Holt Library: Nursing: Evidence Based Practice: Resources

Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Resources

CINAHL Plus with Full Text (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) This link opens in a new window
Database of nursing and allied health journals. Includes Evidence-Based Care Sheets and Evidence-Based Practice Limiter.

Evidence-Based Care Sheets (EBCS) are summaries on specific key topics, which are focused on nursing practice. Each evidence-based care sheet incorporates the latest evidence, statistics, research and references on a given topic. The references are ranked, using a coding matrix, according to the type of literature they represent (systematic reviews, meta-analysis, etc).

When applied, the "Evidence-Based Practice" limiter searches the Special Interest field for the value "Evidence-Based Practice." Applying this limiter allows you to limit results to find articles from evidence-based practice journals, articles about evidence-based practice and research articles (including systematic reviews, clinical trials, meta analyses, etc.), applying practice to research.
TRIP Database This link opens in a new window
TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice) is a clinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care.
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) Effective Health Care Program This link opens in a new window
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality's (AHRQ) mission is to produce evidence to make health care safer, higher quality, more accessible, equitable, and affordable, and to work within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and with other partners to make sure that the evidence is understood and used.
Cochrane Evidence Summaries This link opens in a new window
Cochrane Evidence Summaries promote evidence-informed health decision-making by producing high-quality, relevant, accessible systematic reviews and other synthesized research evidence.
PubMed This link opens in a new window
Comprehensive resource containing citations (not full articles) to biomedical articles and life science journals.
PubMed Clinical Queries This link opens in a new window
Clinical Queries are search tools designed to retrieve targeted results to clinical questions and includes Clinical Study Categories and Systematic Reviews.

Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies Solutions
Evidence-Based Practice resources for twenty different areas in the behavioral science discipline. Groups are free to join and offer the opportunity for social networking with other EBP behavioral science practitioners. Includes an extensive Links page.
Coalition for Evidence Based Policy
Offers free, brief, expert advice on implementing evidence based policies. Works with researchers to create a rigorous evidence based program which ensures valid evidence.
The Cochrane Library
One of the most important EBM related resources available, The Cochrane Library publishes systematic reviews and protocols. The Library can be searched for free, however Northcentral University Library does not have a subscription to this database.
Evidence-Based Practice for the Helping Professions
Chart with databases arranged by discipline and client type. Note that while many of the databases are open access (free), some require a subscription.
Institute of Education Sciences What Works Clearinghouse
Access practice guides, intervention reviews, and standards that are published through the US Department of Education.
KU Medical Center SUMSearch
Simultaneously searches for original studies, systematic reviews, and practice guidelines from multiple open-access sources.
SAMHSA Evidence-Based Practices Resource Center
Contains a collection of scientifically-based resources for a broad range of audiences, including Treatment Improvement Protocols, toolkits, resource guides, clinical practice guidelines, and other science-based resources.
Trip Database
Clinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care.
University of York Centre for Reviews and Dissemination Database
Searches abstracts of systematic reviews and papers that are published by various European medical organizations.

How to Read a Paper: the basics of evidence-based medicine and healthcare by Trisha Greenhalgh
Call Number: R 118.6 .G74 2019
ISBN: 9781119484745
Publication Date: 2019-05-06
Trisha Greenhalgh provides the basics of evidence based medicine: how to find a medical research paper, assess it for its scientific validity, and where relevant, put the findings into practice.

PubMed Online Training
Short, video tutorials focusing on different search techniques and features of the PubMed database.
SUNY Downstate Medical Center Evidence Based Medicine Tutorial
Information organized according to EBM process; includes Glossary and Other Resources. "What Kind of Answer Do You Want?" section includes detailed descriptions and diagrams of study methodologies.
University of Minnesota Evidence Based Practice Tutorial
This tutorial, composed of five lessons and sample case studies, walks the user through each step of the Evidence Based Practice process. Self-testing opportunities are provided.

Searching For Evidence

PubMed (an open access database with some full text and some abstracts only),TRIP ( (an open access database with some full text and some abstracts only) and CINAHL (full text subscription database available through from SCC Holt Library) are excellent resources to use when in need of evidence based literature.

PubMed, TRIP, CINAHL and many other medical databases use MeSH subject headings as the official terms to describe concepts related in medical articles. MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) terms, which are created by the National Library of Medicine, can be thought of as a dictionary or thesaurus which assists in finding and using the correct terms to find the most relevant articles.

Identifying MeSH terms can also be a challenge. PubMed includes a searchable database of MeSH terms which allow the user to type in a keyword and see the closest matching MeSH terms.

PubMed has designed a search page specifically for clinical queries. This will assist you in using the appropriate filters, selecting clinical categories, and finding systematic reviews of primary research. To access this search screen select Clinical Queries under the PubMed Services menu, or click PubMed Clinical Queries.

CINAHL and TRIP use similar Methodology limits. To access PubMed, TRIP and CINAHL see below or visit the Databases page of this Guide.

By checking the EBM Reviews box, you will only retrieve search results from selected journals that publish EBM Reviews. These articles will generally be meta-analyses of primary research studies.

The Clinical Queries limit allows you to limit your search to articles that address a particular area of your topic. MEDLINE will limit based upon nine areas: Therapy, Diagnosis, Prognosis, Reviews, Clinical Prediction Guides, Qualitative, Causation (Etiology), Costs, and Economics. The "High Sensitivity" option for each area will run a broad search and retrieve all relevant material. The "High Specificity" option for each area will run a narrower search and only retrieve the most relevant results. The "Best Balance" option for each area will combine both of the above options.

In CINAH L, you may limit your search to Evidence-Based Practice using the checkbox shown below. Applying this limiter allows you to limit results to:

Articles from evidence-based practice journals
Articles about evidence-based practice
Research articles (including systematic reviews, clinical trials, meta analyses, etc.)
Commentaries on research studies (applying practice to research)

You may also need to search CINAHL subject headings to find the appropriate CINAHL/MeSH subject Terms. See this tutorial for more information.