Alerting Services Utilising external evidence and organisational knowledge: opportunities The Idea: Tailored information received on a regular basis to help keep you up-to-date in your desired area of interest Alerts can be set-up from individual journal titles (table of contents); be a short digest of news from appropriate websites and organisations or created within specialist databases such as MEDLINE Information about new articles or content are mailed to you on a monthly, fortnightly or weekly basis depending upon how frequently you wish to be up-dated For further information about the types of alerting services available see the section on the KM Toolkit Impact: This proactive delivery of alerts saves time and money spent searching for relevant information Teams are kept well informed and are able to take action more quickly to implement new ideas based on the content of the alerts Implementation of new ideas form alerts leads to improved patient experience and safety Implementation tips: Discuss with your specialist health librarian your areas of interest so they can select the best way to keep you up-to-date Encourage the individuals in your team to also sign-up for a regular alert and make time in staff meetings to discuss the contents If your areas of interest change don’t forget to update your details with the librarian so you continue to receive relevant information Knowledge Share – a story of alerting For further information see the KM Toolkit