New Colorectal Current Awareness Bulletin

On 19th May the Library launched the new Colorectal Current Awareness Bulletin. Aimed at general surgeons with a subspecialty interest in colorectal surgery, this bi-monthly bulletin gives an update of the latest research in this field and enables busy surgeons to keep abreast of the literature.

Following the successful format of our other specialty-based current awareness bulletins (Cardiothoracic, Vascular, Urology, Plastic & Reconstructive, Trauma & Orthopaedics, Paediatric and Emergency General Surgery, as well as an all-member Patient Safety bulletin), we have worked closely with our team of clinical advisors to ensure that we select important and interesting research papers. Although already at sub-specialty level, items are grouped into topics: colorectal cancer, inflammatory bowel disease, colonoscopy, proctology & pelvic floor, intestinal failure & abdominal wall reconstruction. This allows a better overview of the developments in a particular area of clinical practice, encourages debate where studies show conflicting results and identifies trends towards changes in patient care.

All our bulletins have received very positive feedback and are a highly valued RCS membership benefit. Where covered by RCS e-journal subscriptions, the articles listed feature links to the full text and our statistics show that our readers regularly take advantage of our full text provision. For novice users of our online journals, our help pages provide detailed instructions and helpful screenshots. Video tutorials are also currently in development and will be available soon.

If you have any questions regarding the current awareness service or access to our online journals, please email us at library@rcseng.ac.uk or contact our enquiry desk (Mon-Fri 9:30-5:30, +44 (0) 20 7869 6556).

Steffi Sams, Information Services Manager.