NHS Medical Search tool now available to NHS users
Problematic, inefficient web searches for credible medical information are a thing of the past for medical professionals in the NHS, as Microsoft’s new NHS Medical Search tool is now being rolled-out to users.
The Medical Search tool, developed through support from the National Library for Health and Connecting for Health, utilises a vast knowledge bank of credible sources such as the National Library of Health evidence based medicine, guidance, medical dictionary and specialist libraries, British National Formulary and Medicines.org.uk. The search tool sits in existing popular software and can provide NHS users with easy access to reliable medical information that is completely up-to-date. The NHS Medical Search project has developed three tools to do this:
The Office Research pane
The first uses a feature of Microsoft Office called the research task pane. An augmented version has been developed for the NHS that allows people to use it to search the library and formularies while using Microsoft Office applications, such as Word.
The Medical Search Deskbar
The second tool that has been developed is a deskbar application that can be downloaded onto a Windows desktop (the start up screen for any computer running an operating system such as Windows XP or Windows Vista).
The SharePoint feature
The newest tool to be developed is a feature for SharePoint, which is Microsoft’s web-based collaboration platform. This is increasingly being used in the NHS to allow trust staff or particular teams to share information and exchange documents securely.
More information/download link
For further information about NHS Medical Search, please visit: www.medicalresearchservices.nhs.uk. NOTE - To access this link, users must be connected to the NHS N3 network.
The Medical Search tool, developed through support from the National Library for Health and Connecting for Health, utilises a vast knowledge bank of credible sources such as the National Library of Health evidence based medicine, guidance, medical dictionary and specialist libraries, British National Formulary and Medicines.org.uk. The search tool sits in existing popular software and can provide NHS users with easy access to reliable medical information that is completely up-to-date. The NHS Medical Search project has developed three tools to do this:
The Office Research pane
The first uses a feature of Microsoft Office called the research task pane. An augmented version has been developed for the NHS that allows people to use it to search the library and formularies while using Microsoft Office applications, such as Word.
The Medical Search Deskbar
The second tool that has been developed is a deskbar application that can be downloaded onto a Windows desktop (the start up screen for any computer running an operating system such as Windows XP or Windows Vista).
The SharePoint feature
The newest tool to be developed is a feature for SharePoint, which is Microsoft’s web-based collaboration platform. This is increasingly being used in the NHS to allow trust staff or particular teams to share information and exchange documents securely.
More information/download link
For further information about NHS Medical Search, please visit: www.medicalresearchservices.nhs.uk. NOTE - To access this link, users must be connected to the NHS N3 network.
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