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Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) Resources
Evidence-Based Medicine is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. (Sackett DL, Straus SE, Richardson WS, et al. Evidence-based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.)
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TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice) Database
Simultaneously searches evidence-based sources of systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and critically-appraised topics and articles -- including most of those listed above and many more. Also searches MEDLINE’s Clinical Queries, medical image databases, e-textbooks, and patient information leaflets.
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Filtered Resources Filtered resources appraise the quality of studies and often make recommendations for practice. Systematic Reviews / Meta-Analyses Authors of a systematic review ask a specific clinical question, perform a comprehensive literature search, eliminate the poorly done studies and attempt to make practice recommendations based on the well-done studies. A meta-analysis is a systematic review that combines all the results of all the studies into a single statistical analysis of results.
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Consists of detailed, structured topic reviews of hundreds of articles. Teams of experts complete comprehensive literature reviews, evaluate the literature, and present summaries of the findings of the best studies. Published by the International Cochrane Collaboration. Available through Wiley InterScience as part of the Cochrane Library.
The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE)
Full-text database containing structured abstracts of systematic reviews from a variety of medical journals. DARE is produced by the National Health Services' Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD) at the University of York. DARE records cover topics such as diagnosis, prevention, rehabilitation, screening, and treatment. Available through Wiley InterScience as part of the Cochrane Library. (When you search Cochrane Library, DARE abstracts will be part of the result set.)
PEDro: The Physiotherapy Evidence Database
Abstracts database of systematic reviews, RCTs, and clinical guidelines in evidence-based physical therapy
practice. Searchable
by title, therapeutic
modality, and other
parameters. PEDro is produced by the Center for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy, at the University of Sydney. Some links to full-text are provided.
Systematic Reviews are also searchable in MEDLINE:
- Ovid MEDLINE: Enter your search query. Click on "More Limits"; select “Systematic Reviews” under “Subject Subsets.”
- PubMed: Click on “Clinical Queries” on the left side of the screen; select “Find Systematic Reviews” and enter your search query.
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Critically-Appraised Topics
Authors of critically-appraised topics evaluate and synthesize multiple research studies.
Clinical Evidence
Summarizes the current state of knowledge about the prevention and treatment of clinical conditions, based on thorough searches and appraisal of the literature. It describes the best available evidence from systematic reviews, RCTs, and observational studies where appropriate, and if there is no good evidence it says so. Available through BMJ.
National Guideline Clearinghouse
A comprehensive database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related documents produced by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, in partnership with the American Medical Association and the American Association of Health Plans. Updated weekly. Note: Guideline evidence varies from expert opinion to high levels of evidence. 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. Available through Stat!Ref.
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Critically-Appraised Individual Articles
Authors of critically-appraised individual articles evaluate and synopsize individual research studies.
Essential Evidence Plus/Daily POEMs
(formerly known as InfoRetriever/InfoPOEMs)
POEMs are critical appraisals of medical studies, published in each issue of the Journal of Family Practice. POEMs are brief and structured so that you can quickly find the information you're seeking. Each POEM contains a clinical question, a bottom line (answer to the question), an article reference, study design, setting, and a synopsis of the article. POEMs are graded using the levels-of-evidence scale (LOE) developed by the Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine and the clinical bottom line section of each POEM contains the LOE for the article appraised. (Daily POEMs are just one section of the larger Essential Evidence Plus suite of resources which also includes Cochrane abstracts, EBM practice guidelines, and calculators.)
The ACP Journal Club
The editors of this journal 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. Published by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine. Available through Ovid.
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, randomised trials, and from high quality observational studies.” bmjupdates
Quality articles from over 110 clinical journals are selected by research staff, and then rated for clinical relevance and interest by an international group of physicians. Includes a searchable database of the best evidence from the medical literature and an email alerting system. From BMJ Publishing Group and McMaster University's Health Information Research Unit. “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 are provided for each study.
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Unfiltered Resources Evidence is not always available via filtered resources. Searching the primary literature may be required. It is possible to use specific search strategies in MEDLINE and other databases to achieve the highest possible level of evidence. PubMed
To limit your PubMed search to the best evidence-producing studies: Click on "Clinical Queries" (on the left side of the screen). This specialized search is intended for clinicians and has built-in search "filters." Four study categories--therapy, diagnosis, etiology, prognosis--are provided, and you may indicate whether you wish your search to be more sensitive (i.e., include most relevant articles but probably including some less relevant ones) or more specific (i.e., including mostly relevant articles but probably omit a few).
- Useful MeSH for EBM: Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) recommended for evidence-based medicine research.
Ovid Medline
To limit your Ovid MEDLINE search to the best evidence-producing studies:
- Clinical Queries (See PubMed) is searchable in Ovid; click on "More Limits".
- Expert Searches for Diagnosis, Etiology, Meta-Analysis, Prognosis, and Therapy, developed by Galter librarians; click on "Saved Searches/Alerts" while in Ovid, run the desired EBM Filter and combine with your search topic.
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
Bibliography of controlled trials identified by contributors to the Cochrane Collaboration and others, and is part of an international effort to combine hand searching of the international literature with online searching to create an unbiased source of data for systematic reviews. Includes studies published in MEDLINE, EMBASE, and other databases, as well as reports published in conference proceedings and other sources not currently listed in MEDLINE or other bibliographic databases. Available through Wiley InterScience as part of the Cochrane Library. (When you search Cochrane Library, Cochrane Central Register abstracts will be part of the result set.)
PsycINFO
International coverage of the professional and academic literature in psychology, medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas.
To limit your PsycINFO search to the best evidence-producing studies: Click on the ‘Limits’ icon to use ‘Clinical Queries’ or limit to ‘methodology’ types.
CINAHL
Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature
To limit your CINAHL search to the best evidence-producing studies: Click on the ‘Limits’ icon to use ‘Clinical Queries’ or limit to ‘Research’ or other ‘publication’ types (i.e., systematic review).
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Background Information/Expert Opinion Note: Evidence in these resources may vary from expert opinion to high levels of evidence. 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 Northwestern University and Northwestern Memorial Hospital. Remote access is not permitted.)
Clin-eguide
A clinical decision-making tool that distills disease management, drug therapy and laboratory results knowledge into a single resource. Its goal is to improve the physician decision-making process by providing accurate and relevant information at the point-of-care. Like ACP PIER, Clin-eguide is a highly-structured database which can be searched or browsed. The major categories in Clin-eguide are disease, drug, laboratory, and performance. Clin-eguide is updated every eight weeks. Direct links to Ovid MEDLINE references are included in the bibliographies of each section. Available through Ovid.
eMedicine
Physician authors and editors contribute to the eMedicine Clinical Knowledge Base, which contains articles on 7,000 diseases and disorders. The evidence-based content provides the latest practice guidelines in 62 medical specialties. eMedicine's professional content undergoes multiple levels of physician peer review. E-Books at Galter
Full-text electronic books. ACP Medicine
Electronic textbook of general medicine; updated continually. Available through Stat!Ref.
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EBM Information Sites Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Oxford University)
The Centre promotes evidence-based health care and provide support and resources to anyone who wants to make use of them. Includes the EBM Toolbox, an assortment of materials which are very useful for practitioners of EBM, and EBM Teaching Materials, including PowerPoint presentations. Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Toronto)
Includes many resources for practicing and teaching EBM. Netting the Evidence
From the School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR) at the University of Sheffield, UK. Includes a comprehensive list of EBM databases, journals, articles, and other information sources. Users' Guides to Evidence-Based Practice
From the University of Alberta's Centre for Health Evidence. Includes the complete set of EBM Users' Guides originally published as a series in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).
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EBM Tutorials
Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine
From Duke University Medical Center Library and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Health Sciences Library. SUNY Health Sciences Evidence-Based Medicine Course
Selected EBM Tools
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