Helwig, Melissa

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hdl.handle.net/10222/75489

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Open Access
The impact of transitional care programs on health services utilization in community-dwelling older adults: A systematic review
(Wolters Kluwer, 2018-02) Weeks, Lori E.; Macdonald, Marilyn; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Helwig, Melissa; Bishop, Andrea C.; Iduye, Damilola; Moody, Elaine
Objective: The objective was to identify and synthesize the best available evidence on the impact of transitional care programs on various forms of health services utilization in community-dwelling older adults. Introduction: There is growing evidence that transitional care programs can help address important challenges facing health care systems and our increasing older adult population in many countries by reducing unnecessary health service utilization. There is a need for a systematic review of the research evaluating the impact of transitional care programs on hospital and other health service usage. Inclusion criteria: The review included studies on community-dwelling adults age 60 and over with at least one medical diagnosis, and which evaluated the outcomes of transitional care programs on health system utilization of older adults. The outcomes for this review were hospital usage including admissions and readmissions, emergency department usage, primary care/physician usage, nursing home usage, and home health care usage. The review considered experimental and epidemiological study designs including randomized controlled trials, non-randomized controlled trials, quasi-experimental studies, before and after studies, prospective and retrospective cohort studies, and case-control studies. Methods: A three-step search was utilized to find published and unpublished studies conducted in any country but reported in English. Six electronic databases were searched from inception of the database to May, 2016. A search for unpublished studies was also conducted. Methodological quality was assessed independently by two reviewers using the Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal checklist for systematic reviews and research synthesis. Quantitative data were extracted from included studies independently by the two reviewers using the standardized Joanna Briggs Institute data extraction tools. Due to the methodological heterogeneity of the included studies, a comprehensive meta-analysis for all outcomes was not possible. Meta-analysis was conducted for rehospitalization at 30, 90 and 180 days. A narrative summary of other quantitative findings was conducted. Results: Twenty-three studies met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. Nineteen of the studies were randomized controlled trials and four were case control studies, involving 20,997 participants in total with a mean age of 76. Meta-analysis found that transitional care significantly reduced hospital readmission rates at 30 days (odds ratio [OR] 0.75, 95% confidence intervals [CIs] 0.62-0.91, p < 0.01), 90 days (OR 0.77, 95% CIs 0.59-1.02, p = 0.04), and 180 days (OR 0.67, 95% CIs 0.46-0.99, p < 0.01). Narrative synthesis indicated little impact of transitional care on emergency department and nursing home usage, increased use of primary care/physician usage, and decreased home health care usage. Conclusions: Based on a review of 23 studies conducted in the USA, Hong Kong, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden and Switzerland, we identified four major conclusions. First, transitional care reduces rehospitalization rates over time, with the largest effects seen at 30 days. Second, transitional care may increase the utilization of primary care services and thus have a favourable impact on preventative care. Third, transitional care may reduce home health usage. Fourth, transitional care interventions of one month or less appear to be as effective as longer interventions in reducing hospital usage.
Open Access
Health Sciences Librarian Participation in Continuing Education Initiatives: A Scoping Review
(2022-06-12) Phinney, Jackie; Rothfus, Melissa; Helwig, Melissa; Hancock, kristy
Introduction Continuing education (CE) is an expectation of many healthcare professionals and librarians to maintain credentials and keep their skills current. Since librarians have experience providing instruction, librarian provision of CE seems a natural fit. However, delivering content to healthcare professionals can be challenging due to time constraints, failed outreach, uncertainty surrounding topics, and more. Librarians may be wondering how they can provide helpful CE when they are unsure how to address these issues. Description Mindful of these challenges, we began a scoping review in February 2020 (search updated September 2021) to examine the literature on librarian instruction of CE for healthcare professionals. We conducted a comprehensive search across seven databases to capture all published articles on this topic. We also performed forwards and backwards searching of included studies, solicited real-life teaching materials from colleagues, and searched for grey literature using Google. Outcomes The literature revealed CE topics, delivery methods, and descriptions of initiatives. It also revealed gaps, such as lack of clear descriptions of assessment findings, efforts to accredit sessions, comprehensive learning objectives, mapping sessions to information literacy frameworks, and more. Discussion Despite the challenges, creating and delivering instructional sessions is a valuable contribution that connects us with our users. Learning from the past can allow us to improve our instructional services. Gaps in those lessons remind us that we should evaluate, benchmark and report our instruction so it remains resilient to the changing information landscape and allows us to build on the work of others.
Open Access
Scoping out how librarians support continuing education in the health sciences and beyond
(2021) Phinney, Jackie; Helwig, Melissa; Rothfus, Melissa; Hancock, Kristy; McLean, Katie
Open Access
Deprescribing Interventions in Primary Health Care Mapped to the Behaviour Change Wheel: A Scoping Review
(Elsevier, 2021-07) Isenor, JE; Bai, I; Cormier, R; Helwig, Melissa; Reeve, Emily; Whelan, Anne Marie; Burgess, Sarah; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Kennie-Kaulbach, Natalie
Background: Polypharmacy and inappropriate medication use are an increasing concern. Deprescribing may improve medication use through planned and supervised dose reduction or stopping of medications. As most medication management occurs in primary health care, which is generally described as the first point of access for day-to-day care, deprescribing in primary health care is the focus on this review. Objective: This scoping review aimed to identify and characterize strategies for deprescribing in primary health care and map the strategies to the Behaviour Change Wheel (BCW). Methods: A scoping review was conducted that involved searches of six databases (2002 to 2018) and reference lists of relevant systematic reviews and included studies. Studies that described and evaluated deprescribing strategies in primary health care were eligible. Two independent reviewers screened articles and completed data charting with charting verified by a third. Deprescribing strategies were mapped to the intervention functions of the BCW and linked to specific Behaviour Change Techniques (BCT). Results: Searches yielded 6871 citations of which 43 were included. Nineteen studies were randomized, 24 were non-randomized. Studies evaluated deprescribing in terms of medication changes, feasibility, and prescriber/patient perspectives. Deprescribing strategies involved various professionals (physicians, pharmacists, nurses), as well as patients and were generally multifaceted. A wide range of intervention functions were identified, with 41 BCTs mapped to Environmental restructuring, 38 BCTs mapped to Enablement, and 34 BCTs mapped to Persuasion. Conclusions: Deprescribing strategies in primary health care have used a variety of BCTs to address individual professionals (e.g. education) as well as strategies that addressed the practice setting, including support from additional team members (e.g. pharmacists, nurses and patients). Further research is warranted to determine comparative effectiveness of different BCTs, which can help facilitate implementation of deprescribing strategies, thereby reducing polypharmacy, in primary health care.
Open Access
Cite it right!: An Introduction to Citation Styles and Citation Management Tools
(2021-01-05) Hemming, Deborah; Helwig, Melissa
APA Style, Vancouver Style, Chicago Style and more! Have you been asked to include citations in papers or follow a particular citation style in your projects but you’re unsure where to start? This session will introduce you to why you cite, how to cite, as well as tools to help with your writing and citing. In this session we’ll cover: Why citing information is important How to identify which citation style to use Where to look for directions on how to cite specific kinds of information sources How to create both in-text citations and end-of-paper citations What tools you can use to manage your references and support your writing and citing
Open Access
Key Priorities to Implement Deprescribing in Primary Health Care in Nova Scotia: Results from the Deprescribing in Primary Health Care in Nova Scotia Knowledge Exchange Event (June 20, 2019)
(2020-03-03) Isenor, Jennifer; Kennie-Kaulbach, Natalie; Kehoe, Sarah; Bai, Isaac; Reeve, Emily; Whelan, Anne Marie; Burgess, Sarah; Kits, Olga; Burge, Frederick; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Helwig, Melissa; Sampalli, Tara
Inappropriate medication use and polypharmacy are associated with increased adverse drug reactions, hospitalizations and mortality. Deprescribing has been found to decrease the use of medications and medication costs and is expected to improve clinical outcomes. An interactive in-person knowledge exchange event using World Café and Nominal Group Technique was held with stakeholders including patient advisors, representatives from nursing, pharmacy, family medicine, and members of advocacy/regulatory bodies and government/policy representatives. Six themes were identified with accompanying key priorities that need to be addressed to implement deprescribing strategies in Nova Scotia. These included: Communication (including public awareness and communication between providers and patients, families and caregivers), Compensation (for all providers), Education (for the public and providers), Prompts (electronic and social), Resources (technology supports and resources) and Roles (providers, patients, families and caregivers). The key priorities will be shared with stakeholders to help inform future sustainable deprescribing strategies in Nova Scotia.
Open Access
Local capacity for quality evidence syntheses: methodological and reporting quality of systematic reviews from Dalhousie University-affiliated reviewers
(Cochrane Colloquium Abstracts, 2018-09) Parker, Robin; Helwig, Melissa
Background: In order to best support the conduct of systematic reviews (SRs) in our institutional setting, we set out to examine the SRs produced by Dalhousie University affiliates. Initiation of an institutional subscription to Covidence increases contact between the health sciences library and reviewers. This outreach opportunity is a chance to improve SR training, so assessing the degree of adherence to methodological and reporting guidelines will allow development of targeted training and support services for current and future review authors. Objectives: To assess the methodological and reporting quality of SRs and to describe the characteristics of the teams involved in SR production at one university in Atlantic Canada. Methods: PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute, and Scopus were searched for SRs with at least one author affiliated with Dalhousie University. Results were deduplicated and screened using Covidence software. We will assess included reviews for methodological quality using the validated AMSTAR 2 tool and for reporting quality using the PRISMA checklist. We will categorize reviews by subject area and examine review characteristics, including team composition. Results: A preliminary study of Dalhousie-affiliated SRs published in the past 10 years yielded 163 studies; 35% of SRs (n = 57) included contributions from an information specialist. The current study is ongoing and results will be presented including the percentage of reviews that meet each element of the AMSTAR 2 and PRISMA checklists, composition of review teams, and the distribution of reviews in health disciplines and specialties. Conclusions: Gaps identified in the methodological and reporting quality of SRs authored by members of the Dalhousie University community will highlight areas where improved outreach and training can make an impact on overall quality of reviews. Patient or healthcare consumer involvement: Review topics selected in a particular geographic area tend to reflect the health needs of the region and are more likely to be used in immediate care and policy decision making. Although this methodological review did not directly involve patients, ensuring that the syntheses produced by our institution follow accepted standards will impact patient care by improving the quality and reliability of the evidence.
Open Access
Formation of a Collaborative Interprofessional Primary Healthcare Deprescribing Research Team in Nova Scotia
(2019-06) Whelan, Anne Marie; Kennie-Kaulbach, Natalie; Isenor, Jennifer; Martin-Misener, Ruth; Burge, Fred; Burgess, Sarah; Reeve, Emily; Salsbury, Lauren E.; Cormier, Rachel; Bai, Isaac; MacLean, Heather; Helwig, Melissa; Kits, Olga
Study objective: To describe the development of a collaborative interprofessional primary health care deprescribing research team in Nova Scotia. Methods: Initiated by two College of Pharmacy faculty members, a core group of 6 health care researchers with an interest in forming an interprofessional primary health care deprescribing research team met in 2016. Based on positive feedback, the next steps involved building the team which included 1) creating the team (determination of needed expertise; description of roles and responsibilities); 2) establishing goals/objectives; 3) determining team functioning (leadership, ascertainment of common mission, determining communication strategies and delineating decision-making approaches); and 4) monitoring team outputs (e.g. presentations, publications, grants); and team functioning (e.g. discussions at team meetings, team assessment survey, social network analysis). Results: The first team meeting was in April 2017, and as of January 2019 the team had expanded to 9 core members with research assistants/students added to the team as necessary. At initial team meetings, the two College of Pharmacy faculty members assumed a co-leadership role, established the overarching goal of the team, set specific objectives and reached a consensus on various aspects of team functioning. The team has received five grants. Eight posters/oral presentations have been presented and two manuscripts are in preparation. A team assessment survey was completed in the spring of 2018 which resulted in changes to communication strategies. A social network analysis is underway. Conclusions: An interprofessional deprescribing primary health care research team was successfully formed in Nova Scotia. This success has hinged on a team committed to working well together, sharing common goals, effective communication, positivity towards the research and celebrating successes.
Open Access
Supporting digital identities at academic libraries
(2019-06) Rothfus, Melissa; Helwig, Melissa; ;
In the academic world there is intensifying interest in the creation and maintenance of online professional identities. Academic librarians must work through how to match that interest with services and use of library resources and expertise. Interest in this form of identity rests not just with individual researchers wanting to establish and track their own scholarly output for funding, promotion and publication but with administrators seeking reliable data to measure research impact of a department, faculty or university as a whole. Key areas of expertise render librarians as natural supports for this critical aspect of scholarly communications. We are able to provide support for the effective use and maintenance of tools intended to allow researchers to create unique professional identities. This includes awareness of existing and emerging tools and services; the purpose, unique features, and limitations of each; and how they potentially fit into a broader picture of scholarly communications. In pursuit of this goal, we have engaged in educational programming for liaison librarians as well as webinars and drop-in sessions for researchers. This session will include a summary of these activities and include explanation of the benefits of ORCiDs, ways to add data to ORCiD profiles, challenges of data from various sources such as Google Scholar and Scopus, and clarifying the relationship between these and other tools, such as social media platforms, repositories, and CRIS systems.
Open Access
Impact of Research Consults: Development and Implementation of a Survey at the W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library.
(Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Journal de l'Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada, 2019-06) Parker, Robin; Helwig, Melissa; Hancock, Kristy
Introduction: Individual research consults in academic libraries are rarely evaluated, and when they are, their impact on scholarly pursuit or the specific projects for which the consults were booked is not assessed. We developed a tool to collect feedback from individuals supported through research consults with librarians at the Dalhousie University W.K. Kellogg Health Sciences Library. Using the collected responses, we aim to answer the following research question: How do users apply the knowledge and skills shared in individual research consults? Methods: We created a survey tool using REDCap software based on a review of the literature and existing consult evaluation instruments. Data collection variables include user demographics, characteristics of the specific research consult, user satisfaction, and details regarding scholarly outcomes. Data collection takes place directly following the research consult, and longer-term outcomes are assessed with follow-up questions after 3 months. Questionnaire data are analyzed and summary statistics are used to describe the demographic characteristics and post-consult information use of respondents. Qualitative data from open-ended questions are coded to identify themes. Results/Discussion: Preliminary results from our research consult evaluation tool provide insight into the impact of our research support services and illuminate ways to improve consult sessions for our users. The survey also offers other libraries a tool they can use or adjust to measure impact in their local setting. Furthermore, the initial results of our study can be used to justify librarian time and effort dedicated to providing research consults at academic libraries.
Open Access
It's Time for a Makeover! Remodeling our Medicine Subject Guide to Improve Usage and Impact.
(Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Journal de l'Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada, 2019-06) Phinney, Jackie; Parker, Robin; Helwig, Melissa
The Medicine subject guide for UGME at Dalhousie University was once one of the most highly used guides offered, but usage has steadily declined over the past few years. While revising and updating our guide, we also want to ensure the resource is useful to and used by our medical students. To this end, we decided to look at how other universities in Canada and abroad are organizing their Medicine guides, what content they are prioritizing, and how they are choosing to name their navigation menu tabs. In reviewing all these guides and noticing a variety of differences, this led us to ask: what is the best way to engage our community and evolve our subject guides, so our users continue to identify them as a starting place for curriculum resources and assignment/research support? This lightning talk will describe our makeover process (and what we discovered along the way), who we consulted for input, and the impact we hope our guide will have going forward.
Open Access
Lights, Camera, Learn! A Cross-Organizational Approach to Noon-Hour Information Literacy Instruction
(Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Journal de l'Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada, 2018-06) Boulos, Leah; McLean, Katie; Killian, Lara; Parker, Robin; Helwig, Melissa
Introduction: Lunch and learn series are a common method of education delivery in healthcare. Increasingly, learners want and expect the option to view recordings and supplemental materials afterwards. How do librarians leverage existing supports and educational offerings to meet the modern needs of healthcare professionals, researchers, and students? Description: Librarians across three organizations collaborated on developing and delivering a four-part lunch and learn series to empower attendees with practical information-gathering, evaluation, and synthesis skills. Technologies from each organization were employed for promotion, registration, evaluation, online delivery, and recording. Two original content sessions were presented by the librarian organizers (Creating Effective Research Questions; Screening & Appraising Results), a panel discussion focused on synthesizing information (Synthesizing Information), and a session delivered by healthcare professionals demonstrated an evidence-gathering framework to change local practice (Using Evidence to Change Practice). Feedback surveys were automatically emailed to registrants after each session. Outcomes: 105 people registered across organizations and 63 attended, while 23 completed the feedback survey. Overall, participants were satisfied with the content and identified it as filling knowledge gaps. The majority of survey respondents identified as Researcher (n=6) or Program Coordinator (n=8). Respondents ranked preferred topics for follow-up sessions which will inform planning of future series. Discussion: Affiliates of our health organizations have a range of information needs that are not all met with current training offerings. Creating opportunities for people involved in knowledge creation to acquire skills and engage with colleagues doing similar work demonstrates librarian engagement and the value of our services.
Open Access
Mapping the Methodologies Used in Retraction Reviews
(Journal of the Canadian Health Libraries Association / Journal de l'Association des bibliothèques de la santé du Canada, 2018-06) Kung, Janice; Helwig, Melissa
Introduction: The impact of retracted publications has been studied across disciplines using various review methods often with limited search documentation, making replication and validation difficult. Retraction studies have been explored in some biomedical disciplines but not all. This project aims to map the methodologies used by retraction reviews in health sciences, as well as identify best practice and subject gaps. Methods: We searched Medline, Embase, and CINAHL using a mix of controlled vocabulary and keywords to capture reviews of retracted publications. We used Covidence to screen titles and abstracts through full-text review screening. Articles synthesizing or reviewing retracted publications were included while individual retraction studies were excluded. Data extraction focused on search methodology, discipline/subject, reason for retraction, and data management/analysis. Results: After removing duplicates, 3343 results remained for title/abstract screening. We conducted full-text screening of 83 articles and selected 54 studies for data extraction. Preliminary results show low use of reproducible methods. Several studies offer a minimum level of reporting, indicating only the name of databases searched and keywords used. Discussion: Librarians have expertise documenting searches in other contexts (i.e. systematic reviews) and this pre-existing knowledge will contribute to developing reproducible search strategies and methods in retraction studies. This paper maps the existing literature and methods used in reviews of retracted publications. It provides both librarians and biomedical researchers with knowledge on the gaps in methodology and insights into which biomedical disciplines are lacking retraction reviews.
Open Access
Re-examining the words we used: Revamping our LibGuides for improved user engagement
(Workshop for Instruction for Library Use (WILU), 2019-05) Helwig, Melissa; Phinney, Jackie; Hancock, Kristy; Parker, Robin
Early in our LibGuide revision planning process we examined how other universities in Canada and abroad organize their guides in select subject areas, what content they prioritize, and how they label the LibGuide navigation. This presentation shares what we learned from our LibGuide review and the subsequent changes made.
Open Access
Mobile Device Use in Pharmacy: A Multi-Institutional Study
(2015) Duncan, Vicky; Vokey, Sherri; Gordon, Shannon; Helwig, Melissa; Chatterley, Trish
Although there are studies that explore the use of mobile devices by physicians and pharmacists, there has not been a study to date that examines the prevalence and usage patterns of mobile devices amongst pharmacy students and faculty. This is the first pan-Canadian study that examines the prevalence and patterns of use of mobile devices by pharmacy faculty and students at Anglophone and Francophone universities. Unlike previous studies, this study also included interviews with participants to collect richer data than can be gathered with an online survey alone.
Open Access
Research Support in Health Sciences Libraries: A Scoping Review
(2018) Visintini, Sarah; Boutet, Mish; Manley, Alison; Helwig, Melissa
Background: As part of a health sciences library’s internal assessment of its research support services, an environmental scan and literature review were conducted to identify research services offered elsewhere in Canada. Through this process, it became clear that a more formal review of the academic literature would help libraries make informed decisions about their services. To address this gap, we conducted a scoping review of research services provided in health sciences libraries contexts. Methods: Searches were conducted in Medline, Embase, ERIC, CINAHL, LISTA, LISS, Scopus, Web of Science, Google Scholar and Google for articles which described the development, implementation, or evaluation of one or more research support initiatives in a health sciences library context. We identified additional articles by searching reference lists of included studies and soliciting medical library listservs. Results: Our database searches retrieved 7134 records, 4026 after duplicates were removed. Title/abstract screening excluded 3751, with 333 records retained for full-text screening. Seventy-five records were included, reporting on 74 different initiatives. Included studies were published between 1990 and 2017, the majority from North American and academic library contexts. Major service areas reported were the creation of new research support positions, and support services for systematic review support, grants, data management, open access and repositories. Conclusion: This scoping review is the first review to our knowledge to map research support services in the health sciences library context. It identified main areas of research service support provided by health sciences libraries that can be used for benchmarking or information gathering purposes.
Open Access
Engaging students with new technology: Using a QR code scavenger hunt for library orientation
(2012) Parker, Robin; Helwig, Melissa; Phinney, Jackie
Open Access
Mapping the literature of hospital pharmacy
(2016-04) Barrett, Ann; Helwig, Melissa; Neves, Karen
OBJECTIVES: This study describes the literature of hospital pharmacy and identifies the journals most commonly cited by authors in the field, the publication types most frequently cited, the age of citations, and the indexing access to core journals. The study also looks at differing citation practices between journals with a wide audience compared to a national journal with a focus on regional issues and trends in the field. METHOD: Cited references from five discipline-specific source journals were collected and analyzed for publication type and age. Two sets were created for comparison. Bradford's Law of Scattering was applied to both sets to determine the most frequently cited journals. RESULTS: Three-quarters of all cited items were published within the last 10 years (71%), and journal articles were the most heavily cited publication type (n=65,760, 87%). Citation analysis revealed 26 journal titles in Zone 1, 177 journal titles in Zone 2, and the remaining were scattered across 3,886 titles. Analysis of a national journal revealed Zone 1 comprised 9 titles. Comparison of the 2 sets revealed that Zone 1 titles overlapped, with the exception of 2 titles that were geographically focused in the national title. CONCLUSION: Hospital pharmacy literature draws heavily from its own discipline-specific sources but equally from core general and specialty medical journals. Indexing of cited journals is complete in PubMed and EMBASE but lacking in International Pharmaceutical Abstracts. Gray literature is a significant information source in the field.
Open Access
Inquiry, strategy, context: Information literacy threshold concepts and the curriculum
(2016-06) McNiff, Lindsay; Helwig, Melissa
Threshold concepts have recently ignited the discussion around information literacy, and have provided a context for librarians to re-evaluate how we contribute to student success. Last year, the Association of College & Research Libraries (ACRL) launched its new Framework for Information Literacy in Higher Education for use by librarians and other educators. Structured around six threshold concepts, the Framework envisions information literacy as a set of core understandings and dispositions that are key for students’ discovery and ethical use of information. Each of the six threshold concepts describes the characteristics of novice and expert learners, a set of knowledge practices or applications of the concept, and a set of affective dispositions. The six frames are as follows: Authority is Constructed and Contextual; Information Creation as a Process; Information Has Value; Research as Inquiry; Scholarship as Conversation; and Searching as Strategic Exploration. Information literacy has implications for every discipline and every student. Helping students cross information literacy’s conceptual thresholds requires integration throughout the curriculum, collaboration, and consideration by educators and administrators. In this session, we will introduce participants to the Framework, and to the “big questions” we have identified that could be captured through use of the six threshold concepts. In the workshop portion of the session, participants will map the Framework’s threshold concepts to tangible assignments or learning outcomes relevant to their courses. We will also engage participants in brainstorming ways to weave the Framework’s core concepts into the curriculum and identify opportunities for partnerships across the university. Participants will leave this session with a clearer sense of the breadth of information literacy, as well as new ideas for enhancing their course content to integrate information literacy concepts into their assignments and teaching.
Open Access
Waking up the library tour: Keeping it interesting with Instagram
(Atlantic Provinces Library Association, 2014-11) McNiff, Lindsay; Helwig, Melissa

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