Resources for Hematology On and Off the Web.

Searching the literature can be challenging because of the large volume of information. It can be time consuming to locate and determine what evidence will provide the best health outcomes for patients. In addition, locating hematology information for patients and family members is one of the most challenging of all health care topics. Hematology can be technical and difficult for most people to understand, especially for those with little or no science background and poor reading skills. This article provides guidance on how and where to locate information to address the needs of both clinicians and patients.

Medication adherence and patient outcomes: part 2: interventions and resources to overcome low health literacy.

This article explores the influence of health literacy on medication adherence. With health literacy skills nearly flat for over a decade and an aging population receiving multiple and complex medication regimens, literacy is becoming a more important factor in nursing assessment and intervention. Concrete tools are provided to help the clinical nurse specialist (CNS) assess literacy and evaluate written resources for patient education and to improve medication adherence.

Health sciences librarians' attitudes toward the Academy of Health Information Professionals.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of the study was to ascertain health sciences librarians' attitudes toward the Academy of Health Information Professionals (AHIP). SAMPLE: Systematic sampling was used to select 210 names from the list of members of the Midwest Chapter of the Medical Library Association. METHODS: A questionnaire containing open- and closed-ended questions was used to collect the data. RESULTS: A total of 135 usable questionnaires were returned. Of the respondents, 34.8% are members of the academy and most are at the senior or distinguished member levels. The academy gives them a sense of professionalism and helps them to keep current with new trends. The majority of participants (65.2%) are not members of the academy. Among the various reasons proffered are that neither institutions nor employers require it and that there is no obvious benefit to belonging to the academy. CONCLUSIONS: More research needs to be done with a larger sample size to determine the attitudes of health sciences librarians, nationwide, toward the academy.