Info about library resources – UMMS library access is still in progress. No one currently has access and it is unknown if/when access will be available for residents and faculty. Baystate has its own library resources, including online journals and textbooks. The library is accessed through eWorkplace. If you find there is a particular journal you need access to and the library doesn’t support, let Tara know and she will interface with the librarians to see if it can be supported. The librarians are very helpful and can assist in running literature searches and getting articles for you. Ellen Brassil is the head librarian at Baystate.
Lynn Eaton – Lynn is a research assistant the is a shared resource between pathology and radiology. She is available to help with IRB submissions and is our liaison with the epidemiology staff. Baystate has a department of statisticians that we have access to for studies. There is a new committee (Institutional Scientific Review Committee) which will be involved with non-funded investigator initiated research and help allocate resources for projects. Tara is currently a member of the committee.
How to search for cases in powerscribe – There is a way to search reports dictated in the Powerscribe system at the hospital. Open a report in powerscribe, then launch a program called Montage (the tab lives on the bottom left hand side of the powerscribe report). You can then keyword search for a diagnosis in the application. It will provide the cases with the option to link to the entire report. Kal Dulaimy is the best resource if you are having trouble using the application. Alternatively, there is a woman in the film library named Julie Jillson. She works from 3-11 pm and is more than willing to help you search for cases. We also have a follow-up case form (on the S drive) that you can email to her if you want follow-up on a case you read. She will keep an eye on the case and email you when the patient has something else done e.g. surgery, biopsy etc. She gives you the final diagnosis.
Lastly, we cannot stress enough the importance of creating teaching files as you go. Many people will just save the name and medical record number of an interesting case on an excel spreadsheet. However, most people will not go back and make the case into a useable teaching file. This leads to lost opportunities to have a robust teaching/research file. I recommend making a powerpoint or exporting an avi of the file as you read the case. It takes extra time and can slow down your readout, but the tradeoff is worth the effort. I also recommend making file folders on your “O” drive and putting the cases into their relevant folder. For instance, I have a GU folder that I put all my GU related cases into. I often will do a “case cleanup” quarterly to put cases into their relevant folders. This system allows you to easily take stock of what cases you have so that you can create a themed lecture, brainstorm for a project idea or use the case for a peer reviewed publication etc. To make a Powerpoint, simply drag the image to an open powerpoint presentation. Remember, if you chose to not de-identify the information at the time you make the case, you must crop the image and then delete the cropped area to be HIPAA compliant. I will often not deidentify the case so that I leave myself the option to go back and follow-up on a case or go back and get images in a different format for publication (e.g. bitmap). To make a movie for export, use the “cine” function on FUJI, click the save file button and then export. Save things to your “O” drive, not the local computer as the computers often get swapped out when they break and you then lose your info.