Develop a Search Strategy
The AU Libraries have several databases which can help you find evidence-based research articles and answer clinical questions using the PICO format.
After developing your PICO question, follow these steps to develop a search strategy:
- Consider all possible terms for your topic, including synonyms
- Use the Boolean operator OR to combine your synonyms and broaden your search
- Use the Boolean operator AND to look for the intersection of the terms to narrow your search
- Try different combinations of terms, particularly if you have limited results
- Review search results; critically appraise retrieved articles
- Consider using limiters for publication types, age, human, and evidence-based practice, etc.
- Revise search as appropriate
Always remember that the more terms and limiters you use, the narrower your results will be!!!
Recommended Databases
The databases listed below are very useful for finding Evidence Based Practice research, including systematic reviews:
- CINAHL Ultimate This link opens in a new window
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CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) is the premier database for finding Nursing literature. CINAHL contains a core collection of articles, evidence-based care sheets, and book chapters in the areas of nursing and allied health from 1937 to the present.
Limit your search to high-evidence publication types: Systematic Review, Meta Analysis.
- MEDLINE with Full Text This link opens in a new window
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Another great database for finding evidence-based information is the Medline with Full Text database. Medline is created by the National Library of Medicine and is the world's foremost database of biomedical literature. Searching in Medline with Full Text is similar to searching in CINAHL Complete, but some of the evidence-based limiters are slightly different.
Limit your search to high-evidence publication types. Select Publication Type: Systematic Review or Meta Analysis.
- Pubmed (Entrez) This link opens in a new window
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PubMed is a free, authoritative, database of more than 30 million citations produced by the National Library of Medicine and is one of the largest biomedical databases in the world. PubMed provides free access to MEDLINE, the National Library of Medicine's database of citations and abstracts from around the world, which covers fields such as medicine, public health, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, health care systems, and pre-clinical sciences, biomedical and life sciences literature. PubMed also contains some of National Center for Biotechnology Information books, and some in-process citations and citations that are ahead-of-print.
Select Article Type: Systematic Review or Meta Analysis. Also search PubMed Clinical Queries.
How to Search a PICO Question in PubMed:
- Tips for Using PubMedA two-page handout on the basics of PubMed from the National Library of Medlcine.
- Cochrane Library This link opens in a new window
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Cochrane Library is the leading journal and database for finding systematic reviews in health care. It is a powerful evidence-based tool to enhance your healthcare knowledge and decision making. Cochrane reviews are systematic reviews undertaken by members of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international not-for-profit organization. Cochrane aims to help people make well-informed decisions about healthcare by preparing, maintaining, and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions. Cochrane Library also includes clinical trials and other information.
Cochrane Library Basic Search Tutorial from Drexel University Library:
- JBI This link opens in a new windowJoanna Briggs Institute EBP Database is an online resource for healthcare professionals to rapidly access the best available evidence on a wide range of clinical topics at the point of care. Globally acknowledged as a leading producer of evidence-based care, practice guidance and other resources, JBI includes 4500+ JBI Evidence Summaries, Recommended Practices and Best Practice Information Sheets.
Murad, M. H., Montori, V. M., Ioannidis, J. P. A., Jaeschke, R., Devereaux, P. J., Prasad, K., Neumann, I., Carrasco-Labra, A., Agoritsas, T., Hatala, R., Meade, M. O., Wyer, P., Cook, D. J., & Guyatt, G. (2014). How to read a systematic review and meta-analysis and apply the results to patient care: Users’ guides to the medical literature. JAMA : the Journal of the American Medical Association, 312(2), 171–179. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2014.5559