Evidence-Based Medicine is the integration of best research evidence with clinical expertise and patient values. (Sackett DL, Straus SE, Richardson WS, et al. Evidence-based medicine: how to practice and teach EBM. 2nd ed. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone, 2000.)
Filtered Resources
Filtered resources appraise the quality of studies and often make recommendations for practice.
Systematic Reviews / Meta-Analyses
The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on the Cochrane Library
Consists of detailed, structured topic reviews of hundreds of articles. Teams of experts complete comprehensive literature reviews, evaluate the literature, and present summaries of the findings of the best studies. Published by the International Cochrane Collaboration. Also available on Ovid
The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effect (DARE)
Full-text database containing structured abstracts of systematic reviews from a variety of medical journals. DARE is produced by the National Health Services' Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD) at the University of York. DARE records cover topics such as diagnosis, prevention, rehabilitation, screening, and treatment.
Systematic Reviews are also searchable in MEDLINE:
In Ovid MEDLINE: Enter your search query; from "Limits" options, select "Systematic Reviews" under "Publication Types." In PubMed: Run your search query; click on "Article Types" on the left side of the screen; Select "Systematic Reviews."
Critically-Appraised TopicsAuthors of critically-appraised topics evaluate and synthesize multiple research studies.
BMJ Best Practice is a point-of-care database created by BMJ Evidence Centre, a division of the BMJ Group. The database is designed to provide clinicians with quickly accessible patient consult information.
DynaMed Plus is a clinical reference tool created by and for physicians and other healthcare professionals. It is designed for use at the point-of-care to validate clinical decisions. It includes overviews and recommendations, graphics and images. It is available for use on mobile devices. Updated daily.
National Guideline Clearinghouse
A comprehensive database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines and related documents produced by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, in partnership with the American Medical Association and the American Association of Health Plans. Updated weekly.
Note: Guideline evidence varies from expert opinion to high levels of evidence.
A clinical information resource, which offers up-to-date, fully referenced expert answers to patient-care, diagnosis, and treatment questions. Topic reviews are written by recognized authorities who review the topic, synthesize the evidence, summarize key findings, and provide specific recommendations.
Critically-Appraised Individual ArticlesAuthors of critically-appraised individual articles evaluate and synopsize individual research studies.
The editors of this journal screen the top 100+ clinical journals and identify studies that are methodologically sound and clinically relevant. An enhanced abstract, with conclusions clearly stated, and a commentary are provided for each selected article. Published by the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine.
Check the Library's ejournals list for multiple subscriptions.
A collaboration between DynaMed Plus and McMaster University's Health Information Research Unit to provide access to current best evidence from research. All articles (from over 120 premier clinical journals) are pre-rated for quality then rated for clinical relevance and interest by at least 3 members of a worldwide panel of practicing physicians.
"Evidence-Based" Journal series
(e.g., Evidence-Based Medicine, Evidence-Based Mental Health, Evidence-Based Nursing) Primary research articles within the discipline are selected for quality and clinical relevance. A structured abstract and expert commentary are provided for each study.
Check the Library's ejournals list for multiple subscriptions.
Clinical awareness system that highlights important new evidence via POEM ("Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters"). POEMs are selected from over 100 leading peer-reviewed medical journals and chosen on the basis of unique and reproducible criteria.
There is a mobile version of this product.
F1000Prime identifies and recommends important articles in biology and medical research publications. Articles are selected by a peer-nominated global 'Faculty' of the world's leading scientists and clinicians who then rate them and explain their importance.
Quality-filtered KT Articles is comprised of citations that are pre-rated for quality by research staff at McMaster University. All articles are then rated for clinical relevance and interest by at least 3 members of a worldwide panel of practicing health professionals.
Unfiltered Resources
Evidence is not always available via filtered resources. Searching the primary literature may be required. It is possible to use specific search strategies in MEDLINE and other databases to achieve the highest possible level of evidence.
To limit your PubMed search to the best evidence-producing studies: Click "Clinical Queries" (umder PubMed Tools). This specialized search is intended for clinicians and has built-in search filters. Five study categories--therapy, diagnosis, etiology, prognosis and clinical prediction guides--are provided, and you may indicate whether you wish your search to be more sensitive (i.e., include most relevant articles but probably including some less relevant ones) or more specific (i.e., include mostly relevant articles but probably omit a few).
To limit your Ovid MEDLINE search to the best evidence-producing studies: Clinical Queries (See PubMed) is searchable in Ovid; click Additional Limits.
Major biomedical and pharmaceutical database covering drug research, pharmacology, pharmaceutics, toxicology, clinical and experimental human medicine, health policy and management, public health, occupational health, environmental health, drug dependence and abuse, psychiatry, forensic medicine, and biomedical engineering/instrumentation. Produced by Excerpta Medica and updated weekly.
To limit your EMBASE search to the best evidence-producing studies: Click "Clinical studies" under "Quick Limits" at the top of the screen.
International coverage of the professional and academic literature in psychology, medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics and other areas.
To limit your PsycINFO search to the best evidence-producing studies: Evidence-Based Practice and Best Practices are both subject headings. Combine hese subject headings with a specific psychological term or limit to "methodology" types.
Meta Search Engine
Simultaneously searches evidence-based sources of systematic reviews, practice guidelines, and critically-appraised topics and articles -- including most of those listed above and many more. Also searches MEDLINE’s Clinical Queries, medical image databases, e-textbooks, and patient information leaflets.
Background Information/Expert Opinion
Searchable and continually updated version of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine.
Electronic textbook of general medicine; updated continually.
EBM Information Sites
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (Oxford University)
The Centre promotes evidence-based health care and provide support and resources to anyone who wants to make use of them. Includes the EBM Toolbox, an assortment of materials which are very useful for practitioners of EBM, and EBM Teaching Materials, including PowerPoint presentations.
From JAMA, includes textbooks, worksheets, calculators, podcasts and more to teach the principles and practice of evidence-based medicine.
EBM Tutorials
Introduction to Evidence-Based Practice
From Duke University Medical Center Library and University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Health Sciences Library.
