Ascension - MD

Medical Resources

Lewis P. Gundry Health Sciences Library

900 S Caton Ave, Baltimore MD 21229
Phone: 667-234-3134
Email: stagneslibrary@ascension.org

1st Floor (main building)

Library Open Hours: 7:30AM - 4:00PM (Monday - Friday)

After Hours Access limited (door unlocks at 6:30AM weekdays) 

Librarian: Lucinda Bennett

Medical Databases & Platforms

Access Medicine

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

PubMed

PICO Search

Options:

Mobile Apps

http://www.imedicalapps.com/

"iMedicalApps is the leading online publication for medical professionals, patients, and analysts interested in mobile medical technology and health care apps. Our physician editors lead a team of physicians, allied health professionals, medical trainees, and mHealth analysts in providing reviews, research, and commentary of mobile medical technology. Our publication is heavily based on our own experiences in the hospital and clinic setting."

 

http://www.medscape.com/public/iphone?src=emed-call

8,500+ prescription and OTC drugs, herbals, and supplements
6,200+ Reference articles for decision-making support
Clinical tools: drug interaction checker, calculators, and pill identifier
And more!

 

sanfordguide.com/coronavirus

"In the interest of providing the medical community with concise information about the rapidly changing SARS-CoV-2/COVID-19 situation, Sanford Guide has made its resources related to the pandemic available without a digital subscription."
Access is available on the Web, on IPhone or IPad, and Android devices.

 

Access App

"Learn when you want, where you want, and how you want. Access is your personal medical resource library that makes studying easier and more efficient. Currently available in its preview phase, as early adopters, you have the opportunity to shape the future of optimized and personal medical education. Access personalizes and tailors your medical education experience, giving you the healthcare content you need, on the go, even when you’re offline."

Be sure to create an account on Access Medicine first (on a desktop) and then use those credentials to log into the app.

Inclusive Language & Mental Health Environments

Healthcare is an ever-changing and dynamic environment. It is important that providers in all fields learn the language and skills to compassionately care for patients of vast backgrounds and mental health status. The following PDFs are crafted by the American Hospital Association to help healthcare workers practice such language. Take a look and feel free to print, share and spread the word in your department.

Compassionate SUD Language

Culturally Aware Language

Mental Health Conditions

People First Language

PTSD Supportive Language

Suicide Destigmatizing Language

Medal - The Medical Algorithms Company

Check out the Medical Algorithms Project, now called Medal The Medical Algorithms Company. 

It has been around for over a decade, and has 1,000s of medical care algorithms for over 45 different specialties in medicine and nursing.  

It was developed by Dr. Sriram Iyengar, Ph.D., of the School of Health information Systems, University of Texas, Houston, and the Institute for Algorithmic Medicine.  For individuals, it is still freely accessible at the URL below. 

You will need to register to gain access; it has iOS and Android apps available. This is an evidence-based clinical decision support tool, with over 22,000 plus calculators and risk scores.  

Here is the URL below:

https://www.medicalalgorithms.com/ 

Open Access Journals & Other Resources

 

Top Medical Journals

Citation Matcher

Titles From Our Print Collection

Catalog: Search for Print Resources 

ABOG Recertification

Reading List for January 2025 is now available!

Access the electronic readings lists below. Note, there will be no August reading list. The Library will no longer be providing print copies of the articles, but we will announce the full reading lists here with live links to each citation. 

 

 

 

  • August 2025 Reading List - COMING SOON

 

The ACOG Practice Advisory linked below has been added to the 2023 MOC from ABOG in the Emerging Topics section:

Maternal Respiratory Syncytial Virus Vaccination

Articles of Interest - From our Subscriptions

Impact of Skin Pigmentation on Light-Based Medical Devices: Current State and Future Directions for Inclusive Technology

 Solorzano Aldana, M. , Matava, C. & Blake, C. (2025). Impact of Skin Pigmentation on Light-Based Medical Devices: Current State and Future Directions for Inclusive Technology. Anesthesia & Analgesia, 141 (2), 286-291. doi: 10.1213/ANE.0000000000007401.

Excerpt

"One tool deemed indispensable by many is the pulse oximeter which continuously estimates the oxygen saturation of hemoglobin (Hb) in arterial blood (Sa o 2 ). Its noninvasive approach and ease of use have led to its broad adoption in health care as a vital sign monitor. However, certain limitations have been identified which could lead to serious repercussions, even for minor inaccuracies. For example, a variance of 3% to 5% between pulse oximetry readings and arterial saturation levels was previously reported in patients with darkly pigmented skin. This bias to overestimate Sa o 2 values, especially during severe hypoxemia, has led to differences in treatment that increased mortality rates, especially for those self-identified as Black.
During the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, these disparities in findings started to garner notable attention due to their implications. As a result, multiple regulatory bodies worldwide, including the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), called for studies validating the accuracy of pulse oximeters in populations with darkly pigmented skin tones.,
The goal of this article is to provide anesthesia providers with current evidence on the disparities in outcomes based on noninvasive clinical instruments that utilize light or the Beer-Lambert Law (BLL) in the perioperative period, without overlooking the significant impact and benefits they offer in daily practice."

Associations Between Unconditional Cash Transfers and Postpartum Outcomes in the United States

 
Choudhry, S. A. , Brédy, S. G. , Cruise, C. , Hinds, Q. , McConnell, M. A. , Agarwal, S. , Flynn, D. B. & Murray Horwitz, M. E. (2025). Annals of Internal Medicine, 178 (7), 1000-1011. doi: 10.7326/ANNALS-24-03495.

Abstract

 

Background:

Unconditional cash transfers (UCTs) through social programs or direct cash transfers (DCTs) may address drivers of pregnancy-related morbidity and mortality.

Purpose:

To summarize evidence on UCTs and postpartum outcomes in the United States.

Data Sources:

PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Social Science Research Network, and structured internet searches through 28 January 2025.

Study Selection:

Primary research reporting associations between UCTs and postpartum outcomes (0 to 2 years after delivery) in the United States.

Data Extraction:

Dual data extraction with predefined outcomes: infant or child care, reproductive health, substance use, other mental health outcomes, and other outcomes. Study quality was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 and ROBINS-I (Risk Of Bias In Non-randomised Studies - of Interventions) tools. Strength of evidence (SOE) was assessed using the GRADE (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation) approach.

Data Synthesis:

Eleven reports from 6 studies were identified. Four quasi-experimental (QE) studies examined 3 different social programs, 2 of which targeted populations with low incomes. Seven reports from 2 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) examined DCTs to postpartum persons with low incomes. The evidence on UCTs showed an increase in breastfeeding (high SOE [2 RCTs, 2 QE studies]), little or no difference in postpartum mood (high SOE [1 RCT, 2 QE studies]), and low SOE or insufficient evidence for all other associations.

Limitations:

Unpublished studies and those not published in English may have been missed. Nonrandomized studies were subject to reporting or recall bias, reducing SOE. Study heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis.

Conclusion:

Unconditional cash transfers increase breastfeeding in diverse settings and populations and result in little or no difference in postpartum mood specifically in persons with low incomes. No studies examined DCTs given during pregnancy. More evidence is needed on associations between UCTs and key clinical outcomes, such as postpartum maternal morbidity and mortality.

 

Management of chronic myeloid leukemia in 2025

 Kantarjian, H. , Breccia, M. , Haddad, F. G. , Hehlmann, R. , Issa, G. C. , Malhotra, H. , Nicolini, F. E. , Sasaki, K. , Stenke, L. & Jabbour, E. (2025). Management of chronic myeloid leukemia in 2025. Cancer, 131 (14), e35953. doi: 10.1002/cncr.35953.
 

Excerpt:

Philadelphia chromosome (Ph)–positive or molecularly rearranged BCR::ABL1 chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) is a myeloproliferative hematopoietic stem cell neoplasm. ,  ,  Its annual incidence is approximately two cases per 100,000. This translated into approximately 9600 cases in 2024 in the United States. Since the introduction of BCR::ABL1 tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) into CML treatment in 2000, the annual mortality rate has decreased from 10% in the first 2 years and 15%–20% in later years to approximately 1%. Consequently, the CML prevalence, approximately 30,000 cases in 2000, increased to an estimated 150,000 cases in the United States, and by extrapolation to approximately 4–5 million cases worldwide. The prevalence is estimated to plateau at approximately 10+ million cases around 2040–2050. However, the prevalence estimate relies on CML incidence, population growth worldwide, annual mortality rate estimation (which can vary from 0.5% to 2%), TKI penetration and availability/affordability worldwide, and extrapolation of the calculation to worldwide estimations.
Before 2000, the mainstay of treatment in CML consisted of nontargeted therapies such as busulfan, hydroxyurea, and interferon‐α, the last being a modestly effective but toxic daily subcutaneous injection that improved median survival from 3–4 to 5–6 years, induced a complete cytogenetic response (CCyR; 0% Ph‐positive metaphases; equivalent to BCR::ABL1 transcripts on the International Scale [IS] of 1%) in 10%–35% of patients, and resulted in occasional cures (perhaps 3%–7%). Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) was then the only curative option, which resulted in a 20‐year survival rate of 40% when implemented early in the chronic phase of CML (CML‐CP). The introduction of BCR::ABL1 TKIs into CML therapy in 2000 was a therapeutic inflection point that transformed this aggressive fatal disorder into an indolent one with an excellent prognosis. ,  It improved the 10‐year overall survival (OS) rate from <10% to 80%–85% and the 10‐year relative survival rate (compared to an age‐matched general population) to more than 90%. The 10‐year resistance rate on TKI therapy is only approximately 10%. The 10‐year CML blastic transformation rate is only 5%–6%, and the 10‐year CML‐associated mortality rate is approximately 10% (more patients, 15%–20% at 10 years, die from non‐CML causes). Long‐term outcomes, 25 years after the introduction of imatinib, show that the impact of TKIs on CML is sustained.
 
 Mohr, N. , Tang, Y. , Gaieski, D. , Buckler, D. , Carr, B. & Zebrowski, A. (2025). Geographic Clusters in Sepsis Hospital Mortality and the Role of Targeted Regionalization. Critical Care Medicine, 53 (7), e1365-e1376. doi: 10.1097/CCM.0000000000006678.

Abstract

OBJECTIVES:

 
Sepsis is a severe condition associated with high mortality, and hospital performance is variable. The objective of this study was to develop geospatial sepsis clusters, identify sources of variation between clusters, and test the hypothesis that redistributing sepsis patients from low-performing hospitals to higher-performing hospitals within a cluster will improve sepsis outcomes.

Design, Setting, and Patients:

We conducted a cohort study of age-qualifying Medicare beneficiaries using administrative claims data from 2013 to 2015. We calculated risk-standardized mortality for hospitals then used a clustering algorithm to define geospatial cluster boundaries based on care-seeking and interhospital transfer patterns. Finally, we used simulation to model the effect of reallocating sepsis patients to higher-performing hospitals within the same cluster.

Interventions:

None.

Measurements and Main Results:

We included 1,125,308 patients, and they were grouped into 222 regional clusters. High-performing clusters were located largely in the Midwest, and they tended to be in less urban regions with smaller hospitals. In our simulation, the most impactful strategy was reassigning cases from the lowest-performing hospital in a cluster to the highest-performing hospital in the cluster, which was predicted to prevent 1705 deaths per year in the United States. This aggregate benefit was lower than the 5702 deaths predicted from reducing mortality by 1% absolute in hospitals in the lower half of the performance distribution.

Conclusions:

Geospatial clusters provide insight into regional approaches to system-based acute care. In a simulation study, targeted sepsis regionalization appears less effective than local performance improvement in reducing preventable sepsis deaths.
 Atwani, R. , Robbins, L. , Saade, G. & Kawakita, T. (2025). Association of Maternity Care Deserts With Maternal and Pregnancy-Related Mortality. Obstetrics & Gynecology, 146 (2), 181-188. doi: 10.1097/AOG.0000000000005976.
 

Abstract:

OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the association between the level of maternity care access and maternal and pregnancy-related mortality.

METHODS:

This was a cross-sectional analysis of county-level data in the United States from January 2018 to December 2021. Using the level of maternity care access, we categorized counties into desert, low access, moderate access, and full access. The primary outcome of interest was maternal mortality rate per 100,000 live births. A secondary outcome was pregnancy-related mortality rate per 100,000 live births. Absolute risk differences and adjusted incidence rate ratios were calculated for maternal mortality and pregnancy-related mortality with multivariable negative binomial mixed-effects models.

RESULTS:

The study included 14,772,210 live births across four categories of maternity care access: desert (n=720,858), low access (n=708,668), moderate access (n=431,188), and full access (n=12,911,496). Desert counties compared with full-access counties had a significantly higher maternal mortality rate (32.25 vs 23.62; absolute risk difference 8.62 [95% CI, 4.63–12.61]; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.36 [95% CI, 1.21–1.54]) and pregnancy-related mortality rate (43.82 vs 34.72; absolute risk difference 9.10 [95% CI, 4.28–13.93]; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.26 [95% CI, 1.13–1.41]). Low-access counties showed no significant difference in maternal mortality rate (24.04 vs 23.62; absolute risk difference 0.41 [95% CI, −3.68 to 4.51]; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.02 [95% CI, 0.86–1.21]) or pregnancy-related mortality rate (35.63 vs 34.72; absolute risk difference 0.91 [95% CI, −4.06 to 5.88]; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.03 [95% CI, 0.89–1.18]). Similarly, moderate-access counties had no significant differences in maternal mortality rate (25.59 vs 23.62; absolute risk difference 1.96 [95% CI, −4.50 to 8.42]; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.08 [95% CI, 0.84–1.40]) or pregnancy-related mortality rate (37.48 vs 34.72; absolute risk difference 2.76 [95% CI, −5.72 to 11.24]; adjusted incidence rate ratio 1.08 [95% CI, 0.86–1.36]).

CONCLUSION:

Residing in a maternity care desert is significantly associated with higher rates of maternal and pregnancy-related mortality.

 

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American Academy of Pediatrics Resources

As of November 2021, all publications via the AAP have been on a single platform All journals subscribed to by the Library will be housed on the following pages, which will be made available on the Library site:

Briggs

These helpful guides on how to access Briggs Drugs in Pregnancy have been shared by a fellow Ascension Librarian in Wisconsin.

How to get to Briggs Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation through Lexicomp

Briggs Drugs in Pregnancy & Lactation – via LexiComp [Direct Link]

MKSAP

Medical Knowledge Self-Assessment Program 19: Parts A & B now available for check-out!

Print copies of the latest Parts A & B are available for check-out in the Library Office - not in the stacks! MKSAP 18 IS in the stacks.

The borrowing time for each volume is 2 weeks. There is only a single copy of each volume so please be mindful of your due dates.

If you have a personal subscription to the online content of MKSAP, using the print resource as a supplement is an excellent way to diversify your study game.

Blogs & Podcasts

  • Elsevier Clinical Insights
     
     
  • Not Otherwise Specified 
    • "In “Not Otherwise Specified,” Dr. Lisa Rosenbaum, cardiologist and national correspondent for the New England Journal of Medicine, defies our sound-bite culture to go deep with some of medicine’s most innovative thinkers. Her guests’ stories and ideas about health care’s toughest challenges and greatest promise may change the way you think about medicine, health, and society."

Guideline Resources

Academy Websites & Publisher's Open Access  

Official Government Guidelines

The US government's National Guideline Clearinghouse is a repository of US clinical practice guidelines as well as some international guidelines with the goal of improving patient safety standards and healthcare measures.  Click on the NGC links below to take you to the URLs, to the link for the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and to the link to the US government site for the Preventive Taskforce guidelines.

Governments & Free Agency Websites

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