Information Skills for Health

Ebsco databases such as Cinahl and Medline are essential resources to search to get articles for your assignments. Make sure you are up-to-date with the recent changes and are making the most of this valuable resource. Learn about the key features and benefits of Ebsco databases by completing our online tutorial Searching with Ebsco databases . You'll learn What Ebsco databases are Why they are so useful to you How to run a search The tutorial includes video demonstrations from ebsco, an avatar offering hints and tips and a quick quiz. Don't miss out on this key resource. Please note that the Ebsco updated interface currently only applies to the Keele University Ebsco resource. The NHS databases will not be updated until the Summer of 2026. More Help See the Health Library website for more tutorials on resources and to develop your search skills Book a training session  for more help finding articles Contact the Health Library with any queries

 Are you a Keele student but also an NHS member of staff? Are you an NHS member of staff completing a university course? Do you have a membership for a royal college or society? A word about working with multiple resources, from multiple organisations… Generally, we advise you to use all the resources available to you. This includes resources from the university but also resources you can access as NHS staff and possibly resources you can access as part of your membership to colleges or societies. However, searching lots of different resources can throw up some problems. The main problem is that resources can get confused if you are using different logins to access different resources. Many resources try to pick up your previous login credentials which may not be relevant for that resource. This can result in errors and difficulty logging in. So, what can you do... We advise you to use "incognito" or "private" browser windows. These types of browse windows w...

Make the most of your academic reading and get the information you need from books quickly.  Books are still important! We provide collections that will support your studies and professional development as well as provide you with leisure and wellbeing opportunities. Complete our short etutorial Using Books to learn: why books are still so important how to find library books how to get the information you need for your references how to use books effectively to get to the information you need quickly Our tutorial includes video demonstrations of where to find your reference details and how to search the different sections of a book. screen-shot of the list of videos available in the tutorial

Have you visited the Health Library yet?  Are you worried whether it is the right place for you? Do you think of a library as "just books"? Do you think it is only for clinical staff and students? Why not complete our updated online tutorial Using the Health Library and learn what we can offer you to support your work and studies. You'll learn: We are a joint NHS / Keele University library, providing facilities, services and resources to support all our users. We're more that just books, with study areas, IT facilities and specialist services. Our partnership with Keele means that you can access resources from non-clinical topics. Please contact the Health Library for more help.

Critical Appraisal is a key skill but why is it so complicated?  This 45-minute course run by UHNM and Keele Librarians will help build your confidence in appraising a RCT. By going through key strategies researchers use to mitigate bias will help you understand common themes that feature in quantitative studies. Such as selection bias, dealing with confounders, attrition, publication bias and data dredging. This session will touch on basic statistics, the use of P values, CI and consider MID/MICD in the paper. Further support materials and signposting will also be provided. Certificates are provided upon completion if requested. Wednesday 28th January 12:30pm Book online

Are you too busy to visit the Health Library? Are you getting by just googling it? Would you like to get easy access to library resources?  UHNM staff can access many of our services and resources online without having to visit the Health Library. Complete our updated tutorial NHS Online Library for UHNM staff to learn how. You'll learn: how to get your NHS OpenAthens account where to browse our ebook collections how to find a journal which databases you can search how to stay up-to-date with the latest evidence where you can get training and support how to request our services online Make sure you make the most of your library service, even if you don't visit! Please contact the Health Library if you need any more help.

Thinking of publishing in BMJ Case Studies but unsure where to begin?  This 45-minute course will help you develop an understanding of what to include in your case study and where to submit. This session includes a quick demonstration of key websites and databases to help you add references to support your manuscript. Run by UHNM and Keele Librarians, this course will help you build your confidence and career portfolio. Certificates are provided upon completion. Wednesday 14th January 12:30pm Book online

 All NHS staff can access BMJ Best Practice, a key evidence-based tool to support patient care. You'll need to log in with your NHS OpenAthens username. Check out the following topics, which cover presentation, testing, differential diagnosis and management of common winter conditions: Influenza infection Common cold Respiratory syncytial virus infection Community acquired pneumonia Acute exacerbation of COPD Download the app for quick, evidence-based guidance at the point of care, including diagnosis, treatment, and clinical calculators - all accessible offline. More help For more help go to our BMJ Best Practice help page . For help setting up your NHS OpenAthens username go to the NHS OpenAthens page on our website .

Ebsco have 2 sessions in January to help you to get to grips with the NHS Knowledge & Library Hub. Click on the link below to book your place. Exploring the new NHS Knowledge & Library Hub This 60--minute webinar provides a comprehensive introduction to the updated Hub (EBSCO Discovery Service) accessible nationally across NHS England. By the end of this session participants will be able to: Navigate and identify key features of the updated Hub interface Conduct evidence searches using Natural Language to find relevant records Combine search terms and searches for more precise results. Save and export records in RIS and other formats for use with reference management tools Create, store, and retrieve saved records using the MyEBSCO account. Wednesday, 7th January 2026 @ 2.30pm   Tuesday, 20th January 2026 @ 10.00am 

  Have you registered for your NHS OpenAthens account yet? What's stopping you? Don't think it's worth it? Everyone says don't bother? Separate the fact from the fake. Complete our etutorial NHS OpenAthens - what's fact or fake? to learn the facts and get your NHS OpenAthens username. Learn more about NHS OpenAthens accounts from our web page .

 Ebsco are running 2 training courses this month. These courses cover the new ebsco database interface and will only be suitable for our Keele University users. Please click the link to book your place. Supporting Systematic Reviews using EBSCOhost – Part 1 Searching (60 mins) The first of a two part session will introduce the concepts of searching the healthcare literature to support systematic reviews from initial framing of a question, to demonstrate search using PICO(T), searching both keywords and subject terms for CINAHL and MEDLINE on the new EBSCOhost interface. Tuesday 6th January - 10.30am Wednesday 21st January - 2.30pm Supporting Systematic Reviews using EBSCOhost – Part 2 Managing Results (60 mins) This session will introduce options for managing search results after searching the literature on CINAHL and MEDLINE, on the new EBSCOhost interface, in support of systematic reviews. Tuesday 13th January - 10.30am Wednesday 28th January - 2.30pm