MedicinesComplete is the online service from RPS Publishing and provides online access to some of the world’s leading drug and healthcare references. It now combines information on more than 10,000 drug, poison, interaction and herbal monographs; the latest advice on prescribing, dispensing and administering drugs and medicines; up-to-date guidance on disease treatments, disease management and therapeutics; and the latest advice on analysing, formulating and preparing drugs, medicines and many other pharmaceutical products.

Drug resources covered include the British National Formulary, the British National Formulary for Children, Clarke’s Analysis of Drugs and Poisons, the Handbook of Injectable Drugs, Martindale: the complete drug reference, The Merck Index, Stockley’s Drug Interactions and Stockley’s Interaction Alerts.

Access is both on and off campus by logging on to the honni e-Lib and under Find Database searching for Medicines Complete. The trial will be available until the end of June. Please forward any comments about the resource to the subject librarian for Pharmacy, Alex McIlroy (a.mcilroy@qub.ac.uk)

As a result of a journals review completed in 2008 funding was made available to purchase some new electronic access. The journal titles are outlined below and these are all now available through honni e-Lib.

• Journal of applied research in intellectual disabilities
• British journal of Learning Disabilities
• Arthritis & Rheumatism
• JOSPT (Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy)
• Arthroscopy
• Experimental Hematology
• Journal of American College of Radiology

The method of authenticating to MD Consult has now been changed and we are hoping this will have resolved some, if not all, of the following problems users were experiencing when trying to access the database:

• A ‘Preview’ page
• A message about the subscription having expired
• A message saying you are already logged in and cannot log in again

Please note that a second login will now be required for connection to MD Consult resources.

What to do if you still encounter problems

• Log out of all systems
• Close all browser windows
• Empty your browser cache (from Tools, Internet Options select Delete under Browsing history)
• Report the problem to med.info@qub.ac.uk

EThOS is the Electronic Theses Online System which allows you to find, access and archive e-theses that are produced in UK Higher Education institutions.

Using the EThOS service at http://ethos.bl.uk, you can search for PhD theses by author, subject or Institution. Many of the theses are available for immediate download whilst others can be ordered for digitisation through the EThOS website. The first time you place an order for a thesis you must register with EThOS in order to protect copyright in the thesis.

Most universities are making their theses freely available but a small number will require payment. If you are asked to pay for the digitisation of a thesis or the thesis you require is not available through EThOS then contact staff in any of the Medical & Healthcare Libraries.

Users of PubMed may have noticed some changes to the overall layout of the database and some of its functionality over the past 6 months.  For example, icons that indicated availability of abstracts and free full text have been removed.  Further information can be found by following the link below or by checking the NLM Technical Bulletin.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/techbull/nd08/nd08_pm_new_summary.html

One feature of the recently launched honni website is a web-based library membership renewal facility.  Instead of having to acquire, complete and post a hand written form to the library, you can now input your details into an online form and simply click Submit. Or, if you prefer, download a renewal form in Microsoft Word format which, after completion, you can attach and send by email.

We have also introduced a system of alerting members whose registration is due to expire.  This enables members to renew their registration before expiry to avoid any break in service.

The following Science Direct titles have been discontinued through Science Direct and as a result from 2009 the library will no longer have e-access to this title.  The e-access up to 2009 will be unaffected and will continue to be available.

• Operative Techniques in General Surgery
• International Journal of Surgery

The following titles have been transferred from Science Direct to another publisher and as a result will no longer be available.  This will include e-access prior to 2009 which will now disappear.

• European Journal of Heart Failure & Supplements (with effect from March 2009)
• Regional Anesthesia and pain medicine (with effect from Jan 2009)

The latest version of the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions Version 5.0.1 [updated September 2008] is available electronically at http://www.cochrane-handbook.org/.  Print copies of the handbook are also available to borrow from the Medical library.

Free access to electronic content of the BMJ will be changing from January 2009. From this date free electronic access will not be available for the most recent three years. This change made by the publisher of the BMJ will unfortunately affect all honni users resulting in no e-access for the most recent three years. NB. The Medical and healthcare libraries have current print issues available for consultation.

Did you know that you can now access some books from the comfort of your own office? The library has recently started to develop a collection of e-books for health & social care staff that can be accessed via the honni website. You simply need to search the library catalogue and wherever an ‘e‘ appears beside the title of a book this indicates that the book is available electronically. Click on the button, enter your username and password and read the book online. Outlined below are some e-books that have recently been added to the library catalogue.

• Really managing health care, by Valerie Iles (2005)
• Doing a literature review in health and social care: a practical guide, by Helen Aveyard (2007)
• How to write a CV that works, by Paul McGee (2006)
• Write effectively: a quick course for busy health workers, by Tim Albert (2008)
• MCQs for the primary FRCA, (2008)
• Medical histories for the MRCP and final MB, by Iqbal Khan (2007)
• nMRCGP applied knowledge test study guide: sample questions and explanatory, by Aalia Khan (2008)