updated 21 September 2005
UK National electronic Library for Health
The Information for Health strategy announced the creation of a National electronic Library for Health. The aims of the NeLH are to:
- provide easy access to best current knowledge and
- improve health and healthcare, clinical practice and patient choice.
The NeLH is organised on three floors:
- Know-how,
- Knowledge,
- Knowledge management skills and resources.
In the initial strategy
document a fourth floor was described - the Patient floor. Its
information will now be provided by NHS
Direct Online .
There is also an atrium where users can find the help desk for their special interest and where there is an opportunity to share ideas with other members of their profession. Also in the atrium are links to the Virtual Branch Libraries of the NeLH which cover specific topics.
Providing Quality Assured Knowledge
The contents of the NeLH will be based on a single Knowledge Platform.
The NeLH, advised by the R&D programme
- Distilled the findings into a single report
- Purified the findings by detecting bias and poor quality research
- Developed systems to keep the knowledge up to date
The NeLH knowledge and know how platform will consist of
- A guidelines database as advised by NICE
- The Cochrane Library
- Clinical Evidence
- Evidence Based On Call
- The British National Formulary
- Bandolier
- The Outputs database of the R&D Programme
Virtual Branch Libraries
These are special collections of particular interest and relevance to clinicians, patients and managers. By the end of 2002 these branch libraries will cover
- All types of health problems
- All public health and healthcare management topics
- Health issues of children, old people and other groups
Select which of the Virtual Branch Libraries covered in this first phase of the library you would like to visit from the list below:
- Stroke
- Diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Cancer
- Mental health
- Learning disability
- Public health
- Managers
- Health informatics
- Screening
- Communicable disease
Cybersociety Portals
The NeLH is working with professional societies and Colleges to allow each healthcare professional to find help on the web and in the NeLH about their own professional task.
Information for patients, carers and the public much of which will also be useful to clinicians and managers and the search engine of the NeLH will search not the knowledge and khow-how platform but also NHS Direct Online.
Project Management
The NeLH will be a programme of different projects. Currently there is a project to set up this programme. More details are available.
