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National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)

Outreach and Training Activities in NICHSR

Jump to: dot graphicNew!Public Health Systems and Services Research dot graphic HTA 101: Introduction to Health Technology Assessment,dot graphic HTA: 101 and Comparative Effectiveness Research: a 2-Part Webinar Series dot graphic Health Economics Information Resources: A Self-Study Course - HTML and new PDF version, dot graphicHealth Services Research Methodology Core Library Recommendations, dot graphic Health Outcomes Core Library Recommendations dot graphic Health Economics Core Library Recommendations, dot graphic Health Policy Core Library Recommendations, dot graphic History of Health Services Research project, dot graphic Health Services Research - A Historical Perspective video, dot graphic Finding and Using Health Statistics: A Self-Study Course, dot graphic NICHSR Introduction to HSR course, dot graphic HSR and Public Health Training Courses and Programs, dot graphic Information Access for the Public Health Workforce project, dot graphic Library Partnerships - Powerful Connections Symposium


NICHSR collaborates with other NLM components and with members of the National Network of Libraries of Medicine® (NN/LM®) to exhibit NLM products and services and to present specially focused training classes at national meetings of HSR-related organizations.

Public Health Systems and Services Research (PHSSR)

Public health systems and services research (PHSSR) has been defined as " a field of study that examines the organization, financing and delivery of public health services in communities, and the impact of these services on public health." NLM commissioned the University of Kentucky Center for Public Health Systems & Services Research to write an introduction to the field and compile a webliography. These are available at http://www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20120614/nichsr/phssr/phssr_webliography.html and http://www.nlm.nih.gov/archive/20120614/nichsr/phssr/phssrintro.html. The Center also provides NLM with descriptive records of public health datasets and instruments for its HSRR database. Users can access these records by entering PHSR in the HSRR search box.

Health Economics Information Resources: A Self-Study Course

Health care costs in the United States are the highest in the world and are continuing to rise. What steps do we need to take to obtain greater value for our health care dollars? This course was created with these concerns in mind - as an introduction to basic concepts in health economics and to key sources of information.

This four-module course is designed primarily for health sciences librarians. Module 1 provides basic concepts in health economics and guidance in identifying and using key secondary health economic information resources (bibliographic databases, value-added information, grey literature, web resources, etc). Module 2 covers sources and characteristics of information relating to health care financing in the U.S. in order to provide some context for understanding the role of health economics in health policy formulation and decision-making. Modules 3 and 4 cover health economic evaluation studies - how to search for published studies in MEDLINE (and EMBASE) and how to use the Drummond 10-point checklist for assessing their quality. This course may also be of interest to others who would like to develop more systematic approaches to finding information relating to health economics.

The course was created from modules originally presented at the Medical Library Association 2002 as a Continuing Education workshop. Sponsored by NICHSR, the CE workshop was developed and taught by Moira Napper, University of Aberdeen, Health Economics Research Unit (HERU), and Jean Newland, Lippincott Library, Wharton School, University of Pennsylvania.

The online interactive format for this course and the review, quizzes, and related content were developed for NICHSR by Laura Larsson, MLS, and Charles Hendricksen, PhD, Cedar Collaboration. Click for PDF version of Introduction and Quizzes, 3.98MB ; Click for PDF version of Module 1, 1.46MB ;Click for PDF version of Module 2, 1.17MB ; Click for PDF version of Module 3, 772kb ; Click for PDF version of Module 4, 1.07MB .

Health Outcomes Core Library Recommendations

These recommendations consist of compilations of selected books, journals, Web sites, and bibliographic databases related to health outcomes. Produced by AcademyHealth at the request of the National Library of Medicine’s National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR), the project focused on developing the core and desired sets of resources for health libraries and those new to the field. A brief introduction answers the questions - What are health outcomes? and Why are they important?

Health Services Research Methodology Core Library Recommendations

Due to the breadth of the methodological areas covered by health services research, these recommendations are organized both by core and desired materials, as well as by topic area. An introductory essay answers the questions - What Are Health Services Research Methods? and Why Are They Important?

Health Economics Core Library Recommendations

What are the key resources in health economics? The National Library of Medicine contracted with AcademyHealth to tackle this question and develop a report with a core list of materials (books, journals, websites and bibliographic databases) and a desired list of books and journals in the field of health economics. The lists are primarily geared to individuals who are new to the field or unfamiliar with the various resources on health economics and need to acquire and/or access publications, databases, and websites in the health economics domain.

Health Policy Core Library Recommendations

What information resources are essential in a library supporting health policy programs and/or a workforce working on health policy issues? The National Library of Medicine decided to take a look at this question. It contracted with AcademyHealth to provide a selected list of essential materials in health policy. The resulting report intended as a selection guide rather than as standard, provides recommendations for books, journals, Internet sites, and organizations and publishers to monitor for reports. The recommendations are primarily geared to academic and health sciences librarians who are not familiar with the literature of health policy and who need to acquire publications or assist in locating Internet sites in the domain. However, we hope that librarians and other information providers in hospital and related special libraries may also find the recommendations useful.

History of Health Services Research project

The project is motivated by the desire to collect and document the insights and experiences of innovators and leaders in the field of health services research. It is co-sponsored by the National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) and the History of Medicine Division (HMD). Several initiatives are being pursued: individual oral and video interviews, a historical video for use in training health science librarians and HSR students, and solicitation and archiving of pertinent collections of papers.

Health Services Research - A Historical Perspective Video

NLM commissioned a historian to write a video script drawing on the library of oral history transcripts and video interviews that NLM has developed as part of its effort to document the history of Health Services Research (HSR). The video combines narrative with the interviews to relate the development of HSR into a recognized field of study. HSR had its beginnings in 17th century England, came into prominence in the 1960s and today struggles to provide data to answer these enduring central health care questions: What works? Under what circumstances? For which condition? and At what cost?

The health services researchers interviewed in the video (in order of their initial appearance) are: Kerr White, Dorothy Rice, Charles Flagle, Mitch Greenlick, Morris Collen, Edward Hinman, Norman Weissman, audio of Sam Shapiro, Karen Davis, Joseph Newhouse, Kathleen Lohr, Judith Lave, Gordon DeFriese, John Wennberg, Paul Cleary, and Marsha Lillie-Blanton.

Copies of the 48 minute video are available free from NICHSR. email: nichsr@nlm.nih.gov

Finding and Using Health Statistics: A Self-Study Course

Health statistics can be difficult to track down. They are also difficult to use because they feature information collected from competing perspectives. This class presents sources of statistics based on four broad areas: health correlates, health conditions, health care and health consequences. It puts statistics, particularly government statistics, in context by providing explanations of the rationale behind data collection. That is, why are specific federal agencies collecting data and what purpose will this data serve, in terms of health policy and planning? Further, the class demonstrates how to identify and find important results; assess the benefits and limitations of these results; and progress from summaries to detailed original reports. Instruction in this self-study class is reinforced by a series of 15 exercises.

The course developer and instructor, Dr. Dan Melnick, previously directed the federal government's Office of Applied Studies, which reports statistics for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. He also served as a Division Director for the National Science Foundation and as a Specialist in Federal Statistical Policy at the Congressional Research Service of the Library of Congress. The course is based on Dr. Melnick's latest book, Portrait of Health in the United States, published (expected January 2001) by Bernan Press.

HTA 101: Introduction to Health Technology Assessment

Dr. Goodman's HTA 101: Introduction to Health Technology Assessment includes a discussion of the origins and fundamental concepts and issues of health technology assessment (HTA), basic steps in the practice of HTA, suggested readings, and a glossary of HTA terms. It is available in PDF format for printing.

HTA: 101 and Comparative Effectiveness Research: a 2-Part Webinar Series

This two-part webinar series supplements Dr. Goodman’s HTA:101 primer, providing a brief introductory overview of HTA and CER respectively with a focus on the methods used in each form of policy analysis.

NICHSR Introduction to HSR course

NICHSR developed an Introduction to Health Services Research course designed to provide health sciences librarians with a greater appreciation of the issues, data sources, and methodologies of health services research in order to partner and support heal th services researchers. The NICHSR Introduction to HSR: Class Manual is available for your use (also available on NLM ftp server in one file for downloading). Slides from the MLA CE class Introduction to HSR taught by NICHSR staff on May 23, 1998 are also available.

HSR and Public Health Training Courses and Programs

To assist in the education of librarians, health services researchers and public health professionals, NICHSR provides information on HSR and public health university courses and programs, the CDC Public Health Training Network, the Public Health Foundation Train, the AcademyHealth Directory of Training Programs in Health Services Research and Health Policy , and NLM supported programs on informatics and HSR/public health/health administration.

Information Access for the Public Health Workforce project

NICHSR and other NLM staff are participating with American Public Health Association (APHA), Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH), Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), National Network of Libraries of Medicine (NN/LM), the Public Health Foundation (PHF) and the Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) in an initiative designed to improve Information Access for the Public Health Workforce. The Partners in Information Access for the Public Health Workforce Web site has tools for public health professionals and more information about the program. Related slides on public health information needs and public health informatics are also available. 

A recently added feature on the Partners Web site is the Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project. The National Library of Medicine and the Public Health Foundation staffs worked together to develop pre-formulated search strategies for selected Healthy People 2010 focus areas. The one-click strategies run subject searches of the PubMed database.

Library Partnerships - Powerful Connections Symposium

At the start of the twenty-first century, the public’s thirst for medical information seems insatiable! How can libraries effectively join forces with diverse groups and partners to advance the shared goal of quality health information for all? The National Library of Medicine (NLM) with the Medical Library Association's Consumer and Patient Health Information, International Cooperation, and Public Health/Health Administration Sections and Outreach SIG co-sponsored a symposium at the MLA 2001 Annual Meeting focusing on this important question. The agenda and slides from the MLA symposium held on May 30, 2001 are available.

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