Need more information on Evidence-based practice? Visit ECPI University's Evidence-Based Practice LibGuide for even more resources!
A systematic review is a high-level overview of primary research on a particular research question that tries to identify, select, synthesize and appraise all high quality research evidence relevant to that question in order to answer it (Cochrane Community, 2014).
Locating Systematic Reviews:
Limit Publication type to "Systematic Review"
Articles from journals on allied health, alternative/complementary medicine, biomedicine, consumer health, and nursing. Additional content includes indexing of audiovisuals, books, conference proceedings, and nursing dissertations, as well as the full text of book chapters and care plans.
Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews
Full text of the regularly updated systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare prepared by The Cochrane Collaboration.
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Evidence
NIHR Evidence presents high quality summaries of findings so that health and care research can be used by all members of society.
From the PubMed homepage, linked above, click on "Clinical Queries" in the middle column. If no official EBM review has been done on your topic, these filters and hedges may be helpful in reducing the amount of literature you need to analyze.
Trip is a clinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care.
These tools will help you to interpret the clinical and statistical significance of data reported in clinical research.
Clinical practice guidelines are statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options (NGC, 2014).
Locating Practice Guidelines:
Canadian Medical Association Infobase
CINAHL: Limit publication type to "practice guidelines"
MEDLINE with full text: Limit by publication type to "practice guidelines"
National Guideline Clearinghouse: Evidence-based clinical practice guidelines
Note: the National Guideline Clearinghouse is no longer being funded and stopped accepting guidelines submitted after March 5, 2018 (source: https://www.ahrq.gov/gam/updates/index.html)
Nursing Reference Center Plus: Limit publication type to "practice guidelines" in advanced search
Practice Guidelines from Specific Organizations
American Academy of Neurology: Practice Guidelines & Tools
American Academy of Pediatrics: Clinical Practice Guidelines
American Association for Respiratory Care: Clinical Practice Guidelines
American College of Cardiology: Practice Guidelines & Quality Standards
American College of Chest Physicians: ACP Clinical Recommendations
American College of Physicians: ACP Clinical Recommendations
American Diabetes Association: Standards of Care
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute: Clinical Practice Guidelines
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE): Clinical Guidelines
Registered Nurses Association of Ontario Clinical Practice Guidelines
Dr. Trisha Greenhalgh's clearly written papers discuss how to critically appraise the medical literature.
These articles appeared originally in the British Journal of Medicine and were later produced as a book: How to Read a Paper.
How to Read a Paper
