Virtual bibliophile

First off I want to look at some of the bibliographical databases that are available over the Internet. Unfortunately, many of the big databases are subscription only - no doubt because it is very time consuming and expensive to maintain them. Nevertheless, there have been major changes in attitudes towards the accessibility of information for clinical practice both here and in the USA, although at present, that change seems to be mainly around medical information. For instance, Pubmed, which is a freely available version of Medline, provides access to anyone who knows where to find it - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi 

Government policy, in the form of the National Electronic Library for Health (NeLH) at www.nelh.nhs.uk and the Electronic Library for Social Care (eLSC) at www.elsc.org.uk is also moving towards providing free access, and a one-stop approach to finding information. The eLSC, for example, has recently made social care database Caredata freely available at  www.elsc.org.uk/bases_floor/caredatasearching.htm  This is quite a significant development, because it used to be a subscription only database. I wouldn't say it's as sophisticated as Pubmed, but it is easy to use - and it does provide access to some useful information.

Currently, the NeLH provides NHS staff with free access to a number of databases, such as Cochrane Library and Clinical Evidence. It's a start, and hopefully these databases will eventually be free to everyone who needs them. As always, the problem comes down to cost. Someone has to pay for free access, and the NeLH isn't rich!  But it also has various virtual branch libraries, and professional portals associated with it. For example, there is the National Electronic Library for Mental Health (NeLMH) at www.nelmh.org  Unfortunately, this movement towards free access hasn't caught on everywhere. For instance, one of the major psychological databases, PsycINFO, is still subscription only.

The TRIP database from the Centre for Research Support at www.ceres.uwcm.ac.uk/frameset.cfm?section=trip provides access to high quality on-line information on a wide range of subjects. You can either search the database, or checkout one of the clinical areas. Admittedly, it is a bit medical, but there are sections on mental health and child health.

Then there is the US Department of Health and Human Services' National Clearing House on Child Abuse and Neglect Information at www.calib.com/nccanch/ This site brings together many forms of information on a specific subject. It can help you find research, statistics and legislation. And it works well because it's national and reputable.

The NSPCC's Inform website, which you'll find at www.nspcc.org.uk/inform/  is quite similar in its approach. It aims to collect, share and disseminate information for professionals on child abuse and neglect in the UK. It provides access to the NSPCC library database, selected reading lists and a news service.

Another way to find out about research literature is to look for specific projects, organisations or journals. This is obviously more time consuming - and it is a bit hit and miss because it relies on you knowing and remembering them all. That said, here are a few websites about specific projects.

First is the IRIS (Initiative to Reduce the Impact of Schizophrenia) project, which you'll find at www.iris-initiative.org.uk  This service is based in Birmingham and, as its title suggests, is an early intervention service for young people with psychosis. This site provides lots of useful information, including guidelines and the full-text of a few research articles.

A similar project based in Australia is The Early Psychosis Prevention and Intervention Centre (EPPIC) at www.eppic.org.au This service has been running for about 10 years, and other services such as the IRIS project are based on this model. The website provides lots of useful information about the service, resources and research in progress.

And finally, there is the Greenwood Institute of Child Health at www.le.ac.uk/greenwood/ This site provides information about the research that the institute is or has been involved in. On the whole, it only provides references to papers, but as long as you have access to a library then it is useful. Also, as a reputable organisation, it takes some of the guesswork out of assessing the quality or reliability of their research - and that's always a bonus.

paula.lavis@youngminds.org.uk