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Month: September 2022

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The Hispanic community is one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. According to census data, people who identified as Hispanic accounted for approximately half of the total population growth in the country between 2010 and 2020 and around 18.7% or 62.1 million Americans self-identify as Hispanic or Latino. (U.S. Census Bureau, 2021) Despite a significant presence in the country, less than 10% of all healthcare workers are Hispanic. Recent statistics and personal anecdotes suggest that having visible representation of Hispanic American healthcare workers will encourage more Hispanic individuals to pursue a career in the health sciences and allow Hispanic American patients to better connect with their healthcare provider.

On June 14, 2022, the Pew Research Center released a report entitled ‘Hispanic Americans’ Trust in and Engagement with Science.’ The report was based on survey data from nearly 15,000 U.S. adults and examined Hispanic Americans’ perceptions of both health sciences and the science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) field. The authors note that overall “Hispanic adults hold largely trusting views of both medical scientists and scientists to act in the public’s interests. Hispanic adults’ encounters with the health and medical care system are varied, reflecting the diverse nature of the U.S. Hispanic population across characteristics such as nativity, language proficiency, gender, age and education.” (Funk & Lopez, 2022) Many Hispanic Americans have poor or no access to the healthcare field and for those able to regularly visit a healthcare provider, there are barriers to care, such as communication problems, that are present during these visits. The Pew Center report noted “Hispanic adults are less likely than other Americans to have health insurance and to receive preventative medical care.” (Funk & Lopez, 2022) Survey respondents shared many different opinions on the cause of health disparities within the Hispanic American population including working jobs with high health risks, language barriers, poverty and preexisting health conditions. When asked about solutions to address these health disparities many people responded that they believed increasing the visible representation of Hispanic healthcare workers would address these disparities. This sentiment is echoed by current Hispanic healthcare professionals:

Professional organizations such as the National Association of Hispanic Nurses and National Hispanic Medical Association connect Hispanic healthcare workers and develop meaningful communities. On the George Washington University campus, there is a local chapter Latino Medical Student Association. This organization will hold its 50th annual conference on January 27-28 in 2023 at John Hopkins University and the theme for the conference is “Un Futuro Para Todos: Highlighting Latino Innovation, Service, and Leadership in Medicine.” Registration for the conference is currently open and early bird prices are available until November 11th. To learn more about GWU’s Latino Medical Student Association, click here to view their website or email the organization at lmsa.gwsmhs@gmail.com.

Wandy D. Hernandez-Gordon writes in their personal narrative for AMA Journal of Ethics “Health professionals with cultural and language proficiency are critical to successful interventions, including health education, preventative medicine, and treatment. But these interventions are only the start in addressing the higher burdens and challenges that Latinos face in accessing quality health care. It is also critical to dissect and understand the systems and structures that both lead to and exacerbate health inequities.” (Hernandez-Gordon, 2022, p. 335) The Hispanic population in the United States continues to grow and it is important that they are able to access the full benefits of the healthcare system. In order to meet the needs of this diverse population, it’s important that more Hispanic healthcare professionals enter the field, share their experiences with their colleagues and collaborate with one another to offer long-lasting solutions.

References: 

Funk, C., & Lopez M.H. “Hispanic Americans’ Trust in and Engagement with Science.” Pew Research Center, Washington D.C. (June 14, 2022) https://www.pewresearch.org/science/2022/06/14/hispanic-americans-trust-in-and-engagement-with-science/

Hernandez-Gordon, W.D. (2022). Why Community Health Workers’ Roles in Latinx Communities Are Essential. AMA Journal of Ethics, 24(2), E333-339. https://doi.org/10.1001/amajethics.2022.333


United States Census Bureau. (2021). 2020 Census Illuminates Racial and Ethnic Composition of the Country. https://www.census.gov/library/stories/2021/08/improved-race-ethnicity-measures-reveal-united-states-population-much-more-multiracial.html

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This is the second in a series of articles on the changes to the NIH Data Management and Sharing policies that will come into effect for NIH grant applications starting January 2023. See our first article for a general overview.

If you’re preparing to apply for an NIH grant, having a plan to manage and share your data just turned up on your to-do list. Currently, only grants of $500,000 or more are required to have a data management plan. Effective January 25, 2023, ALL grant applications or renewals that generate scientific data must include a detailed plan related to managing and storing data through the duration of the funded period, including plans for data dissemination. NIH just released a list of activity codes for grants that will be subject to the new policy last week. Where do you start? What should be included in this plan? We’ll provide some answers and resources to guide you here. 

All data management plans should incorporate the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) principles to ensure optimal research data stewardship. Beyond following FAIR guidelines, what are the specific elements that must be included in a data management plan?  Here’s an outline of things to include and think through:

Who will be responsible for the data?

  • Usually, data is owned by the institution awarded the grant and the principal investigator is responsible for data collection and management.
  • If there are others responsible, this should be documented in the plan.

What types of data will be generated and where will they come from? Create a descriptive list of all the data that will be collected during the research process, as well as an estimate of how much data will be generated. Further things to consider include:

  • Why is it desirable to share this data and how could it be re-used? All data that is required to replicate results should be shared.
  • Are there any risks to disclosing this data? If any data cannot be shared due to legal, ethical, or technical reasons, exceptions for sharing can be written into the plan. However, all data must be managed.
  • At what point in the research process should data be shared? Will it be in a usable format at that time?
  • If you’re using data from other sources, include the source and any conditions for using it, also what relationship it may have to the original data generated during the research.

What formats and standards will be used for your data?

  • Non-proprietary file formats (.csv or .txt or XML or PDF, for example) are preferred. This ensures they will be readable in the future and is important for preservation.
  • Consider using a directory structure with a formalized naming convention and version control to better organize your data. Learn more about file management naming conventions from Cornell.

What formats and standards will be used for your metadata? Metadata describes your data and makes it findable. 

What will be the methods for archiving and sharing the data?

  • Where will the data be stored during the research process and how will it be backed up and secured (is encryption required)? Find tips on our data storage and security page. 
  • How will the data be made accessible after the research is complete? Find some options on our data repositories page. Cornell has considerations for selecting a repository site on their Sharing and archiving data page.
  • Determine the rights for sharing. A CC0 or CC-BY license is recommended when possible, but there may be commercial or intellectual property limitations for your research. Learn more about data licensing and protection in this guide from Cornell and about GW’s policies for sharing data.
  • Will any tools and software be needed to work with the data and metadata? How will those be provided?
  • How long should the data be preserved and made available? It may not be necessary or practical to preserve all the data in perpetuity. Making plans for how long it should be available is important to selecting a repository site.

Additional Resources:

If you have questions about creating data management plans or need further resources or information for guidance, contact Sara Hoover, Metadata and Scholarly Publishing Librarian at shoover@gwu.edu.

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Infographic listing the usage of Himmelfarb's top 10 nursing journal titles for 2021.

GW’s School of Nursing (SON) is one of the top-ranked nursing schools in the country. Himmelfarb Library is proud to support SON students, faculty, researchers, and staff by providing professional-level, scholarly full-text nursing resources. Our journal collection includes more than 200 nursing titles! Here are the top 10 most highly used nursing journals at  GW:

  1. International Journal of Nursing Studies (IJNS): With nearly 2,800 article views and downloads by GW users during 2021, this title is our most highly-used nursing journal! IJNS publishes original research related to a wide range of nursing topics including healthcare delivery, organization, management, policy, and research methods. 
  2. Journal of Professional Nursing: As the official journal of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, this journal publishes articles that focus on nursing education, educational research, educational policy, and education and practice partnerships. 
  3. Nursing Outlook: This bimonthly journal publishes articles that examine current issues and trends in nursing practice, education, and research.
  4. AORN Journal: This journal is focused on perioperative nursing standards of practice and the nurse’s role in patient care before, during, and after operative and other invasive and interventional procedures in ambulatory and inpatient settings. 
  5. Journal of Advanced Nursing (JAN): This journal publishes articles that further the advancement of evidence-based nursing, midwifery, and healthcare and covers a wide range of nursing-related topics including cancer nursing, community nursing, geriatric nursing, home care, mental health nursing, nursing research, and much more!
  6. Journal of Nursing Administration (JONA): Articles published in JONA are geared toward leaders in the nursing field (nurse executives, directors of nursing, and nurse managers). Articles offer practical, solution-oriented tools focused on leadership development, resource management (human, material, and financial), and staffing and scheduling systems. 
  7. American Journal of Nursing (AJN): As the oldest and largest circulating nursing journal in the world, AJN promotes excellence in professional nursing with articles focused on cutting-edge, evidence-based information while providing a holistic outlook on health and nursing.
  8. Journal of Clinical Nursing: This international journal is a forum for the exchange of high-quality information and the most updated nursing practice needs that promote understanding of sound research methods within all areas of nursing practice and research.
  9. Journal of Nursing Management: This fully open access journal explores and debates topics and current issues in nursing management and leadership, assesses the evidence behind current nursing practices, develops best practices in nursing management and leadership, and explores the impact of policy developments.
  10. Journal for Nurse Practitioners (JPN): As the official journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, JPN meets the practice needs of nurse practitioners with thought-provoking articles on controversial issues and topics, and publishes articles aimed at helping practitioners excel as primary and acute care providers.

For questions about any of these titles or other nursing journals, contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu).

In addition to the great titles listed above, Himmelfarb also provides access to essential nursing databases including CINAHL Complete, ClinicalKey for Nursing, Geriatric Nursing Review Syllabus, and Telemedinsights. To learn more about our nursing resources, be sure to visit our Nursing Guide which provides information about our nursing textbooks,  NCLEX resources, searching the literature, and more. This in-depth guide has a wealth of information for BSN, MSN, Nurse Practitioners, DNP, and Ph.D. nursing students alike!

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On August 25, 2022, the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) published a memorandum that updated guidance on research funded by federal grants and called for the end of a 12-month embargo period. By 2025, published research that is funded by the federal government must be made available to the general public and key stakeholders and must no longer reside behind a paywall. Government agencies, academic libraries, and other research institutions are in the process of understanding this memo and updating their policies. Many institutions believe this new memo and guidance will radically change the academic publishing landscape. While this policy will likely advance a cultural shift towards open sciences, there are also likely new challenges related to the publication lifecycle that researchers are likely to encounter. In this post, we’ll provide a detailed explanation of the OSTP’s guidance, how this will impact researchers, and offer library resources to help prepare for the change. 

The memorandum entitled ‘Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research’ (also known as the Nelson memo), lists three recommendations for federal agencies:

  1. “Update their public access policies as soon as possible, and no later than December 31st, 2025, to make publications and their supporting data resulting from federally funded research publicly accessible without an embargo on their free and public release;
  2. Establish transparent procedures that ensure scientific and research integrity is maintained in public access policies; and, 
  3. Coordinate with OSTP to ensure equitable delivery of federally funded research results and data.” (Office of Science and Technology Policy, 2022, p. 1)

Dr. Alondra Nelson, Deputy Assistant to the President, explained later in the memo that “The insights of new and cutting-edge research stemming from the support of federal agencies should be immediately available–not just in moments of crisis, but in every moment. Not only to fight a pandemic, but to advance all areas of study, including urgent issues such as cancer, clean energy, economic disparities, and climate change” (Office of Science and Technology Policy, 2022, p. 2-3). Under the OSTP’s new guidance, researchers, journalists, members of the public, and other interested parties will be able to access new research as soon as it is published at no additional cost. This will provide the public with the opportunity to learn more about new innovations and experiments and it will allow other researchers to replicate or expand on existing research. 

The new guidance will allow for more collaboration as researchers combat complex topics such as climate change, future pandemics, and other global concerns. New research and data will be made freely available to the public, so researchers and institutions will need to address how to handle publication processing fees. While this new guidance won’t go into effect until 2025 and there are still questions about how specifically it will alter existing public access policies at government agencies like the NIH, the staff at Himmelfarb are here to assist researchers who may have questions about how the OSTP memo will impact their work. 

The Scholarly Communication Committee tutorial ‘How to include Article Processing Charges (APCs) in Funding Proposals’ is a great place to learn more about budgeting for article processing charges when creating a grant proposal. ‘Open Access and Your Research’ examines the different open access models and the consequences it has on your research. And if you’re unsure of how to find article processing charges, the tutorial ‘Locating Article Processing Charges (APCs)’ offers guidance on locating this information on a publisher’s website.  If you have specific questions about this new memo and would like to speak directly with a librarian,  please contact the library via phone, email, or chat. 

References:

Office of Science and Technology Policy. (2022). Ensuring Free, Immediate, and Equitable Access to Federally Funded Research. Author. 

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Cholesterol matters. It may not be the first thing on our mind when it comes to making dietary choices, but it’s an important factor to take into consideration when it comes to dietary decisions. Heart disease remains the number one killer in the United States, and those who have high cholesterol are twice as likely to develop heart disease. 

Did you know that 73.5 million adults have an elevated level of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) or “bad” cholesterol? Additionally, only 1 out of every 3 adults that have high LDL actually have it under control. These rates could improve if we all take the time to educate ourselves and our patients about the importance of healthy cholesterol levels, and the impact these levels have on the cardiovascular system.  

If you haven’t already, get your cholesterol checked! While some conditions may be out of our control such as family history, knowing your current cholesterol levels can  help you to create a plan to maintain a healthy heart. Unchecked hypercholesterolemia can lead to heart conditions including heart attacks and stroke. Additionally, high cholesterol has no noticeable symptoms which makes it difficult to diagnose without a blood test (lipid panel/lipid profile). All the more reason to get it checked! To learn more about high cholesterol and caring for your patients, check out the CDC’s guidelines and tools. 

Talking to your patients about their cholesterol may not be easy. Even if the topic falls into a category that is outside your field of expertise, the CDC has a communications kit filled with resources to help you to better educate patients on the benefits of monitoring and managing cholesterol.

Lastly, World Heart day is on September 29th. Visit this website to find out more about how you can get involved to spread the message about how critical heart health is to us all.

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Whether you’re a practicing neurosurgeon, a neurosurgery resident, or a medical student considering neurosurgery as a specialty, Himmelfarb Library has full-text access to a wide range of neurosurgery resources! 

MedOne Neurosurgery

MedOne Neurosurgery provides full-text access to more than 300 e-books, including the Greenberg Handbook of Neurosurgery, which is a go-to manual for neurosurgeons. This comprehensive book includes a wide range of clinical practice guidelines in a single, one-stop resource. Full-text access to eight neurosurgery journals, including Skull Base, and the Journal of Neurological Surgery Reports is also available via MedOne Neurosurgery. Access to study tools including a review questions database, case presentations with questions and answers, detailed information on procedures, images, and over two thousand procedural videos are also available. MedOne Neurosurgery users can create a “playlist” of their favorite content for easy retrieval and can share these playlists with others. For questions about MedOne Neurosurgery, contact Ian Roberts at imroberts@gwu.edu.

Neurosurgery Journals

Himmelfarb has subscriptions to key neurosurgery journals including: 

  • World Neurosurgery (formally Surgical Neurology): This title is Himmelfarb’s most popular neurosurgery journal, seeing more than 2,700 uses in 2021. World Neurosurgery provides timely and comprehensive coverage of important clinical and research advances in neurosurgery. 
  • Journal of Neurosurgery: Published by the American Association of Neurological Surgeons (AANS), the Journal of Neurosurgery is an authoritative source for scholarly articles featuring clinical and laboratory research, case reports, technical notes, reviews, and innovative surgical techniques and instruments.
  • Neurosurgical Review: This title saw the highest increase in usage by Himmelfarb users with a 130% increase in article views and downloads during 2021. This journal publishes comprehensive reviews on current issues in neurosurgery. Each issue focuses on a single topic (a disease or surgical approach) and contains up to five review articles per issue. 
  • Neurosurgery: As the official journal of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons, Neurosurgery publishes the latest information on innovative surgical techniques and advances in instrumentation. 

For questions about Himmelfarb’s neurosurgery journals, contact Ruth Bueter at rbueter@gwu.edu. 

Neurosurgery Textbooks

Himmelfarb’s Neurological Surgery Guide provides links to our best neurosurgery textbooks and board review ebooks including: 

These are just some brief highlights of some of the neurosurgery resources available through Himmelfarb Library. Use our library search service, Health Information @ Himmelfarb, to find more resources, or contact our reference department (email them at himmelfarb@gwu.edu) for help locating neurosurgery articles or additional resources.

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Infographic with red background that reads 'September is Sickle Cell Awareness Month.'

Sickle Cell Disease Awareness Month occurs in September and it is a great opportunity to learn more about this inherited blood disorder that affects approximately 100,000 people in the United States and millions more across the world. 

Sickle cell disease is a blood disorder where red blood cells develop a distinct ‘sickle’ shape instead of the normal disc shape. These unusually shaped red blood cells are not flexible, thus making it difficult for the cells to travel through blood vessels. Because of the potential for blood vessels to get clogged, people living with sickle cell disease may experience extreme pain crises, strokes or other severe health complications. Sickle-shaped red blood cells usually last in the body between ten to twenty days and the body cannot quickly add new blood cells to replace the lost cells, thus people with this disorder are also likely to develop anemia. 

This disorder can affect anyone, but it is mostly commonly found in people of African descent and within the United States this disorder occurs in approximately one in every 365 African American children. There are also high concentrations of this disorder within Hispanic populations, where it is estimated that one in every 1,000-1,400 Hispanics Americans live with sickle cell disease. (MedlinePlus, 2020)

Testing is available to determine if someone has sickle cell disease or if they carry the trait. If a person has sickle cell disease, there are treatment plans to help manage pain, prevent red blood cells from taking on the sickle shape and prevent blood vessel clogs, but unfortunately the only potentially curative intervention for this disorder is a blood and bone marrow transplant. 

Researchers at the National Health, Lung and Blood Institute are actively looking for new treatment options and cures. The Center of Disease Control also has a Sickle Cell Data Collection program that tracks the disease in the country “to study long-term trends in diagnosis, treatment, and healthcare access for people with SCD (sickle cell disease)...The program helps to inform policy and healthcare standards that improve and extend the lives of people with SCD.) (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2021, para. 1)  Data from California and Georgia are currently available, while data from other several states will be made available in the future. 

If you are interested in spreading awareness about sickle cell disease, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute has created a social media toolkit with infographics, hashtags and sample posts that can be shared online. You can also help by donating blood. The American Red Cross is particularly interested in African American blood donors who can donate their blood to people living with sickle cell disease. Visit the American Red Cross website to find a local blood donation center or blood donation drive. If you’re interested in hearing the personal stories of people living with sickle cell disease, then visit the Stories of Sickle Cell which features stories, videos and a photoblog of life with this blood disorder. 

Himmelfarb also has resources to help you better understand this blood disorder. Some titles that may be of interest include:

If you have specific research questions, librarians are available to assist you and can be contacted through email, instant messaging, phone or by visiting the reference desk.

Sickle cell disease is the most common inherited disorder and impacts the quality of life for millions of people around the world. With current treatment options, people who live with sickle cell disease can manage their symptoms, while researchers continue to learn more about this disorder and search for additional cures.  

References:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (Updated: 2021). Sickle Cell Data Collection (SCDC) Program. https://www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/hemoglobinopathies/scdc.html

MedlinePlus. (Updated: 2020). Sickle Cell Disease. https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/sickle-cell-disease/#frequency

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. (Updated: 2022). Sickle Cell Disease. https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/sickle-cell-disease

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Picture of an empty bed

Photo by Castorly Stock  from Pexels: https://www.pexels.com/photo/white-bed-with-pillows-3755590/

Warning: This post contains discussion of murder.

Have you ever sleepwalked? It can be disconcerting to realize that you did something even though you were fast asleep. But you probably haven’t been as upset as Kenneth Parks, who woke up to discover that he had committed murder.

On an early morning in May 1987 in Ontario, Canada, Parks drove several miles to his in-laws’ house, opened the door, bludgeoned his mother-in-law to death and tried to suffocate his father-in-law – all while he was asleep. Upon waking up from this sleepwalking episode, Parks immediately turned himself into the police. (The victims’ names were not made public.)

Somnambulism is the fancy word for sleepwalking, derived from the Latin words somnus (“sleep”) and ambulare (“to walk”). It is classified as a type of parasomnia and primarily affects children (DynaMed). There are a number of potential causes including stress, sleep deprivation, alcohol use, and thyrotoxicosis (DynaMed). In one survey, 25% of adult sleepwalkers reported concurrent anxiety or mood issues (Zadra et al., 2013). A number of studies have reported that high levels of sleep deprivation can increase sleepwalking events by a factor of anywhere from 2.5 to 5 (Zadra et al., 2013). Sleepwalking can occur at any point in the sleep cycle, but most often happens during non-REM sleep (DynaMed). While sleepwalking, the person’s eyes are typically open and they appear awake. They can engage in normal-seeming behavior, but their movements may be awkward. More complex behaviors – for example, driving a car, as Parks did – is more common in sleepwalking adults than children (Zadra et al., 2013). The sleepwalker will have no memory of the events that occurred while they were sleepwalking. 

Violence during somnambulism is usually reactive, occurring when the sleepwalker is confronted by another person. The sleepwalker will not recognize the person they are attacking “even if it is a very close family member,” thinking instead that the person is some sort of intruder (Stallman & Bari, 2017). There is little research on the etiology of violence during somnambulism, but Stallman & Bari suggest a biopsychosocial model with multiple potential risk factors. Diagnosis of somnambulism is typically based on the patient’s clinical history but polysomnography can also be employed. In Parks’ case, doctors took a thorough history and also administered two overnight polysomnograms (Broughton et al., 1994).

Broughton et al. (1994) unfold Parks’ story in their case report. In the months leading up to the attack, Parks had been facing high gambling debts and got fired because he was caught embezzling money from his workplace. The stress from this situation had been creating issues with his sleep schedule. Moreover, he and his wife had just welcomed their newborn daughter, which caused more stress and sleep deprivation. On the night of May 23, after an argument with his wife, Parks went to bed. He had made a plan to swallow his embarrassment and explain his financial situation to his parents-in-law, with whom he was close, the following day. But the next thing he knew, he was staring at the face of his dead mother-in-law.

Parks was charged with murder and attempted murder. In trial, he pleaded not guilty via the insane automatism defense, meaning that although he did commit murder, he did not consciously form the intention to do so (Popat & Winslade, 2015). The doctors and neurologists who testified at the case claimed that Parks had a history of sleepwalking and that his propensity toward it was likely exacerbated by sleep deprivation as well as emotional distress and anxiety (Popat & Winslade, 2015). Evidence for this included the fact that on several psychological tests, Parks had scored high for depression and anxiety (Broughton et al., 1994). Parks was acquitted of all charges.

Do you know of another interesting true crime case with medical connections? Email Rachel Brill at rgbrill@gwu.edu.

References

Broughton R, Billings R, Cartwright R, et al. Homicidal somnambulism: A case report. Sleep (New York, NY). 1994;17(3):253-264. doi:10.1093/sleep/17.3.253

DynaMed. Sleepwalking. EBSCO Information Services. Accessed August 23, 2022.  https://proxygw.wrlc.org/login?url=https://www.dynamed.com/condition/sleepwalking  

Popat S, Winslade W. While You Were Sleepwalking: Science and Neurobiology of Sleep Disorders & the Enigma of Legal Responsibility of Violence During Parasomnia. Neuroethics. 2015;8(2):203-214. doi:10.1007/s12152-015-9229-4  https://proxygw.wrlc.org/login?url=https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4506454/  

Stallman HM, Bari A. A biopsychosocial model of violence when sleepwalking: review and reconceptualisation. BJPsych Open. 2017 Apr 26;3(2):96-101. doi: 10.1192/bjpo.bp.116.004390. PMID: 28446961 https://proxygw.wrlc.org/login?url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/bjpsych-open/article/biopsychosocial-model-of-violence-when-sleepwalking-review-and-reconceptualisation/0F22062014B3EA2002ADBE94A3FCF2C2   

Zadra A, Desautels A, Petit D, Montplaisir J. Somnambulism: clinical aspects and pathophysiological hypotheses. Lancet Neurol. 2013 Mar;12(3):285-94. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(12)70322-8. PMID: 23415568. http://proxygw.wrlc.org/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/scholarly-journals/somnambulism-clinical-aspects-pathophysiological/docview/1319202693/se-2?accountid=11243 

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Promotional image of The Medical Letter and Drugs of Choice 2022.

When you need to make the best treatment decisions for your patients, where do you turn to find information on drugs when you want to be sure the information hasn’t been influenced by the pharmaceutical industry? Himmelfarb Library provides access to two great options: The Medical Letter and Drugs of Choice!

The Medical Letter

The Medical Letter on Drugs and Therapeutics has a long history of being among the most used journal titles in Himmelfarb’s journal collection and is a trusted source for critical appraisals of new drugs and comparative reviews of drugs used to treat common diseases. Busy healthcare professionals don’t always have the time or resources to research manufacturers’ or pharmaceutical companies’ claims about a drug. The Medical Letter, a non-profit organization that is subscription funded, provides unbiased, reliable, and timely drug information that has been reviewed by medical experts who have come to an unbiased consensus. 

Whether you want to find out if a new prescription drug has advantages over older drugs, learn about the drug's effectiveness, and toxicity issues, or learn if the drug price is reasonable enough to justify prescribing it to patients, The Medial Letter has the information you need! Follow-up reports highlight any new information that may have changed the status of previously reviewed drugs, so you can be sure you are getting the most updated information. Himmelfarb’s subscription to The Medial Letter provides access to continuing education credits. You can also download the mobile app to access The Medical Letter from your mobile device.

https://youtu.be/v-IAZQNsqT4

Drugs of Choice

The Drugs of Choice 2022 Handbook provides updated information on preferred and alternative treatments for conditions such as alcohol use disorder, multiple sclerosis, onychomycosis, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, heart failure, and more. There is even information on topics such as insect repellents and sunscreens. Drugs of Choice is a definitive guide for finding:

  • Recommendations for first-line and alternative drugs
  • Potential Adverse Effects
  • Dosing Recommendations
  • Risk of Drug Interactions
  • Use in Pregnancy

Information is presented in easy-to-read tables, making this resource handy for quick reference.

The Medical Letter and Drug of Choice are both key resources that provide quick, easy-to-use tools to get the information you need to stay updated with the latest drug information! For more information or if you have questions about Himmelfarb’s access to these resources, contact Ruth Bueter (rbueter@gwu.edu).

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In the year 2020, nearly 46 thousand people took their own lives. That is roughly one suicide every 11 minutes. September is National Suicide Awareness Month and is a good time to reflect, educate, and to encourage every patient in need to seek mental help. 

Where to begin: reflect. Ask yourself: do I, or have I known anyone who has struggled with suicidal ideations? If you answered yes, how did this affect you? Regardless of your healthcare speciality, it is important to remember that mental health plays a critical role in a person's overall health and well-being. 

Educate. Suicide can be a difficult topic to address, but it is one that should not be ignored, especially when warning signs are present. Understanding the risk factors of suicide paired with action can save a life. Know that there is no qualification or degree needed to see that someone needs help. If you are uncertain of common behaviors of someone who may be feeling overwhelmed by stress or depression, the National Alliance on Mental Awareness (NAMI) provides guidelines for identifying risk factors, as well as articles on personal experiences, mindfulness, and how to prevent suicide. 

Lastly, encourage. Even if you may not feel qualified to help someone personally, you can connect them to nationally available resources, such as the Suicide Crisis Lifeline, by calling or texting 988.This lifeline is available 24/7, and connects people in need to a trained counselor who will not only listen and provide support, but offer assistance and resources that may be needed. You can also text NAMI to 741-741 to be connected to a free, trained crisis counselor on the Crisis Text Line.

There is national help available even to those who do not have access to healthcare options. 
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