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September 1996
Volume 60 |
Number 9
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| Questions to Ponder:
Resources From the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology |
Sally S. Graham, M.L.S., M.A., Assistant
Librarian
Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology
How would you anesthetize a chick embryo in outer space? What
anesthetic would be appropriate for a specific reaction? This
query was one of the more unusual ones that the Wood Library-Museum
of Anesthesiology (WLM) had received in quite some time. But for
a librarian at the WLM, answering reference questions is a daily
occurrence.
In 1995, the WLM supplied information for about 1,000 inquiries,
and of course, each answer was needed immediately or within 24
hours at the latest.
Some of the more common questions have to do with an anesthesiologist's
practice. Often, ASA members want to know where to find the latest
ASA guidelines or practice parameters. They want to know about
specifics that impact their practice, like relationships with
nurse anesthetists, utilization or planning of operating rooms,
or studies on new drugs. They may ask questions about liability
issues, setting up an office, starting a career, standard equipment
they need for a new facility or where to find a patient satisfaction
survey.
Some inquiries are more clinical in nature. An anesthesiologist
may ask about radial, lumbar or major plexus blocks, research
on a dislocated jaw after anesthesia, if neuroanesthesia can be
done without intubation or about recent studies on the use of
intrathecal drugs for pain management. Whether the most current
data are sought or a historical review of all of the medical literature
for a specific question, the WLM provides a wide range of resources.
Information available from the WLM may consist of a bibliography,
an abstract or photocopies of supporting documents, or the loan
of a book.
Many times, resource questions may require only a bibliography
such as one compiled on latex allergies. Such an in-house bibliography
is available with a comprehensive list of articles that track
the subject matter back to when it first became a topic of interest.
Others will soon be available on the ASA Web site for browsing.
The WLM receives questions daily from ASA members, the general
public and the media. It functions as a clearinghouse of information,
routing inquirers to appropriate resources. It also provides book
loans or copies of articles from the 100-plus anesthesia-related
journals in its holdings. The resources of the WLM are utilized
for the 1,000-plus reference questions it answered in 1995. Answers
are supplied via telephone, fax, mail or e-mail.
So, how would one anesthetize a chick embryo in outer space?
What anesthetic would be appropriate for a specific reaction?
To research such a question, we checked available literature in
the MEDLINE database, looking for recent and earlier studies.
After checking with the ASA Communications Department for its
input, three physicians were contacted for their input on this
question. Since there was no definitive answer anywhere, the best
answer was to coordinate a meeting via telephone of experts in
research in anesthesia and provide a bibliography from MEDLINE
as a resource. We are awaiting the launch of the space shuttle
with anesthesia for chick embryos and the resulting article in
the literature.
We invite you to use the WLM for your anesthesia information
needs.
Sally S. Graham, M.L.S., M.A., has been
Assistant Librarian for the Wood Library-Museum of Anesthesiology
since 1988.
E-mail the author.
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