Conducting an AORN Journal search

AORN Journal, June, 2008 by Sharon Giarrizzo-Wilson

QUESTION: I am enrolled in a distance degree program and need information for a school project on perioperative patient safety. I do not have all my past copies of the AORN Journal and am unfamiliar with the online Journal, How is the online Journal accessed? What is the best way to conduct a search to find the information I need quickly?

ANSWER: The electronic AORN Journal provides members with easy access to all content found in the print version with the added features of a powerful search engine and a choice between PDF and HTML views of the articles. AORN members have free access to all issues of the electronic AORN Journal, and nonmembers have an option to purchase access to the Journal's content.

Entrance into the online Journal is found on the main AORN web page at http://www.aorn.org. When you select the " AORN Journal" button found above the member log-in boxes, a new web page appears describing the benefits of the AORN Journal. If you have already logged into the "members-only" web pages, select "Access the AORN Journal now." Otherwise, use the "Login as an AORN member" option. The home page of the electronic Journal displays the current month's issue. Popular columns are available under the Features heading below the introductory message. Click on the current Journal image to access the table of contents with manuscript linking options for the most recent issue.

To conduct a Journal search, use the search engine located on the upper right portion of the Journal home page. This powerful search engine offers full AORN Journal searches in addition to providing access to the MEDLINE database of life sciences and biomedical information compiled by the US National Library of Medicine. (1) Begin the search by selecting "This Periodical" and typing the desired search term (eg, safety) into the adjacent search box and selecting "Go." Results for which the search term appears in the article title or body of the text will be displayed. The "Display" feature to the right of the search results allows the results to be arranged

* by relevance to the topic or date of publication,

* with or without a preview of the article, or

* by the total number of items to be displayed on the page.

These options are helpful for locating an article with a known publication date or title. By checking the boxes to the left of the articles, you can export citations to a database, choose only preferred selections to be displayed, or e-mail abstracts to yourself or a colleague.

If a more in-depth search is desired, select one of the alternate search headings from the left search engine box. "Periodicals" includes all 2,000 periodicals published by Elsevier, Inc, including the AORN Journal. (2) Selecting the "MEDLINE" option, provides access to more than 16 million references to life sciences articles with a concentration on biomedicine dating from the 1950s to the present.' The "Periodicals MEDLINE" feature combines the two databases for a search request.

Free access to the electronic AORN Journal is a member benefit that can be accessed from any venue with Internet capability. With a properly executed search, the electronic Journal becomes a robust tool to enhance clinical knowledge and promote changes in personal and professional practice.

Editor's note: MEDLINE is a registered trademark of the US National Library of Medicine, Bethesda, MD.

REFERENCES

1. FAQ sheet MEDLINE[R]. US National Library of Medicine* http://www.nlm.nih.gov/pubs/fact sheets/medline.html. Accessed March 25, 2008.

2. Elsevier at a glance. Elsevier.com. http://www.elsevier.com/wps/find/intro.cws_home/ataglance. Accessed March 25, 2008.

SHARON GIARRIZZO-WILSON

RN, MS, CNOR

PERIOPERATIVE NURSING SPECIALIST

AORN CENTER FOR NURSING PRACTICE