Evidence Based Practice (EBP) Resources
This tool, developed by the Health Sciences Library staff, was designed to assist health care professionals identify appropriate levels of evidence for items available in the health sciences and professional literature.
Systematic Reviews & Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPGs) based on SRs
Systematic Reviews: A summary of evidence, typically conducted by an expert or expert panel on a particular topic, that uses a rigorous process (to minimize bias) for identifying, appraising, and synthesizing studies to answer a specific clinical question and draw conclusions about the data gathered. [Definition from: Fineout-Overholt, E., & Melnyk, B. M. (2005). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide To Best Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.]
Clinical Practice Guideline: A systematically developed statement designed to assist clinician and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.
[Definition from: Straus, S. E. (2005). Evidence-based medicine: How to practice and teach EBM (3rd ed.). Edinburgh, New York: Elsevier/Churchill Livingstone.]
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)
Considered one of the premier sources of EBM, CDSR is an electronic publication designed to supply high quality, reliable evidence about the effects of health care interventions. CDSR includes the full text of the regularly updated systematic reviews prepared by The Cochrane Collaboration.
Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE)
DARE contains summaries and assessments of systematic reviews on the effectiveness of health care interventions published in the journal literature that meet the Cochrane standards. Dare summaries are also available through the Cochrane Library, to affiliated users.
Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)
Joanna Briggs Institute works with researchers and clinicians to collaboratively evaluate evidence from a diverse range of sources including experience, expertise and qualitative and quantitative forms of rigorous research. JBI prepares systematic reviews and concise summaries of SRs in the form of Best Practice Information Sheets.
OTseeker
OTseeker provides rapid access to bibliographic details and abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in occupational therapy.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
PEDro
PEDro provides rapid access to bibliographic details and abstracts of randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP Database)
TRIP provides direct access to the largest collection of evidence based material on the web. It simultaneously searches resources containing systematic reviews, guidelines, evidence synopses, medical images, e-textbooks; as well as content from Medline that has been filtered through the Clinical Queries or limited by specialization. To review the complete list and last reviewed date, click here.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
Medline/PubMed & CINAHL
- Medline:
- Enter your search query
- Click on ‘More Limits’ Icon; under ‘Subject Subsets’
- Click on Systematic Reviews.
- PubMed:
- CINAHL:
- Enter your search query
- Click on ‘More Limits’ Icon, under ‘Publication Type’
- Click on Systematic Review
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Critically Appraised Topics
Authors of critically-appraised topics evaluate and synopsize individual research studies.
ACP’s PIER
Evidence-based clinical guidance designed for rapid access to clinical information at the point of care. PIER is peer-reviewed, updated continually and includes recommendations based on all levels of medical evidence. Recommendations also include strength-of-recommendation ratings based on the quality of the underlying evidence. From the American College of Physicians.
Essential Evidence Plus
Clinical awareness system that highlights important new evidence via DailyPOEMs™ ("Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters"), synopses of new, valid evidence relevant to patient care originating from critical appraisal of studies published in more than 100 journals.
National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC)**
A comprehensive public resource database of evidence-based Clinical Practice Guidelines, and related documents; produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), in partnership with the American Medical Association and the American Association of Health Plans.
**Please note, not all Guidelines contained in the NGC are evidence based.
To view additional links for Guidelines click here
Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP Database)
TRIP provides direct access to the largest collection of evidence based material on the web. It simultaneously searches resources containing systematic reviews, guidelines, evidence synopses, medical images, e-textbooks; as well as content from Medline that has been filtered through the Clinical Queries or limited by specialization. To review the complete list and last reviewed date, click here.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
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Critically Appraised Individual Articles
Authors of a critically-appraised individual article evaluate and synthesize multiple research studies.
ACP Journal Club
ACP Journal Club is a bimonthly publication of the American College of Physicians. Its editors screen the top 100+ clinical journals and
identify studies that are methodologically sound and clinically
relevant. An enhanced abstract, with conclusions clearly stated, and a
commentary are provided for each selected article.
Bandolier
Bandolier is an independent journal about evidence-based healthcare published in the UK. It includes “information about evidence of effectiveness (or lack of it), and put[s] the results forward as simple bullet points of those things that worked and those that did not: a bandolier with bullets. Information comes from systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized trials, and from high quality observational studies.”
“Evidence-Based…” Journal Series
(e.g., Evidence-Based Medicine, Evidence-Based Mental Health, Evidence-Based Nursing) Primary research articles within the discipline are selected for quality and clinical relevance. A structured abstract and expert commentary is provided for each study.
Check E-Journals A-Z list for multiple subscriptions.
Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP Database)
TRIP provides direct access to the largest collection of evidence based material on the web. It simultaneously searches resources containing systematic reviews, guidelines, evidence synopses, medical images, e-textbooks; as well as content from Medline that has been filtered through the Clinical Queries or limited by specialization. To review the complete list and last reviewed date, click here.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
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Randomized Controlled Trials
Randomized controlled trial (RCT): A research design, also called an experiment, in which participants are randomly assigned to receive a specific intervention or to be in a control group. [Definition from: Roberts, A. R., & Yeager, K. R. (2004). Evidence-based practice manual: Research and outcome measures in health and human services. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.]
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTAL)
The Central Register is a bibliographic database of definitive controlled trials. It includes published articles taken from the MEDLINE and EMBASE databases, and other published and unpublished sources. Does not contain full-text.
OTseeker
OTseeker provides rapid access to bibliographic details and abstracts of randomized controlled trials and systematic reviews in occupational therapy.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
PEDro
PEDro provides rapid access to bibliographic details and abstracts of randomized controlled trials, systematic reviews, and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP Database)
TRIP provides direct access to the largest collection of evidence based material on the web. It simultaneously searches resources containing systematic reviews, guidelines, evidence synopses, medical images, e-textbooks; as well as content from Medline that has been filtered through the Clinical Queries or limited by specialization. To review the complete list and last reviewed date, click here.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
Medline/PubMed & CINAHL
- Medline or PubMed
- Use the Clinical Queries filter for Therapy or,
- Use the limit for Publication Type and limit search to Randomized Controlled Trials.
- CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
- Use Clinical Queries for Treatment or,
- Use the limit for Research or,
- Use limit for Publication Types (i.e., Clinical Trials which includes RCTs).
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Quasi-Experimental
Quasi-Experiments: A type of experimental design that tests the effects of an intervention or treatment but lacks one or more characteristics of a true experiment (e.g., random assignment; a control or comparison group). [Definition from: Fineout-Overholt, E., & Melnyk, B. M. (2005). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide To Best Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.]
Medline/PubMed & CINAHL
- Medline or PubMed
- Add the term quasi experimental to you search query with “AND”.
- CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
- Add the Subject Heading and/or keywords ‘Quasi experimental Studies’ to your search query with “AND”
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Cohort, Descriptive or Qualitative
Cohort study: A longitudinal study that involves identification and selection of two groups (cohorts) of patients, one group that did received the treatment/exposure of interest, and one that did not, and then monitoring and evaluating these cohorts prospectively for the outcome of interest. [Definition from: Roberts, A. R., & Yeager, K. R. (2004). Evidence-based practice manual: Research and outcome measures in health and human services. Oxford, New York: Oxford University Press.]
Descriptive studies: Studies that are conducted for the purpose of describing the characteristics of certain phenomena or selected variables. [Definition from: Fineout-Overholt, E., & Melnyk, B. M. (2005). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide To Best Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.]
Qualitative studies: Research that involves the collection of data in nonnumeric form, such as personal interviews, usually with the intention of describing a phenomenon. [Definition from: Fineout-Overholt, E., & Melnyk, B. M. (2005). Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide To Best Practice. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.]
Medline/PubMed & CINAHL & PsycINFO
- Medline or PubMed
- Add the Subject Heading for “cohort study” to your search with “AND”
- Add the keywords ‘descriptive study’ to your search query with “AND”
- Use the Clinical Queries filter for Qualitative Studies (Medline Only)
- CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
- Add the Subject Heading for “cohort study” to your search with “AND”
- Add the Subject Heading for “descriptive study” to your search with “AND”
- Add the Subject Heading for “Qualitative Studies” with your search with “AND” or,
- Use the Clinical Queries filter for Qualitative Studies
- PsycINFO
- Use the Methodology limit for Cohort study
- Add Keywords ‘descriptive study’ to your search with “AND”
- Use the Methodology limit OR ‘Clinical Queries’ for Qualitative Study
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Case Controlled Studies, Case Series/Reports
A case controlled study is a research study which identifies patients with the outcome of interest (cases) and patients without the same outcome (controls), and looks back to see if they had the exposure of interest. A case series is a report on a series of patients with an outcome of interest. No control group is involved. A case report is a report of a patient with an exposure or an outcome of interest. [Adapted from Centre for Evidence Based Medicine, Toronto]
Medline/PubMed & CINAHL & PsycINFO
- Medline or PubMed
- Add the Subject Heading for Case Controlled Studies to your search with “AND”
- Add the Subject Heading for Case Reports to your search with “AND”, or
- Limit your search by publication type to “Case Reports”
- CINAHL
- Add the Subject Heading for Case Controlled Studies to your search with “AND”
- Add the Subject Heading for Case Study to your search with “AND” or
- limit your search by publication type to “Case Reports”
- PsycINFO
- Use Limits for Methodology for “Clinical and NonClinical Case Studies”
- Add the Subject Heading for Case Reports to your search with “AND”
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Background Info/ Expert Opinion
A background info/expert opinion source compiles material written by recognized authorities.
eBooks
Full-text electronic books, including collection by Stat!Ref, and Books@OVID
Harrison’s Online
Searchable and continually updated version of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.
Turning Research Into Practice (TRIP Database)
TRIP provides direct access to the largest collection of evidence based material on the web. It simultaneously searches resources containing systematic reviews, guidelines, evidence synopses, medical images, e-textbooks; as well as content from Medline that has been filtered through the Clinical Queries or limited by specialization. To review the complete list and last reviewed date, click here.
(Resource contains materials with various evidence levels, additional appraisal may be needed)
UptoDate
A clinical information resource, which offers up-to-date, fully referenced expert answers to patient-care, diagnosis, and treatment questions. Topic reviews are written by recognized authorities who review the topic, synthesize the evidence, summarize key findings, and provide specific recommendations.
(Access restrictions: UpToDate is licensed for on-site use only at SUNY Upstate Medical University. Remote access is not permitted.)
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(c) Copyright 2007 SUNY Upstate Medical University Health Sciences Library. [Adapted from Trustees of Dartmouth College and Yale University. All Rights Reserved. Produced by Jan Glover, Dave Izzo, Karen Odato, and Lei Wang]
