My choice - Abstracts extracted from PubMed database

Recenti Prog Med. 2013 Oct;104(10):511-4. doi: 10.1701/1349.14995.

[The future of scientific libraries].

[Article in Italian]

De Fiore L.

Abstract

"Making predictions is always very difficult, especially about the future". Niels Bohr's quote is very appropriate when looking into the future of libraries. If the Web is now the richest library in the world, it is also the most friendly and therefore the most convenient. The evolution of libraries in the coming years - both traditional and online - will probably depend on their ability to meet the information needs of users: improved ease of use and better reliability of the information. These are objectives that require money and - given the general reduction in budgets - it is not obvious that the results will be achieved. However, there are many promising experiences at the international level that show that the world of libraries is populated by projects and creativity. Traditional or digital, libraries will increasingly present themselves more as a sharing tool than as a repository of information: it is the sharing that translates data into knowledge. In the healthcare field, the integration of online libraries with the epidemiological information systems could favor the fulfillment of unconscious information needs of health personnel; libraries will therefore be a key tool for an integrated answer to the challenge of continuing education in medicine. The Internet is no longer a library but an information ecosystem where the data are transformed into knowledge by sharing and discussion.

Indian J Community Med. 2014 Jan;39(1):38-42. doi: 10.4103/0970-0218.126358.

Extending professional education to health workers at grass root level: an experience from All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi.

Deepak KK, Kumar Y, Adkoli BV.

BACKGROUND:

In India, the opportunities for professional education of the grass root level health workers are grossly inadequate. Capacity building of all categories of health workers is needed for enhancing health outcomes.

OBJECTIVES:

To plan and implement a professional development training program for all categories of allied health workers and to assess its outcomes in terms of knowledge and skills.

MATERIALS AND METHOD:

We planned and organized a 'one week'(15 h) training program for 10 categories of allied health workers (1260) working in our hospital. The program included nine generic skills/topics: the prestige of AIIMS, sterilization & infection control, universal precaution, biomedical waste management, public health, life style & healthy nutrition, fire safety, communication skills and office procedure besides subject specific skills. Trainers were drawn from 12 departments. Training methodology included interactive lectures, narratives, demonstrations, videos, PPT slides, and informal discussions with participants. The effectiveness of the program was judged on the basis of participants' feedback, feedback from the supervisors, and our own observations post training.

RESULTS:

Feedback from the participants and their supervisors after training was encouraging. The participants described training as a "life time experience". The supervisors reported improvement in confidence, communication skills, and awareness of workers.

CONCLUSION:

The success of the program was due to the use of interactive methods, involvement of multidisciplinary team, and commitment from leadership. We recommend that professional education should be linked with career advancement. Academic institutions can play a key role in taking such initiatives.