Keiu Saarniit, Tartu University Clinicum
Abstract
Estonia is a small country with a fast-developing information environment. Its national medical information resources are scattered in many places such as the Medical Library in tallinn, the University Library in tartu and small special libraries. Receiving information is uneffective, time-consuming and expensive for customers. In 1993 Tartu University Clinicum was established on the basis of medical, educational and research institutions. The purpose of the Clinicum is to render medical treatment at all levels as well as to educate and offer professional training to doctors and other medical personnell and to carry out research in respective fields. Considering information demands of the largest medical institution in Estonia - Tartu University Clinicum - the Board of the Clinicum scheduled the establishment of a centre for medical information (MIC) in 1994. The main purpose was to develop up-to-date technical infrastructure for a system of medical information. providing facilities to:
Our project to create an electronic medical information centre was supported by the Open Estonia Foundation (Soros Foundation). By now, the first stage of the project has been completed. Besides regular courses with the participation of members of the medical staff, courses on meical informatics for advanced training (ca 100 persons per year) are arranged.
The second stage will include the establishment of EENET (Estonian NET), thus securing for the departments of the Clinicum and county hospitals of Estonia access to computerized databases. We envisage the final result of our project as a comprehensive medical information system, which begins in the Centre of Medical Information of Tartu University Clinicum and reaches every hospital of the country.
The MIC of Tartu University Clinicum preferred OVID Technologies to EBSCO.
At present we have subscribed to the complete Medline (1966- present9.
Since we have experience in searching OVID databases, it is evident that OVID software allows better
The OVID Core Biomedical Collection I-IV is now available in the Tartu University Clinicum from the beginning of 1977. It contains Ovid Full Text versions of the world's leading biomedical journals. It will provide a good possibility for the university staff, doctors and students to use 60 electronic journals available on their desktop. The use of OVID CBC with Medline will stimulate the interest physicians of Tartu and South Estonia in the use of electronic databases and raise the level of their professional qualification. The number of users of the Medical Information Centre has increased steadily. Several hospitals have been connected to the information system of Tartu University Clinicum with the aim to use services of the Medical Information Centre.