The evidence you need in the pursuance of evidence-based practice may be found in one of many resources. Sometimes, the filtered information (e.g., Cochrane Library) or the synthesized literature (e.g., Up to Date) will give a quick answer; other times, however, you may need to pull out your critical appraisal skills to evaluate the primary literature articles retrieved from unfiltered sources (like PubMed)
Filtered Resources |
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Cochrane Library: Systematic Reviews
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Content: 4,000 + systematic reviews using meta-analysis of highest quality research studies (usually RCTs) from 50 Cochrane review groups. | Use: The gold standard for finding the best medical evidence. Reviews focus on treatment and prevention. Small database limits the number of topics included. To limit to Systematic Reviews, use the advanced search page. |
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Cochrane Library: DARE
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Content: A Database of Reviews of Effectiveness - Critical assessments of high quality systematic reviews and references to published systematic reviews. | Use: Locating evaluations of systematic review or finding references to systematic reviews. To limit to DARE, use the advanced search page. |
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National Guideline Clearinghouse  therapy, diagnosis, prognosis, harm   |
Content: Comprehensive database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and documents produced by AHRQ, AMA, National Medical Organizations, & American Association of Health Plans. | Use: To locate evidence-based, objective, and detailed information on clinical practice guidelines. Also includes tool for comparing guidelines and links for other online full-text guidelines. |
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Natural Standard
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Content: Synthesis of data on complementary and alternative therapies in herbs & supplements, conditions, and alternative modalities. Validated rating scales evaluate the quality of available evidence. Comprehensive monographys facilitate clinical decision making. | Use: Good source to find objective evidence based information for alternative and complementary therapies. Easy access rating scales provide additional insight into the strength of the available evidence.. |
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PubMed Clinical Queries
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Content: Pubmed's "Clinical Queries" are a set of pre-formateed filters for retrieving methodologically sound and the higheset level or research for the type of search selected. | Use: Easy way to locate evidence-based studies from PubMed. Searches can be set to search with a narrow focus or more broadly. One of the few resources that provides access to all 4 types of evidence-based queries. |
Unfiltered Resources |
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CINAHL
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Content: A helpful tool is the Evidence-based Care Sheets which provide a quick overview about what is know and can be done about the disease or disorder and includes references. | Use: EBM Care Sheets as a quick yet detailed overview. Great resoruces for information about patient complicance. |
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PsycINFO
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Content: Includes articles from all areas of psychology & psychiatry including the psychological aspects of medicine. | Use: identify and locate articles in areas related to medicine. Use the "methodology" limit to specify the type of study. |
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PubMed/MEDLINE
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Content: Most popular database forliterature in the medical sciences. Includes pre-clinical to clinical topics in the fields of medicine, dentistry, nursing, psyciatry, and public health. Archive of articles goes back into the 1950s. |
Use: Identify key primary (RCT) and secondary articles in medicine and related fields. Many of the expert opinion & background info sources base their information on articles found in PubMed. |
Synthesized Literature & Background Information Resources |
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Content: Umbrella site for key textbooks like Harrison's, Hurst's the Heart, MMBID, and many in the Lange clinical and basic science series | Use: search one or through all textbooks to check facts or do a quick look-up for general information |
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ACP PIER
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Content: Provides authoritative, evidence-based guidance for clinical care. Focus is internal medicine.
Authored by experts with regular updated literature searches from McMaster University.
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Use: Quick access to encyclopedic-type of clinical care information |
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Content: Review summaries on a wide variety of conditions, and often includes pictures, charts, and graphs. | Use: Helpful for locating articles on medical conditions that are easy-to-read paragraphs by physicians practicing in a variety of specialities. |
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Content: An evidence-based encyclopedic-type of resource with references. Categories include not only medical topics, but differential diagnosis, and some procedures. | Use: A tool that gathers pearls, guidelines, order of treatment, along with a wealth of info on internal medicine topics |
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Content: Full text clinical reference textbooks, about 50 clinical journals, practice guidelines, drug information, patient education, etc. | Use: Search across key medical textbooks, journal articles, practice guidelines, patient care guides, etc. |
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Note: This resource is not available from off-campus.
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Content: Concise, peer-reviewed, referenced topical summaries in internal medical focusing on diagnosis and treatment. | Use: For high quality peer-reviewed answers to specific questions. Searching is very easy. Good graphics. Updated quarterly. |
