1. “Click , click quick ” an electronic acute services current awareness service for the NHS
Janet Harrison and Samuel Nikoi
Department of Information Science, Loughborough University, UK.

2. The NHS in the UK The Patients Charter 1992 Clinical Governance 1998
The New NHS Modern and Dependable 1997

3. The NHS in the UK Evidence Based Medicine
Continuous Professional Development
Corporate Responsibility

4. Acute Services Current Awareness Service (ASCAS)
ASCAS - Initiative to address Clinical Information Needs within Acute Trust.
Launched August 2004, during UK National Health Libraries Week
Web-based information service
Multi-disciplinary
Monitors over 150 key websites via RSS feed

5. Aims and Objectives of ASCAS
Aim: To improve and enhance access to high quality resources for academic and NHS staff and students
Objectives:
Identify relevant content in consultation with health professionals
Improve cross-institutional collaboration between NHS and HE
Complement services provided in other subject disciplines

6. Aims and Objectives of ASCAS
Facilitate independent access to information 24/7
Enhance role of information professionals in supporting the NHS workforce
To promote the service via several websites

7. ASCAS Subject Coverage
Health news
New Reports and Guidelines
New Research and Development
Continuing Professional Development
Medicine
Surgery
Women and Children
Nursing
Diagnostics and Allied Health

8. Study Objectives To determine the users of the service
To establish the subject headings most popularly used
To determine the motivation for the use of the service
To assess the relevance and level of satisfaction of the service.
To gain some insight about reasons for non-use of the service
To determine areas of possible future improvement.

9. Research Methods Survey method
First Strategy: Questionnaire delivered electronically
sent out by P.A of the Chief Executive at Q.M.C
Questionnaire cascaded down to other members of staff
Second Strategy: Questionnaire ed directly to known contacts
Sampling method
Random sampling
Convenient sampling

10. Study Results Background of respondents Consultant Neurologist
Head Occupational Therapist
Consultant Surgeon 
Head of Continuing Professional Development 
Senior Nurse
Consultant Physician

11. Study Results - Usage
Service Usage

12. Study Results - Usage
“I have logged on to the website once and had a quick look around, thought it was interesting”.
“…It is a system for alerting people to have information that they may be interested in and may be relevant to what they do professionally”.

13. Problem accessing service
Study Results - Access
Non-Use
Problem accessing service
Unaware of Service
No reason

14. Study Results
Access
“I don’t use it at the moment because I do not have a clear and an easy path to get to it”.
There are computers on the wards, but we cannot
use it for internet access, we really struggle
I looked … thought it was not too useful to my role as a consultant”.

15. Study Results Alternative Sources of information for Non-Users
25 % Own Journal
18 % Consult colleagues
18 % Seminar, Workshop, Conference
12 % Subscription to alerting service
12 % Monitoring websites
9 % Academic and NHS library
6 % distribution list

16. Study Results – Other Sources
“If I want to keep generally up-to-date I…go to meetings, national and international meetings in my own specialty area”.
“Personally I only read the journals I subscribe to.”
“If I’ve got a question…my first point of call for scientific medical literature would be PubMed”
“Most…are members of national network and receive daily alerts / news”.

17. Study Results – Future Expectations
“I would like to see...on the ward rounds a laptop having access to patient’s record / the internet …we can’t get it to the patient bedside its ridiculous”.
“On a personal level …what would be nice, is in three months later a problem arises …and for me to be able to interrogate the last six months alert”.
“There is something about going to a single point of reference and being able to work your way through”.

18. …and finally Recommendations
Optimum balance between generalist and specialist
Develop clinical information champions
Website visibility through marketing and promotion
Develop guidelines for up-dating website
Archiving Policy
Expand search functionality
Establish multiple access points
Address the question of cross-institutional access