LibGuides: Nursing: Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-Based Practice and Systematic Reviews

Evidence-Based Practice

Evidence-based practice (EBP, Evidence-Based Medicine, or Evidence-Based Nursing), is a systematic process of appraising and using current research findings. The process includes these steps:

formulating a clear clinical question of patient needs
searching the current literature
evaluating the literature and deciding which studies are valid and useful to the patient
applying the findings to the patient's care
evaluating the outcome

Systematic Reviews

A systematic review focuses on a single question and tries to identify, appraise, select and synthesize all high-quality research evidence relevant to that question. It often uses the same techniques as the meta-analysis to combine valid research studies. The seven steps for preparing a systematic review as outlined by the Cochrane Handbook are:

formulating the problem
locating & selecting studies
critical appraisal of the studies
collecting data,
analyzing & presenting results
interpreting the results
improving & updating the systematic review

Sources of Systematic Reviews

STLCC Library Databases

CINAHL Complete This link opens in a new window
Professional nursing literature and related fields. (Unlimited users).
The Advanced Search option includes the CINAHL Subject Headings Thesaurus.
CINAHL Complete includes citations, abstracts and full text of journal articles, dissertations, and other materials. It indexes 3804 journals, including 466 in full-text, and provides 133 full-text evidence-based care sheets.

Help video
System Requirements
Ovid Nursing This link opens in a new window
In the multi-field search, enter "systematic reviews" in a search box and choose "document type" from the drop-down box.
Natural language searching across journals, books, and databases, enhanced search modes, additional functionality in the results display, search aids, and new productivity tools are among the key features of OvidSP.
Search Help
PubMed This link opens in a new window
To limit a search to Systematic Reviews in PubMed, use the filter on the left under Article Type or add AND systematic[sb] to your search. You can also use an Article Type filter for clinical trials, randomized controlled trials, or meta-analysis articles.
PubMed is a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine that provides free access to the NLM database of indexed citations and abstracts to medical, nursing, dental, veterinary, health care, and preclinical sciences journal articles. Their database of articles includes leading international medical journals.

PubMed Help

Open Websites

Some open websites include free abstracts and/or citations, but the full article or review is only available for a fee. Use the Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan form to request articles that are not readily available in the library databases or open web.

Cochrane Summaries
This is the open website for summaries and abstracts from the Cochrane Library.
Search Evidence-Based Practice Center Reports
From the AHRQ (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) of the U.S. Department of Health & Human Services

Clinical Trials

"Clinical Trials" from MedlinePlus
Basic information on clinical trials, including some videos. Written for a patient/consumer or general public audience.
ClinicalTrials.gov
A searchable database of clinical trials around the world. Search or filter by country, recruiting status and eligibility factors, disease or condition, and more.
NIH Clinical Research Trials and You
Information for prospective trial participants, including a basic overview of the clinical trial process and the importance of clinical trials.

Additional Resources

What is Evidence--Based Practice in Nursing?
From ANA, the American Nurses Association.
Evidence Based Practice
A guide from the Duke University Medical Center Library. Evidence-Based Practice encompasses evidence-based medicine, evidence-based nursing, and specific medical disciplines.
Best Practice Guidelines
Registered Nurses' Association of Ontario

Nursing