By Colleen Pawliuk.
Trends in Pediatric Palliative Care Research (TPPCR) is a listserv distribution that aims to collect new and exciting research into a monthly list for anyone with an interest in pediatric palliative care. The hope is that these articles will not only contribute evidence to the practice of pediatric palliative clinicians, researchers and trainees, but also spark conversation and debate on these topics. To facilitate this discussion every month a commenter writes a blog post on one (or more) article from the list, often tying it back to their own practice or research. The commentary helps to highlight articles that may be of particular quality or interest.
Creating the list was a collaborative and iterative process. We derived inspiration and sook advice from other librarians and institutions that have experience creating similar lists to learn more about their search strategies and process. Multiple test lists were evaluated and assessed by the clinician-researchers based on their own experience and interests. This was very helpful to me, the librarian, as it helped extend my own understanding of the field, and I was able to edit the search strategies and the way we filter the results based on these discussions.
In the interest of access and collaboration we share our citation list on our blog so others can use or translate the strategies for their own needs (for instance an individual student project or a library working group). As the list has grown we have extended the scope of databases we search to include a broader range of topics and formats. They include: Web of Science for conferences, Cinahl for nursing and allied health, and PsycInfo for its focus is psychology and social sciences.
Even in a sub specialty field such as pediatric palliative care, with a small population and a limited research production, it can be difficult to keep up to date with newly published literature. The TPPCR list is filtered to remove articles that focus solely on specific treatments and cures or are localized in a particular place. Instead the focus is on articles that can be used across the population or deal with broader psychosocial themes. Our hope is that everyone who reads the citation list and commentaries finds at least one article that sparks their interest and helps them to engage in the field of pediatric palliative care research.