Basics in Medical Literature Basics in Medical Literature SearchingSearching
By:MJ Zare
List of databases
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_academic_databases_and_search_engines
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Search formulation
• Dissecting the question into its component parts and restructuring it so that it is easy to find the answers is an essential first step in Evidence Based Medicine.
• Many questions can be divided into 4 parts:• P• I• C• O• T• Example
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Search formulation
• Not all research questions are about interventions. Other types of questions may arise:
• 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•
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Example:
• A 28-year-old male presents with recurrent furunculosis (skin boils) for past 8 months; these episodes have been treated with drainage and several courses of antibiotics but keep recurring. He asks if recurrences can be prevented. To convert this to an answerable question, use the P I C O method as follows :
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Example:
• Question:‘In patients with recurrent furunculosis, do prophylactic antibiotics, compared to no treatment, reduce the recurrence rate?’
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Example:
• George wants to discuss the possibility of a vasectomy. He says he has heard something about vasectomy causing an increase in testicular cancer later in life. You know that the risk of this is low but want to give him a more precise answer.
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Example:
• Question:‘In men, does having a vasectomy (compared to not having one) increase the risk of getting testicular cancer in the future?’
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Example:
• Mabel is a 6-week-old baby at her routine follow-up. She was born prematurely at 35 weeks. You want to tell the parents about her chances of developing hearing problems.
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Example:
• Question:‘In infants born prematurely, compared to those born at full term, what is the subsequent lifetime prevalence of sensory deafness?'
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Example:
• Julie is pregnant for the second time. She had her first baby when she was 33 and had amniocentesis to find out if the baby had Down's Syndrome. The test was negative but it was not a good experience as she did not get the result until she was 18 weeks pregnant. She is now 35, one month pregnant and asks if she can have a test that would give her an earlier result. The local hospital offers serum biochemistry plus nuchal translucency ultrasound as a first trimester test for Down's Syndrome. You wonder if this is as reliable as conventional amniocentesis.
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Example:
• Question:‘For pregnant women, is nuchal translucency ultrasound plus serum biochemistry testing in the first trimester as accurate (ie with equal or better sensitivity and specificity) as conventional amniocentesis for diagnosing Down's Syndrome?’
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Example:
• Mary is a mother who is concerned about her 3-year-old. He has a fever. After you have examined him you conclude that he has a viral infection. Mary asks ‘But what if he has a fever again during the night?’ You want to understand her concerns so that you can reassure her.
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Example:
• Question:For mothers of children with a fever, what are the principal concerns?
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Google Scholar
http://scholar.google.com/
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Google Scholar
http://scholar.google.com/
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PubMed
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/Dr. M.J. Zare Department of Occupational Health [email protected] 21
Cochrane Library
• The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)• The Database of Abstracts and Reviews of
Effectiveness [DARE]• The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials
[CENTRAL]• NHS Economic Evaluations Database [NHS EED]• Health Technology Assessment Database [HTA]• The Cochrane Database of Methodology Reviews
(CDMR)• The Cochrane Methodology Register (CMR)
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Directory of Open Access Journals
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OpenSIGLE
http://www.opengrey.eu/search/Dr. M.J. Zare Department of Occupational Health [email protected] 28
CINAHL: Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health
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CHBD: Circumpolar Health Bibliographic Database
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IngentaConnect
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JournalSeek
JSTOR: Journal Storage
MedlinePlus
POPLINE
PsycINFO
ScienceDirect
Scirus
SpringerLink
Web of Knowledge