Education India Project #14455

Better Search Skills - Better Healthcare for India

by QMed Knowledge Foundation

Better Search Skills - Better Healthcare for India

Project Report | May 4, 2026
Workshop at Breach Candy Hospital: A Day of Learning and Collaboration

By Vasumathi Sriganesh | Founder & CEO

Residents - who helped get this going

QMed Returns to Breach Candy Hospital for a PubMed and Zotero Workshop

On 23rd April, QMed conducted a full-day PubMed and Zotero Workshop at the Breach Candy Hospital, Mumbai. The workshop focused on strengthening literature searching and reference management skills among healthcare professionals. We covered effective use of PubMed and Zotero, equipping participants with practical tools for research and evidence-based practice.

Interestingly, this was not our first PubMed and Reference Management Workshop at the hospital. We had conducted a similar program in 2019, and both workshops shared a heartening common thread: they were initiated by young doctors who had first encountered QMed through lectures by our Founder, Vasumathi Sriganesh, during their student days.

When Former Students Bring Learning Full Circle

The first workshop in 2019 was initiated by Dr Riitu- from the department of Microbiology. This year, the effort came from Dr Ram, currently pursuing his postgraduate training in Orthopedics at the same institution.

A few months ago, Dr Ram came across one of our newsletters and reached out to reconnect. He visited our office, discussed training possibilities, learned about the earlier workshop, and took the initiative to explore whether the hospital could host another session. His persistence and enthusiasm made it happen.th Dr Ram and his Co-Residents

With support from senior consultant Dr Arun M and Lab Director – Pathology & Microbiology – Dr Aruna, who managed the logistics, the workshop came together smoothly.

Engaged Participation Despite Busy Clinical Schedules

Around 30 participants had registered, though 15 ultimately attended due to unavoidable ward and clinical responsibilities. This is yet another reminder of why such training is most impactful when introduced during student years.

Those who attended, however, made the most of the opportunity. The group—comprising consultants, residents, and laboratory personnel—participated enthusiastically throughout the PubMed and Zotero Workshop, actively engaged in discussions, asked thoughtful questions, and performed well in our Immediate Quizzes

Participants Working at the Immediate Quizzes

Most participants also expressed interest in completing our eLearning courses soon, extending their learning beyond the workshop.

A Welcome Surprise: Strong Participation from Orthopedics

One especially encouraging aspect was the strong presence from the surgical specialty of Orthopedics.

There is a common perception that surgeons tend to stay away from workshops focused on literature searching and research tools. This workshop challenged that notion completely. In fact, Dr Arun, (a senior consultant), was deeply engaged throughout—asking numerous questions and contributing actively to discussions.

It was refreshing to see a surgical specialty embrace a PubMed and Zotero Workshop with such openness and seriousness.

A Rewarding Experience Rooted in Long-Term Impact

For us, this workshop was rewarding on many levels. It reaffirmed that training delivered to students can have lasting impact—sometimes returning years later in unexpected and meaningful ways. Former students remembered us, reached out, and helped organize learning opportunities for their institutions.

And equally importantly, it showed that when the right people champion learning, disciplines and stereotypes do not matter.

A wonderful day of teaching, participation, and collaboration—and one more reminder of why this work matters.

Receiving a memento from the Consultant Dr Arun

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Apr 20, 2026
A Family Physician with a Broader Vision for Healthcare

By Vasumathi Sriganesh | Founder & CEO

Family Physician - Dr Devashish

Dr Devashish, a family medicine doctor and donor in India, represents a growing group of clinicians who are shaping healthcare both through patient care and by supporting stronger research and education systems. As the driving force behind Ross Clinics, he brings together clinical practice and long-term giving in a meaningful way.

Rooted in Family Medicine

At the heart of Dr. Devashish’s practice is a deep commitment to Family Medicine—a discipline centered on continuity, trust, and whole-person care.

Through Ross Clinics, he has built a model of care that emphasizes:

Long-term relationships with patients and families
Comprehensive, first-contact care across a wide range of health concerns
A strong focus on prevention and early intervention

In a healthcare environment that can often feel fragmented, this approach provides patients with consistency and reassurance—qualities that are central to good primary care.

Extending Impact Beyond the Clinic

Alongside his clinical work, Dr. Devashish has been a committed annual donor to the QMed Knowledge Foundation.

His support reflects a recognition that better healthcare depends not only on good clinicians, but also on strong research and well-trained professionals.

Sharing his perspective, he notes:

“I have closely followed the growth of QMed Knowledge Foundation for the last 15 years, and seen it grow from strength to strength under the able, active and cheerful leadership of Ms Vasumathi! I’m happy to support the cause of better quality healthcare research in India, through the high quality workshops, lectures and courses developed and run by QMed!”

Connecting Practice and Purpose

What makes Dr. Devashish's contribution distinctive is the connection between what he sees in everyday practice and what he chooses to support.

As a family physician, he understands the real-world challenges of patient care
As a donor, he invests in improving the knowledge systems that underpin that care

This alignment ensures that his impact is both immediate and far-reaching. This reflects how Dr Devashish, connects his everyday clinical experience with the larger need for better healthcare knowledge systems.

A Balanced Approach – A Family Medicine Donor in India Supporting Better Healthcare”

The journey of Dr Devashish as a family medicine donor in India highlights how clinicians can contribute not just through care, but through sustained support for better healthcare systems.With his sesrvices through Ross Clinics and his support to organizations like QMed, he shows how individual commitment—both in practice and in giving—can help shape a stronger, more effective healthcare system.

Join the Effort

I am sure you are committed to whatever you do – either as a healthcare professional or even just as a good human being. I am also sure that you believe in strong research for India’s public health delivery. Do consider supporting the work of QMed Knowledge Foundation.

Links:

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Mar 19, 2026
If QMed Disappeared: Would Better Searching Stick in India?

By Vasumathi Sriganesh | Founder & CEO

A QMed workshop

A reflection on literature searching skills in India—and whether they truly last without constant reinforcement.

I recently read this blog post by Margaret G that asked a deceptively simple question:
If your NGO disappeared tomorrow… who would truly notice?
Not donors. Not partners. Not regulators.
But the community you exist to serve.
It stayed with me—because when I apply that question to QMed, the answers are not entirely comfortable.

1. Reach Is Not the Same as Impact

Over the years, we have reached thousands of health sciences students and professionals across India. But meaningful learning—the kind that actually changes practice—has likely happened in a much smaller fraction

And even within that group, we have to ask: How much of it has truly stayed? If QMed disappeared tomorrow, only that smaller subset would even have the potential to carry something forward. And even there, retention is uncertain.

It forces a difficult shift in thinking:

We often measure reach. But what really matters is change.

2. The Problem of Forgetting (and Reverting)

We teach structured literature searching—Boolean operators, MeSH terms, careful query building. These are not intuitive skills. They decay quickly without use. So the real question is not whether someone learned it once—but whether they still use it. And use it right!

If QMed were gone:

– How many would still construct a proper search strategy?
– How many would persist under time pressure?
– And how many would quietly return to what is easiest—typing a few words into Google?

This is not failure. It is human behaviour. Convenience wins. Which raises an uncomfortable thought:

If a skill is not used regularly, was it ever truly learned?

3. Courses, Completion… and What Happens After

We have built eLearning courses that, in theory, can outlast us. But what happens in reality?

Will people revisit them?
Will institutions continue to use them?
Will they become part of routine teaching?

Or will they become something many of us recognize—completed once, appreciated briefly, and then forgotten?

If learning does not translate into repeated use, it does not become practice.
And if it does not become practice, it does not survive the organisation that introduced it.

4. Would Anyone Actually Miss This?

This is the hardest question to sit with. If QMed disappeared tomorrow:

People might remember us
They might say kind things
They might acknowledge the value

But would they feel the absence in their daily work? Would they pause and think, “I need to do this properly”? Or would they move on—because the system allows them to?

If better literature searching is seen as optional rather than essential, then its survival is fragile!!

What Would Remain?

That original question lingers: What would remain if we were gone? Would it be:

Skills that are still practiced?
Habits that continue quietly?
Or just a general sense that “QMed was doing something important”?

If what remains is appreciation without application, then our work has not fully taken root. Perhaps that is the real challenge ahead—not just reaching more people, but ensuring that what we teach becomes part of how people think and work.

Because in the end, the measure is simple: If we were gone tomorrow, would better literature searching continue? Or would it disappear with us?

To be clear, QMed is NOT going anywhere. (At least – till we can last)
But asking this question helps us understand what truly lasts—and what still needs work.

Because in the end, sustainability is not something organisations achieve alone. It depends on what individuals choose to carry forward. So perhaps the real question is not just what QMed would leave behind.

Links:

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