base hospital and the nature of the Trust in which the unit is situated. Where this affects the holding of a resource, this is indicated. For electronic resources this document may also be used to store details of your departmental usernames and passwords if you haven’t entered them in MiDatabank. This can then be kept in an accessible place for all staff working in MI.
ISBN numbers are included when appropriate and approximate costs stated. Editions and associated publication dates are also included.
Access to these resources will be audited. For QA purposes, essential resources are annoted ‘L’, ‘R’ and/or ‘S’ where:
L = Local MIC: resources considered essential for all local MICs to hold
R = Regional MIC: resources considered essential for all regional MICs to hold
S = Supplementary: resources that may enhance the service offered by MICs, whether locally or regionally based.
There is a grey box which can be used to tick availability of a resource when being audited.
Local and regional MI centres should hold 100% of the listed resources annotated with ‘L’ and ‘R’, respectively. The supplementary ‘S’ resources that are relevant to individual centres in terms of enquiry type and Trust speciality should also be held. Recommendations and advice on the supplementary resources will be given via the formal QA visit.
UKMi Discounted Subscriptions
The UKMi Executive has negotiated a number of discounted subscriptions for resources. These are indicated in the list with *UKMi Deal*. Further details of the discounts (including costs and ordering arrangements) are provided in Appendix 1.
Updating the List
The Resources for Purchase list will be updated with new editions etc. on an ongoing basis and details of any updated resources will be published on the ‘What’s New’ section of the UKMi website. In addition, the MiDatabank Master Resource list will be updated. The Clinical Governance Working Group will formally review the contents of this list at least annually.
How can you help?
If you become aware of a new edition of a listed resource that has not been changed in either the list or on MiDatabank please let us know. In addition, if you would like a new resource to be considered for inclusion on the list please contact us for consideration by the Clinical Governance Working Group.
For all enquiries, comments or suggestions please contact or any member of the Clinical Governance group whose details can be found at http://www.ukmi.nhs.uk/activities/clinicalGovernance/default.asp?pageRef=2.
We hope you find this helpful.
October 2008