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Navigating NHS Knowledge and Library Services Hub
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Library resources for NHS staff and students

Listed here are resources for NHS staff and students as well as brief overviews of their scope and how to access them. If you have any queries, please contact your NHS Support Librarian or email nhslibrarysupport@imperial.ac.uk.

If you require something that we do not provide access to, you can request articles and more through our Document Delivery Service as well as suggesting books for purchase.

Databases and e-journals 

NHS Knowledge and Library Hub 

The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub is your gateway to online resources. The Hub connects you to high-quality knowledge and evidence, including: 

  • journals and databases, e.g. Medline, CINAHL and Trip Pro  
  • e-books, e.g. Kortext, Oxford Medicine Online and Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines  
  • clinical decision support resources, e.g. NICE Guidelines, BMJ Best Practice and Royal Marsden Manual 
  • policy and management information and research 

Finding articles via the Hub is easy. With one click you can get the full-text or place a request if instant access is not available. 
Access the Hub with your OpenAthens account.

Accessing full text articles guide (NHS) (pdf) | NHS Knowledge and Library Hub user guide (pdf)

Library Search

When onsite in our libraries you can search for journals via Library Search. These listings include full text online access via Imperial College London networked PCs or our Wi-Fi network, plus open access listings and information about physical holdings. You can also access a wide range of bibliographic databases such as Medline, Embase and CINAHL, as well as Scopus and the Web of Science.

For any journal articles where access is not provided, please use the Document Delivery Service.

E-books

In our libraries

E-books subscribed to by the Library are accessible on Imperial College London networked PCs or via the Wi-Fi network in the Library, and can be found via Library Search.

Outside of our libraries

Your OpenAthens account gives you access to a number of e-book collections that you can access anywhere:

Kortext
Access to a growing range of e-books covering both healthcare topics and general reading. Get the app to enable access on any device.

We are continually adding to the Kortext collection. If there is an e-book you would like but it is not currently available via Kortext, please email nhslibrarysupport@imperial.ac.uk and we will try to get it for you.

Oxford Medicine Online
Access to over 900 e-books covering a wide range of medical specialities, over 700 videos and 10,000 images, diagrams and charts. E-books include the Oxford Textbooks, Handbooks, Nursing Handbooks and Specialist Handbooks collections.

Wiley
Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines and the Royal Marsden Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures.

We also offer a service where we can send you e-book chapters that are usually only available onsite in our libraries. Please contact your NHS Support Librarian to make a request.

Point of care / clinical decision support tools

BMJ Best Practice (OpenAthens) 
BMJ Best Practice is an online point-of-care decision support tool. It provides access to the most recent evidence-based information to help inform and guide clinicians and practitioners in their clinical decision making and is available to NHS staff through their OpenAthens accounts. 

  • Access BMJ Best Practice with your OpenAthens account.  
  • Once logged in, you will be able to set up a personal account to log your activity and earn CME/CPD credits.  
  • You can also use your personal account to download the app onto your device. 

VisualDx (OpenAthens) 
VisualDx is clinical decision support system software, searchable by symptoms, signs, and patient factors. It includes tens of thousands of images and graphics to speed comparison, recognition, and diagnosis. VisualDx is used to validate a diagnosis, access next steps for management and care, and for patient education. 

  • To access VisualDx, log in to your OpenAthens account, go to the My Resources page then choose VisualDx 
  • Once logged in you will be able to create a personal account and download the VisualDx app. 

UpToDate (Imperial College London) 
UpToDate is an evidence-based medicine resource providing point-of-care clinical information. Information provided is aimed primarily at clinicians, though patient and plain language information is also provided. UpToDate is written and regularly reviewed by physician authors, editors and peer reviewers. 

  • Access UpToDate from Imperial College London networked PCs or via Imperial College's Wi-Fi network in the libraries.

DynaMed (Chelsea and Westminster intranet) 
DynaMed is a clinical decision support tool available to Chelsea and Westminster staff. DynaMed presents the most current evidence, with summaries and recommendations included as part of each topic.  

  • Access DynaMed from Chelsea and Westminster Trust PCs. You do not need a password, but away from the Trust, you can log in to it using your OpenAthens account.  
  • You can also download the apponto your device.