Health Information Databases

Sabelo Mapasure, MA, MCLIPSCHT & PCTs Library & Knowledge Services ManagerShropshire Community Health NHS Trust

Sabelo.mapasure@shropcom.nhs.uk

Aims and objectives

Introduction to searching clinical databases to find information relevant to individual needs and interests

Plan a search strategy to search for information

Aware of various clinical databases Carry out a search for information Display/print/export/save search results Leave the session with some useful

information of occupational interest, CPD or studies.

ATHENS Databases

Have you signed up? ATHENS list of resources

www.athens.nhs.uk

Types of Questions

What causes the problem? AETIOLOGY, RISK FACTORS

What is the frequency of the problem? FREQUENCY

Does this person have the problem? DIAGNOSIS

Who will get the problem? PROGNOSIS, PREDICTION

P.I.C.O. Method

P     Population/patient I     Intervention/indicator  C     Comparator/control  O     Outcome

In Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), treatments and therapies are called ‘interventions’.

http://learntech.physiol.ox.ac.uk/cochrane_tutorial/cochlibd0e84.php

Plan your search

PICO method Medical Subject Headings

(MeSH) Keywords Combining Terms (AND, OR,

NOT)

Example Question

  In patients with recurrent furunculosis, do prophylactic antibiotics, compared to no treatment, reduce the recurrence rate?

Example answer

P  Population/patient =  patients with recurrent furunculosis 

I  Intervention/indicator = prophylactic antibiotics 

C  Comparator/control =  no treatment 

O  Outcome =  reduction in recurrence rate of furunculosis

Boolean Logic AND OR NOT Wildcards e.g. * Proximity searching

http://www.internettutorials.net/boolean.asp

Selecting the databases

AMED (Allied and Complementary Medicine)

BNI (British Nursing Index) EMBASE Medline CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing

and Allied Health Literature) PsycINFO Health Business Elite HMIC

Searching

Simple Search Advanced Search

Search using Thesaurus Mapping (recommended)

Search Results

Display or Browse Save Print Export Alerts

Practical exercise

1. Plan your search strategy using given question or use your own.

2. Perform a search (advanced recommended)

3. Combine sets4. Search limits by: adults, English, 2000+5. Display results6. E-mail results7. Change database and repeat search8. Save Search and Create Alerts

Exercise 1

Clinical question:

How effective is hypnotherapy as a form of treatment for irritable bowel syndrome?

Practical exercise 2

Clinical question:

In a 70 year old woman with primary insomnia and a previous adverse reaction to hypnotics, can cognitive behavior therapy improve sleep quality and duration?

Practical exercise 3

Clinical question

I am looking for references on treatment exercises i.e. anterior patellofemoral syndrome in adolescent girls.

Objectives - Recap

Plan a search strategy to search for information

Be aware of various clinical databasesCarry out a search for informationDisplay/print/export/save search

resultsLeave the session with some useful

information of occupational interest, CPD or studies.

Finally…Thank you for attending!

Impact assessment (please complete online) https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/post-training_appr

aisal_PCT_LKS

Other courses are available, please ask

Sabelo MapasureSCHT & PCTs Library and Knowledge Services

library@shropcom.nhs.uk