Dear colleagues - About two weeks ago there were a couple of postings
about UTD discontinuing their standalone product at the end of the year.
This message is in response.

 

I am one of the half dozen medical/health sciences librarians recruited
last year by UpToDate for their Librarian Advisory Board.  I feel we
represent very nicely the range of institutions that license UTD across
the US and even Europe.  We hold virtual meetings each quarter with the
UTD executive team and are in additional contact with them and with each
other as questions and issues arise.  We are not a shy group - everyone
is actually quite outspoken in these discussions, and when we think UTD
is on the wrong track we say so loudly and clearly.  Speaking for
myself, I agreed to join the Advisory Board because I believe in the
value of UTD as a resource and want to help improve it; however, my
first allegiance is (and always will be) to my patrons, the hospital
that employs me, and my fellow medical librarians.  I think it is fair
to say that over the past year the UTD executive team has listened with
an open mind and learned a lot from us about how medical librarians view
the world, how we do our jobs, and why we are important players on the
healthcare e-resource scene.  They have heard from us in the strongest
terms that our biggest issues with their product and their company are
the pricing model, the need for remote access, the question of what
makes their product "evidence-based", and their past treatment of us
librarians.   I honestly feel that the UTD executive team now "gets it"
and is working hard to make amends and find solutions that will be
acceptable to all sides.

 

It happens that this quarter's Advisory Board virtual meeting took place
on January 5, and one topic was the discontinuation of the standalone
product.   The UTD folks told us this is being done out of concern for
patient safety due to the risk of outdated information on the DVDs.  To
me and the other Advisory Board librarians this makes complete sense.
Here is what the UTD website says under Editorial Policies:  "Bulk
updating occurs on our website every four months. However, any updates
that are deemed particularly important by our authors and editors (i.e.,
those that may change practice, drug alerts, etc.) are uploaded
immediately upon completion of peer review. These updates, in addition
to appearing in a traditional UpToDate topic, are highlighted in our
What's New section and in a topic called Practice Changing UpDates."
Obviously, even if the standalone DVD is dutifully replaced the very
minute a new one arrives, there is no way the DVD product can remain
current for the next four months with regard to practice changing
updates and drug alerts.  And the danger is even greater if older
versions of the DVD are kept in use.

 

My own library subscribed for years to the standalone product because
that's all we could afford, so I really do appreciate the predicament
some libraries will find themselves in when the DVD is discontinued.
But in these litigious times, with all of the JCAHO and government
emphasis on patient safety, I personally would be afraid to provide my
patrons with a version of UpToDate that's not really up to date, and I
feel that the company is absolutely right to worry about the same thing.
Of course all of our resources run the risk of providing outdated
information, but the issue is especially serious with UTD for two
reasons - the company's stated commitment to being current,
authoritative, and evidence-based, and the product's reputation among
clinicians for the same qualities.  Even if we don't say so, our patrons
know that monographs, including those with recent copyright dates, may
have some outdated information, and likewise they pay attention to the
publication dates of journal articles.  But with UpToDate and similar
e-resources, I think there is a widespread assumption that the
information provided is current and completely reliable.

 

The UTD website is worth a thoughtful review even if you don't
subscribe.  The "About UpToDate" section explains in depth their
editorial and other policies, including the basis for their claim to
being "evidence-based".   Since this issue remains a sticking point for
many of us, I feel we have a professional responsibility to read what
the company says here before passing judgment.

 

I hope I have not gone on too long.  I thought I was going to write a
brief message about the discontinuation of the DVD product but found I
had a lot more to say, so thanks for reading to the end!

 

Deborah

 

*********************************************

Deborah Klein, MSLS, AHIP

Medical Librarian

Pomona Valley Hospital Medical Center

1798 N. Garey Ave.

Pomona, CA 91767

 

(909) 865-9878 voice

(909) 865-9770 fax

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LIBID: caupoo

*********************************************

 



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