Read it here.
UpToDate, MD Consult and FirstConsult are now available via the AHSL web site. Please note that UpToDate is available onsite only, while MD Consult and FirstConsult can be accessed off campus using your CatCard number and last name.
Based on recent survey feedback on the performance of the EBM Search tool, the AHS Library has made a change that we hope will improve access to relevant information for medical students.
Under the "Foundational (Textbooks/ Web Sites)" section of EBM Search, there is a new option called "Google Custom Search". When selected, a Google search is executed and results are returned first from a list of prioritized web sites, some of which were suggested by COM students as being particularly useful when researching learning issues.
The rest of the results (ie. covering the whole WWW) are either integrated into, or appended to the prioritized list using Google's usual relevancy ranking system. For example, many students indicated content from eMedicine.com has been helpful, so content from that site is given a higher ranking in the search results list. The AHSL welcomes any feedback the students may have so that we may continue to improve the EBM Search tool. Other suggested improvements are under consideration, and we will continue to make these as we find appropriate solutions.
If you have suggestions or comments, please email David Howse at dhowse@ahsl.arizona.edu
Read a recently published article about the collaboration behind AHSL's customized search engine, EBM Search.