National Biomedical Information Services

National Library Of Medicine

Investigators

Linked publications & trials

Abstract

Delivering Biomedical Information Services In FY11, NLM expanded the quantity and range of high quality information available to researchers, health professionals, and the public, including significant expansion in mobile applications and open data initiatives via API access. Among the NLM's intramural programs that contribute to its national biomedical information services are the following examples: PubMed/MEDLINE: PubMed, which incorporates MEDLINE, is NLM's premier bibliographic database with over 20 million references to biomedical journal articles. MEDLINE articles are indexed by experts using the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) controlled vocabulary, updated annually. In FY11, more than 800,000 new indexed citations were added, plus 48,000 historical citations from 1946. PubMed Central: The PubMed Central archive of over 2 million full-text journal articles is central to the NIH effort to make accessible the published results of research it supports. In FY11, PMC's Journal Article Tag Suite (JATS), a set of standards to publish, author, archive or exchange journal articles, was formally issued as a draft NISO standard, and the process for final acceptance as an ANSI standard is underway. MedlinePlus and MedlinePlus en espanol: These resources include consumer health information on more than 900 topics, in more than 40 languages. MedlinePlus Connect, a service linking patients or providers in electronic health records to MedlinePlus drug information and health topics by leveraging standardized codes and vocabularies required for meaningful use, was launched in FY11. Clinical Trials: ClinicalTrials.gov covers more than 114,000 clinical research studies in more than 177 countries, with hundreds added each week. It also contains reports of summary results and adverse effects, in accordance with the FDA Amendments Act of 2007 (PL 110-85). In FY11, nearly 17,000 new trials were registered. Summary results, including adverse events, of more than 1600 trials were also added, bringing the total number of summary results to nearly 5500. Toxicology and Environmental Health: Toxicology Data Network (TOXNET) is a primary reference for toxicologists, poison control centers, public health administrators, physicians and other environmental health professionals, and includes databases such as TOXLINE, GENE-TOX, the Toxic Release Inventory, and the Hazardous Substances Data Bank (HSDB). In FY11, an Environmental Health Student Portal was developed to introduce middle school students to environmental health science within the context of science curriculum standards. Drug Information Resources: NLM's drug information resources include DailyMed and Pillbox. DailyMed provides medication content and labeling information from medical package inserts for nearly 30,000 marketed drugs. Pillbox enables rapid identification of unknown solid-dosage medications based on physical characteristics and high-resolution images. Both are linked to RxNorm standard drug names. Disaster Preparedness and Response: NLM's Disaster Information Management Research Center facilitates access to disaster information, promotes effective use of libraries and disaster information specialists for disaster management, and supports initiatives to ensure uninterrupted access to critical health information resources when disasters occur. A collaboration with the Bethesda Hospital Emergency Preparedness Partnership provides backup communication systems and tools for patient tracking, information access, and responder training. The Chemical Hazards Emergency Medical Management (CHEMM) service was launched in FY11, providing a comprehensive resource to help responders to chemical emergencies make safer decisions and provide them with the right information when it is needed most. Specialized resources were also developed in response to the Japan earthquake, tsunami, and radiation event. Molecular Biology, Bioinformatics, and Human Genome Resources: NCBI information resources include more than 40 integrated molecular biology databases and bioinformatics software tools such as GenBank, Entrez, BLAST, RefSeq, UniGene, LocusLink, Genomes, and the NCBI software toolkit. NCBI also produces the retrieval systems for PubMed, PubMed Central, and the Books database. Continuing areas of emphasis in FY11 included addressing the impact of enormous quantities of data emanating from high throughput sequencing, microarray, and small molecule screening techniques;organizing data from large-scale clinical studies involving genotyping;and enhancing database interfaces to facilitate search and discovery across multiple resources. Outreach: Promoting Public Awareness and Access Consumer health websites and the NIH MedlinePlus Magazine, in English and Spanish, transmit the latest useful research findings in lay language. NLM outreach programs enhance awareness of its information services, with emphasis on underserved populations, including African American, Hispanic, and Native American communities, as well as health professionals serving minority populations and practicing in rural and inner city communities. In FY11, dozens of community-based projects were funded. Health Services Research NICHSR promotes access to public health and health services research through such information systems as: HSRProj, a database of more than 8000 health services research projects from more than 110 funding organizations;HSRR, a database of research datasets, instruments and software relevant to health services research;and HSTAT, a full-text database of high quality evidence reports, guidelines, technology assessments, consensus statements, and treatment protocols. Structured search queries are developed to aid in searching PubMed, ClinicalTrials.gov, and HSRProj for information on health services research, comparative effectiveness, health disparities, and HealthyPeople 2020 objectives. Advanced Information Systems, Data Standards and Research Tools In FY11, LHC and NCBI continued to conduct research in biomedical informatics and computational biology, tested the effectiveness of medical informatics interventions, and developed new scientific computing tools. To cite a few examples, intramural researchers developed tools that support standards-based personal health records;re-designed an extensive suite of software tools for image analysis;applied natural language processing methods to extract information from biomedical literature;improved standardized reporting of genetic variations and clinical interpretation of genetic test results;and designed improved methods for integrated search and discovery across multiple databases. Health Data Standards: As the central coordinating body for clinical terminology standards within DHHS, NLM supports nationwide implementation of an interoperable health information technology infrastructure. NLM develops or licenses key clinical terminologies and problem lists designated as standards for U.S. health information exchange. The Unified Medical Language System Metathesaurus, with more than 10 million concept names from more than 160 vocabularies, is a distribution mechanism for standard code sets and vocabularies used in health data systems. NLM also produces RxNorm, a standard clinical drug vocabulary;supports the LOINC nomenclature for laboratory tests and patient observations;and promotes international adoption of the SNOMED CT clinical terminology. In FY11, a UMLS Terminology Services web site was developed to facilitate use of NLMs growing suite of vocabulary resources.