Evidence-based medicine is the "conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients" (Sackett, DL, Rosenberg WM, Gray JA, et al. BMJ. 1996 312(7023):71-2).
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.
The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effect (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 and content is provided above through the Cochrane Library. DARE records cover topics such as diagnosis, prevention, rehabilitation, screening, and treatment. (Database of the Cochrane Library)
Systematic Reviews are also searchable in MEDLINE:
In EbscoHost MEDLINE: Enter your search query; Check the box marked "EBM Reviews" in the Search Limits area. In PubMed: Click on "Clinical Queries" on the left side of the screen; Select "Find Systematic Reviews" and enter your search query.
Critically-Appraised Topics
Authors of critically-appraised topics evaluate and synthesize multiple research studies.
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.
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.
To limit your PubMed search to the best evidence-producing studies: Click on "clinical queries" (in the center column under PubMed Tools). This specialized search is intended for clinicians and has built-in search "filters." Five study categories--therapy, diagnosis, etiology, prognosis, and clinical prediction guides--are provided. You may also indicate whether you wish your search to be more sensitive (i.e., "broad", including most relevant articles but probably also including some less relevant ones) or more specific (i.e., "narrow", including most relevant articles but probably omitting a few).
A comprehensive source of full-text articles for medical journals. Subjects include nursing, radiology and radiography, general medicine, the healthcare system, and more.
Enter your search query; Check the box marked "EBM Reviews" in the Search Limits area.
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.
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).
Evidence-based care sheets are also available in CINAHL. Browse by subject or limit your search by choosing "Evidence-based care sheets" under Publication Type in the Advanced Search options.
Background Information/Expert Opinion
Note: Evidence in these resources may vary from expert opinion to high levels of evidence.
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.
Search for background information in books and textbooks.
View E-Books directly on your computer from the Library Catalog by clicking on the "e-library" icon in the search results.
Evidence-Based Medicine Information Sites
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Toronto)
Includes many resources for practicing and teaching EBM
Evidence-Based Medicine (Duke University)
A selective list of additional EBM websites developed and maintained by Duke University Medical Center Library.
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).
Evidence-Based Medicine Tutorials
SUNY Health Sciences Evidence-Based Medicine Course
Yale University Medical Library: Find It Fast Tutorials
A series of video tutorials that guide you through different aspects of EBM.
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