Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: The Cochrane Prostatic Diseases & Urology Group (PDUC) transitioned from the Minneapolis VA Health Care System (MVAHCS) in Minnesota, to the University of Florida (UF) in the spring of 2013 with Philipp Dahm, MD as the Co-ordinating Editor. He invited librarians from the combined UF Health Sciences Libraries (Gainesville and Jacksonville) along with librarians from Cardiff University, who had worked closely with the PDUC when its satellite office was hosted there. Thus we created an international Trials Search Co-ordinators (TSC) group consisting of three librarians from UF and two from Cardiff.
Objectives: As volunteers, our objective was to create a cohesive TSC group that placed our primary librarian roles and service to our Universities first, but would offer opportunities for our librarians to critique strategies on protocols, potentially have opportunities to be a co-author, respond timely and to learn and use the Cochrane Register of Studies software to update the registry.
Methods: Our editorial process for reviewing search methods starts when the ME (Molly Neuberger) sends the lead TSC notice of new submissions for assignment. The lead TSC then sends out a request of availability. What has evolved is a collegial TSC group. While one person may take on a protocol/review, the others are willing to either provide peer-review of search strategies or search strategy assistance for databases not available to the primary TSC. Mid-2014, the PDUC Group returned to being hosted at the MVAHCS and the University of Minnesota, and has recently broadened its scope to include urological topics previously handled by the Renal Group, which led to a recent change of name to the Cochrane Urology Group.
Results: In these 1.5 years, our original group of five librarians handled 30 protocols/reviews. With the changes in group scope and in anticipation of the added protocols and reviews, we have recruited seven new librarians: two from Johns Hopkins University (fall 2014), and five from University of Minnesota as of Feb. 2015.
Conclusions: Expanding our TSC assistant pool has been a boon to our group, as we collaborate, share resources, and expertise.
Objectives: As volunteers, our objective was to create a cohesive TSC group that placed our primary librarian roles and service to our Universities first, but would offer opportunities for our librarians to critique strategies on protocols, potentially have opportunities to be a co-author, respond timely and to learn and use the Cochrane Register of Studies software to update the registry.
Methods: Our editorial process for reviewing search methods starts when the ME (Molly Neuberger) sends the lead TSC notice of new submissions for assignment. The lead TSC then sends out a request of availability. What has evolved is a collegial TSC group. While one person may take on a protocol/review, the others are willing to either provide peer-review of search strategies or search strategy assistance for databases not available to the primary TSC. Mid-2014, the PDUC Group returned to being hosted at the MVAHCS and the University of Minnesota, and has recently broadened its scope to include urological topics previously handled by the Renal Group, which led to a recent change of name to the Cochrane Urology Group.
Results: In these 1.5 years, our original group of five librarians handled 30 protocols/reviews. With the changes in group scope and in anticipation of the added protocols and reviews, we have recruited seven new librarians: two from Johns Hopkins University (fall 2014), and five from University of Minnesota as of Feb. 2015.
Conclusions: Expanding our TSC assistant pool has been a boon to our group, as we collaborate, share resources, and expertise.