Skip to main content

Looking for systematic reviews? Go straight to the Cochrane Library

Looking for systematic reviews? Go straight to the Cochrane Library

What is it?

The Cochrane Library publishes analysis and reviews of research studies looking at the same problems, in order to combine the research to develop a consensus view. Reviewers perform a detailed systematic search of the literature to identify good quality studies to investigate and draw valid conclusions from. Their conclusions are published as a systematic review of the particular medical problem.

Systematic Reviews will give you an overview of the literature and current research on a topic.

How to Access…

Who is it for?

The Cochrane Library is freely available on the Internet within the UK, accessible to everyone.

Log in

No login is required.

Key Features

Databases

The Cochrane Library includes the following databases:

  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews – full-text of reviews and protocols prepared by the Cochrane review Groups.
  • Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials – reports and bibliographic data of randomized and quasi-randomized controlled trials.
  • Cochrane Clinical Answers – easy-to-read short answers to clinical problems, to support clinical decision-making, based on systematic reviews.

Browse

You can browse through the available systematic reviews either by healthcare topic or by content produced by each Cochrane Review Group.

Search

You can use the simple search box to enter your search terms. Your results will be presented with a tab for each different type of content. You can use filter options to focus your search.

Presentation of example Search Results

Advanced Search

You can use the Advanced Search options to create a search strategy within the Search Manager. This allows you to develop individual search rows, use the thesaurus and combine searches.

Evidently Cochrane – the Cochrane Library Blog

Evidently Cochrane is a blog published by the Cochrane Library. Here you can find discussions about the latest systematic reviews on a range of healthcare topics. Topics are divided into categories, which also include Evidence for Everyday Midwifery and Evidence for Everyday Nursing. The blog is freely available online.

More Help

You can find more help on the using the Cochrane Library in the Online Guides and Support section of our website.

You might like to try our sway presentation Searching Cochrane Library for Systematic Reviews which includes videos.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Get British Journal of Healthcare Assistants in your inbox

 Support workers and nursing and healthcare assistants at UHNM can get the latest issues of the British Journal of Healthcare Assistants  sent straight to their inbox. This journal focuses on nursing and healthcare assistants as well as assistant practitioners. You'll find articles to help you in your work and support your career development. View the latest issue online here . Highlighted Articles Here's a flavour of the articles you can read. Type 2 diabetes in adults: an overview Healthcare assistants will routinely encounter patients living with a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes, and may be involved in the assessment and long-term management process as part of their day to day practice. Therefore, it is important for healthcare assistants to understand the pathophysiology and causative factors of the condition to enable better treatment and management plans, and provide safe and effective care. Men's health: an introduction This article, the first in the series on men'...

Libraries supporting nursing and healthcare assistants at UHNM

 We think libraries offer great support to nursing and healthcare assistants. Well, we would, wouldn’t we? But don’t just take our word for it. The British Journal of Healthcare Assistants published a series of articles explaining how you can use your library’s services and resources to support your course studies and work. Access British Journal of Healthcare Assistants Staff at UHNM have access to this journal. You’ll need to log in with an NHS OpenAthens username. Register for your username by completing this online form . For more help about NHS OpenAthens see our web page here . Reading Articles The links presented below will take you to an access page where you can choose which format to view the article in – PDF or online. You can also select to view all the articles in the same issue. See the image below for an example article. Using the Library: articles from the British Journal of Healthcare Assistants Read these short articles to learn more about how you use...

Login to Library Search – step-by-step instructions for NHS staff

  Library Search is a discovery tool, allowing you to find items within the library collections. You can search Library Search without logging in to view books and ebooks available in our collections. By logging in to your library account on Library Search you can access a range of additional functionality, such as: Viewing details of your library account Submitting a request to hold a book for you Adding items to your e-bookshelf Saving searches Note that for NHS users logging in to Library Search does not give you access to full-text items. As an NHS member of staff you access online resources using your NHS OpenAthens username. Anatomy of a Library Card First let’s take a quick look at the most important components of your library card. Your library card and library card number give you access to print resources as well as library services. They confirm that you are a member of the library. Your name : this will be printed on your card, so you’ll know it’s yours!...