Research Guides: Drug Information: Evidence-based practice

Searching for information

The primary databases we will be using to search for clinical trials include

PubMed
PubMed provides access to citations from biomedical literature. LinkOut provides access to full-text articles at journal Web sites and other related Web resources. PubMed also provides access and links to the other Entrez molecular biology resources.
Embase This link opens in a new window
Medical literature database with full text indexing and dedicated search terms.
International Pharmaceutical Abstracts
IPA includes 30 years of in-depth indexed reference to the world pharmacy (in the broadest sense) literature. Related health, medical, cosmetic journals, and state pharmacy journals as well as abstracts of presentations at major pharmacy meetings are also included.
Cochrane Library
Reliable and up-to-date information on the effects of interventions in health care. Provides information and evidence to support decisions taken in health care and to inform those receiving care. Consists of a regularly updated collection of evidence-based medicine databases including: The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Cochrane Reviews); Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL); The Cochrane Database of Methodology Reviews (Methodology Reviews); Health Technology Assessment Database (HTA); and NHS Economic Evaluation Database (NHS EED).
CINAHL
The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) provides access to virtually all English-language nursing journals, publications of the American Nurses'Association and the National League for Nursing, primary journals in the allied health fields, and pertinent articles in biomedical, management, behavioral science, education, and popular literature.
Web of Science: Core Collection
Access the world’s leading scholarly literature in the sciences, social sciences, arts, and humanities and examine proceedings of international conferences, symposia, seminars, colloquia, workshops, and conventions.

-Science Citation Index Expanded (1900-present)
-Social Sciences Citation Index (1900-present)
-Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present)
-Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (1990-present)
-Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (1990-present)
-Book Citation Index– Science (2005-present)
-Book Citation Index– Social Sciences & Humanities (2005-present)
-Current Chemical Reactions (1985-present)
(Includes Institut National de la Propriete Industrielle structure data back to 1840)
-Index Chemicus (1993-present)
-Emerging Sources Citation Index (2005 – present)

ClinicalTrials.gov
ClinicalTrials.gov is a Web-based resource that provides patients, their family members, health care professionals, researchers, and the public with easy access to information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies on a wide range of diseases and conditions.

But before we get started, let's learn about how to create a strategy for finding relevant information using the PICO method.

The PICO search strategy

PICO

The first stage of any evidence-based practice process is formulating an answerable question. This forms the foundation for quality searching. A well-formulated question will facilitate the search for evidence and will assist you in determining whether the evidence is relevant to your question.

An answerable question has a format that follows the PICO concept. The acronym translates to:

P – Populations/People/Patient/Problem
I – Intervention(s)
C – Comparison
O – Outcome

The question used in this guide was developed using the PICO concept. View the completed form.

"What interventions reduce the incidence and severity of bed sores in residents of aged care facilities?"

This website from the University of Wisconsin-Madison may help you to understand and use the PICO concept to create a search strategy.

This article describes evidence-based pharmacy practice.

PRISMA Documents

PRISMA Homepage
PRISMA is an evidence-based minimum set of items for reporting in systematic reviews and meta-analyses.