Evidence-Based Practice Resources

by Amy Studer, Bruce Abbott — September 18, 2021

Evidence-Based Practice Resources

by Amy Studer, Bruce Abbott — September 18, 2021

Evidence-Based Practice Resources

by Amy Studer, Bruce Abbott – September 18, 2021

image of evidence based practice venn diagramThis guide provides an overview of evidence-based practice (EBP) resources, including:

  • resources for learning about EBP
  • clinical point-of-care tools
  • practice guidelines
  • systematic reviews
  • literature databases
  • background sources

Here’s a tip sheet that can help you get started.

Library VPN (Pulse Secure) is required to access library-licensed resources while off-campus or using guest wifi.

Amy Studer


Health Sciences Librarian

acstuder@ucdavis.edu

916-734-0206

In this Guide:

Resources for Teaching & Learning About EBP

image of EBP cycle

Websites, tutorials, and tools

E-books from UC Davis Library

 

 

Practice Guidelines

Identifying practice guidelines on a topic can often be a challenge — here are some tips.

Best places to look:

  • PubMed: Filter by “practice guideline” article type
  • UpToDate: Topics often include “society guidelines”
  • ECRI Guidelines Trust: Some guidelines include appraisal Scorecards
  • TRIP Medical Database: Apply guidelines filter, by country
  • Essential Evidence Plus: Topic “Evidence” tabs often include guidelines
  • Selected government or professional organization websites (e.g., CDC, USPSTF, AAFP, ACP)
  • Google search example: General topic + guideline + (site:.gov OR site:.org)

To discover practice guidelines, consider using more general search terms (rather than using a focused search strategy such as PICO). Practice guidelines frequently cover broader topics, with guidance about specific aspects of the broader topic included within.

Resources about clinical practice guidelines, including worksheets for evaluation quality:

ECRI Guidelines Trust [Free]

Users must first register for a free personal account to access ECRI Guidelines Trust content from the ECRI Institute website. The ECRI Guidelines Trust provides free access to a subset of information that is available from ECRI Institute.

“ECRI Guidelines Trust TM is a publicly available web-based repository of objective, evidence-based clinical practice guideline content. Its purpose is to provide physicians, nurses, other clinical specialties, and members of the healthcare community with up-to-date clinical practices to advance safe and effective patient care. This centralized repository includes evidence-based guidance developed by nationally and internationally recognized medical organizations and medical specialty societies.” In addition to clinical practice guidelines, content includes Guideline Briefs and TRUST Scorecards. Source: About ECRI Guidelines Trust

AHRQ Evidence-Based Reports & Technical Assessments [Free]

Provides complete titles of released evidence reports, comparative effectiveness reviews, technical briefs, Technology Assessment Program reports, and U.S. Preventive Services Task Force evidence syntheses. These reports may be used for informing and developing coverage decisions, quality measures, educational materials and tools, clinical practice guidelines, and research agendas.

TRIP Database Pro

TRIP Database (Turning Research Into Practice) 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. Categories searched by the TRIP Database include: evidence based synopses; systematic reviews; guidelines (US & UK); fore primary research; and patient information.

Search TRIP



http://www.tripdatabase.com/

Systematic Reviews

What is a systematic review?

Institute of Medicine (2011): “A scientific investigation that focuses on a specific question and uses explicit, planned scientific methods to identify, select, assess, and summarize the findings of similar but separate studies. It may or may not include a quantitative synthesis of the results from separate studies (meta-analysis).”

Cochrane: What are systematic reviews? [short videos]

Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews is an important resources for high quality systematic reviews in health care, including all reviews and protocols prepared by Cochrane Review Groups. Each Cochrane Review is a peer-reviewed systematic review that has been prepared and supervised by a Cochrane Review Group (editorial team), and prepared according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions or Cochrane Handbook for Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews.

Cochrane Systematic Reviews are also discoverable in PubMed, Essential Evidence Plus, and TRIP Pro.

Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) Evidence Based Practice Database

The Joanna Briggs Institute, an international not-for-profit research and development organization, develops evidence for nursing, allied health, and medical professionals, as well as healthcare consumers. Systematic reviews in JBI EBP Database complement those found in the Cochrane Library. Includes: Evidence Summaries — Literature reviews that summarize existing international literature on common healthcare interventions and activities; Evidence-Based Recommended Practices — Database of procedures that describe and/or recommend practice on various clinical topics; Best Practice Information Sheets — Series of information guideline sheets produced specifically for practicing health professionals; Systematic Reviews — Comprehensive systematic reviews of international research literature completed by trained JBI reviewers; Consumer Information Sheets — Standardized summaries designed just for consumers of healthcare (patients, clients, and care providers); Systematic Review Protocols — Developed by the Collaborating Centers of JBI, which are made up of international experts from over 40 countries from a range of health disciplines; and, Technical Reports — Documentation of all aspects of the development of Best Practice Information Sheets.

PubMed Clinical Queries (Systematic Reviews) [Free]

Accessible from the PubMed homepage, Clinical Queries utilizes search filters designed to retrieve systematic reviews, meta-analyses, practice guidelines, clinical trials, and human medical genetics-related articles.  Clinical trials results can be customized based on PICO search categories: etiology, diagnosis, therapy, prognosis, and clinical prediction guides.

TRIP Database Pro

TRIP Database (Turning Research Into Practice) 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. Categories searched by the TRIP Database include: evidence based synopses; systematic reviews; guidelines (US & UK); fore primary research; and patient information.

More health science discipline-specific systematic review databases

The “Locating Systematic Reviews” section of this library guide will direct you to systematic review databases for various health science disciplines, such as: Campbell Collaboration, DARE, DoPHER, EPPI-Centre, OTseeker, PEDro, PsycBITE, SpeechBite, VetSRev.

Background Information & Expert Opinion

Background resources provide an overview of a disease or condition, including what is generally known and accepted.  Common examples include textbooks or peer-reviewed review articles on a topic.  It is important to note the publication date and currency of references.

PubMed (Review article filter)

Filter PubMed search results by “review” article in left pre-set filters.

Access Medicine

AccessMedicine is an online platform for a collection of core medical eBooks and test preparation resources from McGraw Hill.

UC Davis Health Science Library Electronic Texts (select)

This guide offers a selected list of health sciences eBooks available through UC Davis Library.

Library Search

Library Search is the new UC Davis Library catalog search tool.

50 Studies Every Doctor Should Know, Revised Edition: The Key Studies that Form the Foundation of Evidence Based Medicine  

This online resource presents key studies that have shaped the practice of medicine. Selected using a rigorous methodology, it covers topics including dieting, cardiovascular disease, insomnia, obstetrics, and more. For each study, a concise summary is presented with an emphasis on the results and limitations of the study, and its implications for practice. Brief information on other relevant studies is provided, and an illustrative clinical case concludes each review. A section of review questions and answers is included to ensure that readers take away the key messages from each study.

OVID/LWW Health Library

Relevant to health professions students (MD, MEPN, NP, PA), the OVID/LWW Health Library includes the following core online textbooks and video collections that are licensed by the UC Davis Library:

  • Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy
  • Bate’s Visual Guide to Physical Examination
  • LWW Health Library Advanced Practice Nursing Collection
  • LWW Health Library Anatomical Sciences Collection

Content strengths include the basic medical sciences, as well as both general and specialty-focused clinical knowledge and skills. Either browse the content for each package or use the library catalog to find individual ebook titles. Highlights include Moore’s Clinically Oriented Anatomy, Grant’s Atlas of Human Anatomy, Bates’ Guide to Physical Examination and History Taking, Drugs in Pregnancy and Lactation, and selected titles from the “BluePrints” and “Step-Up” review series.

MedlinePlus

MedlinePlus is an online health information resource for patients and their families and friends. It is a service of the National Library of Medicine. It is the mission to MedlinePlus to “present high-quality, relevant health and wellness information that is trusted and easy to understand, both in English and Spanish.”

Medline Plus provides information on health topics, human genetics, medical tests, medications, and dietary supplements. Topics include links to authoritative information resources.