Jamie E. Bloss, MLIS, AHIP 
Liaison Librarian to the College of Allied Health Sciences and School of Dental Medicine 
Laupus Health Sciences Library  
East Carolina University  

Thieme’s MedOne ComSci is an audiology and speech-language pathology resource for graduate students in these fields. The intended audience also includes audiology and speech-language pathology faculty members using the site for their courses. Thieme is an international medical and science publishing company founded in 1886.  

Content  

The platform contains approximately 60 ebooks — 12 that are current editions and older editions of the rest. In many cases, up to the fifth edition of the ebook is offered.  

[Thieme’s MedOne ComSci ebooks] 

There are also over 376 clinical case studies, journals, images and videos, as well as a questions and answers section where students can quiz themselves on the material. Most of the images are less than 20 years old. Videos feature an option to adjust the speed, but do not include closed captions. Images are fairly high quality and have zoom and rotate options, but the images reduce in quality when users zoom in on them. 

The subjects covered include audiology, otolaryngology, radiology, and speech-language pathology. The radiology and otolaryngology content are related to communication sciences and are not complete collections of content in those two areas. The three journals included are the Journal of the American Academy of Audiology, Seminars in Hearing, and Seminars in Speech and Language. The journals include three to five years of each journal. The full-text of the articles are included directly on the platform and PDF downloads of the journal articles are available when logged into a full-access account. References of the included journal articles have hyperlinked options to search for them on PubMed and Google Scholar. 

Features/Functionality  

All content can be searched as a whole, or can be searched within particular areas of the site. For example, if a faculty member wants to present a case to students, they can search for a particular case study within the section. The site is fairly easy and uncomplicated to navigate. There is no advanced search option, but search options can be narrowed down to specific types of content using filters. Typically, ebooks can be found when searching by title, author/editor name, alphabetical listing, or publication date. Users can filter content to the following subject areas: audiology, otolaryngology, radiology, and speech-language pathology. Typing keywords into the basic search bar allows for further navigation within those subject areas. Users can also search by keyword within an ebook. Full details of the search functionality are listed here. 

There is a “playlists” feature where faculty can organize the site’s content to present materials to their students. Outside links can also be featured on the playlists, such as external video links or links to a syllabus or website. Users can also upload a logo to personalize the playlists, or add their own file uploades up to 100 MB. Playlists do remain on the MedOne platform but can be navigated to via link. Users can also subscribe to public MedOne playlists such as the “Case of the Month”. Lastly, users can set their playlists as either public or private. 

[Thieme’s MedOne ComSci public playlists] 

There are no daily limits of what can be downloaded and printed from the book chapter content. Users can also highlight and add notes if they create a free personal login similar to many other ebook platforms. Any notes that users take can be categorized and organized. A MedOne app is available for users to download content and use it offline.  

One feature of note is that any of the images on the site can be exported with automatic citations to be used with attribution for projects and presentations.  

[Thieme’s MedOne ComSci image of the Eustachian tube] 

Business Model  

MedOne from Thieme offers eight subject areas which can be licensed individually. For the purposes of this review, a trial of ComSci platform on its own was used. An institutional license to any of the MedOne platforms includes Shibboleth and OpenAthens compliancy, COUNTER complaint usage statistics, MARC records available for download, and custom branding with an institution’s logo. Usage statistics are available by month for the clinical cases, ebook and e-journal content, media or image views, PDF downloads, playlist views, and content browsed.  

There are several licensing options that allow for flexible agreements and all license agreement types receive updated content as new titles become available. Licenses are available on an institutional basis and programs are separated by size (large, medium, and small) and then based on the size of an institution’s program which would include the number of students enrolled in communication sciences programs. The platform is only sold to institutions and not to individuals.  

Breakthrough  

The clinical cases and ebooks make the MedOne ComSci a worthwhile one to consider for purchase by health sciences libraries at institutions that house an audiology or speech-language pathology program. As always, it’s important to cross-reference the available ebooks and journals with a library’s current holdings to maximize the platform’s value. 

Sources Cited  

1. Thieme MedOne. “MedOne App.” Thieme MedOne. Accessed December 12, 2023. https://try-medone.thieme.com/app/  

2. Thieme MedOne. “MedOne ComSci.” Thieme MedOne. Accessed December 12, 2023. https://try-medone.thieme.com/medone-comsci/  

3. Thieme MedOne. “Licensing Information.” Thieme MedOne. Accessed December 12, 2023. https://try-medone.thieme.com/licensing/