Helpful Information
Check out JAMAevidence
JAMAevidence provides online access to EBP textbooks and other useful resources including calculators and critical appraisal forms. Includes the Users' Guides to the Medical Literature.
- Site MapThis page provides a visual orientation to the different databases in this guide.
Effective Database Searching
Not sure which database to use? Start with the Site Map. Then select the blue tab which best fits your research subject area and follow the best practices below.
Best practices for effectively searching journal databases:
1. Identify your topic's key concepts and related terms. Convert your topic/clinical question into the PICO format if doing an evidence-based practice search. PICO stands for Population (or Patient), Intervention, Comparison, Outcome.
2. Select subject terms (using a database's controlled vocabulary/thesaurus) if this is an option.
3. Search each concept/subject term individually.
4. Combine multiple search terms using Boolean operators (AND, OR).
5. Use limits such as dates, language, publication type, population group, etc. to reduce or refine search results.
6. Search more than 1 database.
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Contact a Librarian to assist with your search if:
-you are basing a clinical decision on what you do or don’t find in your information search
-your results are questionable or it takes you more than 20 minutes to find information on your topic
-you are writing an article or a chapter
-you are working on a grant proposal
-you are working on an evidence-based practice project or a systematic review
-you need a thorough, exhaustive literature search performed
Remember that searching for specific information can be a very complex process.
Credits
Portions of the content of this Guide are used with permission from the Responsible Literature Searching project developed by the Health Sciences Library System, University of Pittsburgh & modified by the Robert B. Greenblatt, M.D. Library, Medical College of Georgia.
Questions?
PICO Framework
Format a well-focused clinical question using the elements of the PICO framework to facilitate creating an effective search strategy1:
P = Patient, Population or Problem
I = Intervention or Exposure
C = Comparison or Control (if applicable)
O = Outcome(s)
Example of a therapy-type question: In patients with osteoarthritis of the knee, is physical therapy more effective than medication in relieving pain?