Nursing Central provides a powerful and flexible platform for delivering knowledge to the point of need.

With Nursing Central, institutions benefit by opening new communication channels with nomadic users and providing critical knowledge resources where they are needed. Individual users benefit because they can share knowledge over time on the device of their choice: PDA, Wireless, or the Web.

Login - Registered Users
Enter your User Name and Password in the appropriate text box and click the Login button. You will be directed to your Personal Nursing Central Homepage.

Login - New Users
To purchase a Nursing Central subscription or activate a serial number you were given, click the Register button. You will then be directed to a new page. In order to activate your account, you must enter a valid serial number in the text box provided. If you are an institutional customer and believe that you should be granted access to this site, please contact your system administrator or librarian.

Forgot your Password?
If you have already registered for Nursing Central, but have forgotten your password, you can obtain it by clicking on Forgot your Password?. You will then be prompted to enter either your user name or your e-mail address and then click Submit. Next, when prompted, answer the reminder question and click Submit. Your password will be sent to you at the e-mail address you provided during registration.

From your Homepage, you can quickly review the components of Nursing Central at-a-glance: Browse the list of Resources to which you are subscribed; read the latest Medical PDA news; view saved records in your Archive; perform a Search of your resources and/or Unbound MEDLINE; run an Alert; Purchase additional resources through the Store or, in the PDA section, get an overview of the content currently loaded to your handheld device.

Each of Nursing Central's components also has an individual section which includes more robust functionality. To access any of these sections, simply click the more tab across from the component's title (i.e., PDA, Archive, etc.).

Additionally, you may use the links in the main navigation banner to move between the main application modules: Home, PDA, Medline, Archive, and Alerts. While working within a particular section, you are provided with a crumbtrail which allows you to easily trace your path back to a previous page.

The Browse section lists all of the knowledge resources to which you are subscribed. To jump to a particular resource, simply click on its title or icon.

Once you have clicked on a particular resource, you will arrive at its main page. While working within a particular resource, use the navigation provided to guide you through the information.

To perform a search, simply enter your desired term in the Search box at the top right of the screen.

To return to the Home page, click the Home link in the navigation banner.

Additional resources are available for purchase by clicking on Store in the main navigation banner. Group discounts are also available by contacting: sales@unboundmedicine.com.

The resources that currently reside on your PDA are listed in the PDA section of your homepage.

To manage your PDA subscriptions, click either the "More" button in this section or the PDA link in the main navigation banner. You will arrive at the "Manage PDA Resources" page where you may add/remove programs and view all of the resources to which you are subscribed.

The resources currently on your PDA are displayed with a checked box before the title.

If you wish to change what is on your PDA, first locate the desired resource in the "Manage PDA Resources" section.

To add to your PDA, simply check the box next to the appropriate title(s). Next, click the "Update" button.

To remove from your PDA, uncheck the box next to the title of the appropriate resource(s). Next, click the "Update" button.

Any modifications to your content will be reflected on your handheld after your next Sync.

To install the latest version of Nursing Central to your principal computer, a secondary computer, or a new handheld device, use the PDA link and go to the "PDA Software" section. Click on Download Software.

From here, select the appropriate installer for your type of device and follow the on-screen instructions. The screens presented will vary depending on your device's operating system.

Your personalized Serial Number is necessary to install Nursing Central on your handheld. It was e-mailed to you during your initial registration.

If for any reason you need this Serial Number e-mailed to you again, go to the PDA page and click on the Get Serial Number link under "PDA Software". You will receive a short message followed by a Submit button. Click Submit. A pop-up box will appear to confirm that your Serial Number has been sent to your e-mail address. Click OK to close the box and return to the Handheld page.

If you have installed Nursing Central on a mobile device and need assistance, you may link to the User Guide from the PDA section. Scroll down to the "PDA Software & User Guides" section near the bottom of the page and simply click the appropriate link. The User Guide will open in a new window.

To perform a customized search, go to the Search page by clicking the Advanced Search link beneath the Search textbox. From here you can choose to either search all of the resources to which you are subscribed, or to search only specific resources.

By default, all of your resources are searched. To limit your search to selected resources, enter your search term in the Keyword text box and uncheck the "All resources" box. Next, check the box next to the resource(s) you wish to search and click the "Search Selected Resource(s)" button.

A search performed from either the Nursing Central homepage or Search page will bring you to the search results screen.

Your results will be listed in one of two categories: Content or MEDLINE. The default category is Content. To the left of each entry, you will find an icon representing the resource in which the search result was found. If there are no results found within your selected resources, the search will automatically be attempted via Unbound MEDLINE and the results displayed on this page.

You may also perform the same search via Unbound MEDLINE by clicking the MEDLINE tab.To save a MEDLINE search to your Archive, click the Save link found near the top of the page.

From the Search page, you may perform a search of the Unbound MEDLINE database. Select either a MEDLINE Classic or a MEDLINE Clinical search by clicking the appropriate tab.

From the MEDLINE Classic page, you may submit search terms in one or more of the available fields: Keywords, Author, and Journal. Enter a search term and click either Quick Search or Assisted Search.

MEDLINE Classic allows you to submit search terms in one or more of the available fields: Keywords, Author, and Journal. Enter a search term and click either Quick Search or Assisted Search. Search terms are directed to the MEDLINE database as a keyword. To perform a Quick Search, enter the desired term in one or more of the text boxes and click the Quick Search button. The retrieved records will be displayed on a new Results page.

Assisted Search also directs your search term to the MEDLINE database, but does so guided by the medical subject headings--or MeSH terms--you choose.

You may place the following limits on an Assisted Search:

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Human Subjects-- To limit the search to Human subjects or articles written in English, simply click the appropriate check box.
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Pub Type -- To select a type of publication (e.g. journal article, editorial, or review), click on the Drop-down menu and select the appropriate publication type.
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Retrieve -- To set the number of citations listed per page, use the dropdown list next to Retrieve. The results of your search will appear on the MEDLINE Search Results page.

MeSH Terms - The subject headings used in Unbound MEDLINE are selected from a thesaurus called Medical Subject Headings, or MeSH. Established by the National Library of Medicine, MeSH headings are a controlled set of vocabulary terms used by indexers to indicate the subject of journal articles. By targeting your search with specific keywords, the use of MeSH headings will often improve the number of relevant articles retrieved.

Scope Notes provide helpful details about each MeSH term. This information may include a straightforward definition of the term, but may also explain how the term is to be indexed as well as other information useful to indexers. To view a scope note for a particular MeSH term, click on the term. A pop-up box will appear presenting the Scope and Note information. To close the pop-up, click the Close Window button.

MEDLINE Clinical provides a filtered search of the MEDLINE database. Filters may reduce the number of citations a search returns, but may increase the likelihood that the citations found will be relevant to your search. Unbound MEDLINE offers several
methods by which to limit your Clinical Query: Subject, Category, Emphasis, and Language

The default view for the MEDLINE Results page shows the records found for your search. The citations are displayed with the most recently published article listed first. To save a citation to your Archive as a record, check the box to the left of the desired citation and click the Save button at the bottom of the page.

If the number of results returned requires more than one page, click Next to view the following set of records and searches.

If you wish to save a particular search, click the "Save" link at the top of the results display.

Additional navigation links are listed at the end of each citation and will include one or more of the following: Abstract, Full Citation, Find Related Articles, and Full Text (note: Full text articles may require a subscription to the publisher's website).

The Abstract view presents the abstract of a record or search that you have entered. Links to the Full Citation, Full Text, and Find Related Articles may be available.

The Full Citation view presents the citation as obtained from MEDLINE. The full citation provides title, author(s), institution, source, abstract, language, pubtype, and pubmed ID.

The full citation may present links to authors' other publications, MeSH terms, Full Citation, Full Text, and Find Related Articles.

Find Related Articles

Find Related Articles presents search results from the PubMed system that related to the search query you created. Links to Abstract, Full Citation, and Full Text may be available.

The Full Text link provides either the actual full text or a link to the site of the full text. Depending on the publisher, you may need an access code to obtain the complete text.

The Journal Browser feature allows you to view the latest journals available in Unbound MEDLINE. To customize this list, click the MEDLINE Journals link in the Browse section of your Homepage.

Next, click the All Available link to display the available journals. To add a journal, click the add link to the right of the title(s) you desire; to remove a journal, click the remove link.

You can view a list of the journals to which you are subscribed by clicking the My MEDLINE Journals link.

To view the Table of Contents for a particular journal, click on its title. If you wish to save an item from the TOC to your Archive, check the box next to the desired item and click the "Save" button at the bottom of the Record Manager.

In addition to the ability to view leading clinical resources on the handheld, Nursing Central allows you to queue requests and capture questions at the point of care. On synchronization of the handheld with the Web, these requests are sent to your personal archive on the Web, where you can link to more in-depth information.

Nursing Central on the Web consists of a number of interlinking components that allow you to view and organize records saved from your handheld.

Records saved from your handheld appear in your Archive with links to more in-depth information. Records can be placed in folders of your choosing (explained below). A record can also be filed to a folder by clicking the folder name to the right of the record.

Records are displayed in the "Record Display" window. The default view is of your "Unfiled" records; however, you can view records in a different folder or for a particular date (see below).

Records may be server searches or content records that you viewed or entered on your handheld or saved from the Chapter View page on the Web using the File button. The default view for your Archive shows your most recent activity, listed by date. If you decide to keep a record, or enter a search and then synchronize your handheld, it will appear in your Archive. Each record is displayed by its title, followed by a list of its available links. To use any of the links, click on them.

Use the check box to the left of each record to select it and you can then perform a function in the "Record Manager" such as "File" or "Delete". These functions can be performed on multiple records simultaneously.

NOTE: Records are deleted when you click "delete". You will not be prompted to confirm or be able to undelete records.

The "Folder Manager" located to the left of the "Record Display" contains two sections. "View" allows you to switch from folder to folder. The active folder is designated by the "Open folder" icon; to open another folder simply click on its name.

The "Manage" section allows you to perform such functions as: Creating new folders, Modifying existing folders (renaming them, or selecting a new color), and Deleting folders. 

If you wish to delete all the records within the Folder, click on the radio button labeled "Delete Folder + All Records Within". After you have selected your preference, click Delete. A dialog box will confirm you want to delete the folder and its records. If you wish to cancel the deletion, click Cancel.

Your Nursing Central Archive contains a Calendar display that serves a number of purposes. Beyond displaying the current date, the calendar also displays the days you saved records in your Archive. You can select a new date using the Month and Year drop-down menus or click one of the highlighted days and the "Content Display" will be redrawn with all your saved records beginning on that date.

In order to create an Alert for your handheld device, you must first execute an Unbound MEDLINE search. If you have not performed an Unbound MEDLINE search, go to the Alerts screen by clicking the Alerts link in the main navigation banner. You will then be guided by on-screen prompts to perform a MEDLINE search and to create your new Alert.

You can also create an Alert from the Alerts screen by clicking the "Create New" button. As mentioned above, you will then be guided by on-screen prompts to perform a MEDLINE search and to create your new Alert.

If you have already executed an Unbound MEDLINE search and are on the Medline Search Results page, click the Save link.

This brings you to the "Edit Saved Search" screen. Here you will be prompted to label your search string so that it may be uniquely identified on your handheld. You also have the option of entering notes if you wish.

To create an Auto-Alert, check the box next to the statement: "Run this search nightly and send the results to my handheld" and click the "Submit" button.

Next, you will arrive at the "Confirm Saved Search Changes" screen. From here you have several options:

• Click New to save your Auto-Alert and execute another Unbound MEDLINE search;
• Click Execute to resubmit your saved search to Unbound MEDLINE;
• Click Edit to return to the previous screen and edit your Saved Search;
• Click Delete or View All to move to the Alerts screen. Here you have the option to View, Execute, Edit, or Delete any of your saved searches.

You can run an alert at any time by clicking on its link from your Personal Homepage or from your list in the Alerts section. You will then be provided with a list of the latest relevant citations from MEDLINE.

To change your password, click on the Account link found in the footer of any page. Next, click Password within the Modify section. Select your new password. (The password you create must be between 4 and 30 characters. It is case-sensitive.) Enter it a second time in the Confirm box.

When you have entered the requested information, click Update.

In order to create a more user-friendly experience, several sections of our program utilize a computer language called JavaScript. The Subscriptions page, for example, uses JavaScript to simplify the process required to update your list of journals, or to switch from one journal to another. It is possible, however, that your particular institution/computer does not allow or support JavaScript. If this is the case, simply follow the steps below to disable the JavaScript function.
To disable Javascript:

Click the Account link in the footer of any page and then click Settings within the "Modify" section.

You are brought to the Modify Settings screen. Here you have two choices for your JavaScript setting, "On" and "Off". The default setting is "On".

Select "Off" and click the Update button. You are returned to the main Account page where you will receive the confirmation message, "Your settings have been successfully changed."

As mentioned earlier, while JavaScript makes the user's experience an easier one, disabling it will not cause you to lose access to any of our product's features.

If you need further assistance, you can access the User Guide by following the link below. 

To view the Mobile User Guide click here .

Additional content is available through the Unbound Medicine Store. You can access the Store, including available specialized discounts, by clicking the Store icon on the right-hand side of your Homepage.

Group and institutional discounts are also available. Please contact: sales@unboundmedicine.com for additional information on these and other special offers.

Who should I contact with questions about Nursing Central?

For general or editorial questions, please contact us at: info@unboundmedicine.com.

For technical support, please visit our support website at:
http://nursing.unboundmedicine.com/support.

Or click here to submit a Support Request.