Information Skills for Health

So over the past 50 weeks we have given you a glimpse of the wealth of healthcare related resources that are out there. These can help you to find research, guidelines, etc as well as help you to develop your skills. This seems like a convenient place to stop. If you want to see what all the resources were that we included, just click on the Resource of the Week tag .

What is it? Clinical Knowledge Summaries are evidence-based summaries and practical guidance of a range of primary care presentations. They are developed and published by NICE. Key Features You can find a summary for a condition by selecting from the A-Z list, selecting by specialty or using the simple search box. Screen-shot of the Clinical Knowledge Summaries example page Information presented will often include elements such as diagnosis, management and prescription. References will be included and there is usually an indication of how up-to-date the recommendations are. How can it help you? Clinical Knowledge Summaries are mainly aimed at staff working in Primary Care. You can check the latest evidence for the treatment of the included conditions. How to access it? Clinical Knowledge Summaries are freely available on the Internet on the NICE website.

What is it? This week’s resource is actually several databases. These databases allow you to find clinical trials that have been registered: ClinicalTrials.gov  – US-based registry Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials Current controlled trials UK Clinical Trials Gateway WHO International clinical trial search portal Key Features The registers list the title of the trial and some information about the trial. There may also be an indication of whether the trial is recruiting or whether it is complete. You can search using free-text, some registers allow you to select the medical condition you are interested in. How can it help you? If you are completing a research project it may be worth checking the registers to find out if anyone else is doing the same or similar research. You can subscribe to some of the services so that you are informed of new trials being registered. Some of the trials also indicate whether they are recruiting patients – th...

What is it? The King’s Fund is an independent organisations that aims to improve healthcare in the UK by carrying out research and policy analysis. Key Features King’s Fund publishes a wide range of material – blog, videos, podcasts, research and reports. They cover a wide range of topics including different care environments, patient groups and organisation and staffing issues. Screen-shot of topics covered by the King's Fund You can also subscribe to one of their weekly newsletters to get updates sent to your inbox. How can it help you? This is a good resource if you are looking for information based around healthcare management and policy. How to access it? The King’s Fund is available via the Internet.

What is it? The Cochrane Glossary is a useful reference tool to help you to familiarise yourself with common terms used in healthcare research. This is a simple A-Z list of terms with a description / definition of each term. Screen-shot of the Cochrane Glossary

What is it? Healthwatch England is an organisation that has been set up to champion healthcare issues on behalf of the public. It works in partnership with NHS England and supports a range of local networks . There is a local healthwatch for: Staffordshire Stoke on Trent Key Features Healthwatch networks support their local communities and hope to engage local people in their local healthcare services. They carry out Enter and View reports of local facilities; allow the public to provide feedback on their services and are involved in various projects to explore how people use healthcare services and help to improve local services. How can it help you? The local Healthwatch network groups may be a good resource to point your patients towards if they are looking for additional support. How to access it? Local healthwatch networks have their own websites .

What is it? The Evidence Hierarchy is a pyramid that aims to represent the relative quality of evidence, the hierarchy, that can be determined from various study types. It is suggested that not all evidence is the same, with different study types being subject to strengths, weaknesses, flaws and biases. The study types listed at the top of the pyramid are considered to provide better quality evidence than those at the bottom. There are a variety of different definitions of what is included in the pyramid and there is even some contention as to how useful it is. You can find a helpful definition from the blog Students4BestEvidence . Key Features One of the key things to remember is that the pyramid is only giving you a representation of the quality of the study design , not whether the article you are looking at is “good” or “poor”. You will still need to critically appraise the research paper – for example you may be looking at a randomised controlled trial, but if i...

What is it? The PubMed Single Citation Matcher is a really useful tool that can help you to find the full reference details of an article. Key Features You can enter the various bibliographic details of the article you need, then click search and PubMed will try to find the abstract for you. Screen-shot of PubMed Single citation Matcher For example you may be missing the volume and issue details, or can’t quite remember the journal title where you read an article; just enter the details you have and PubMed will try to find it. If you are looking for the full-text you can then use the reference details to find the article on our journal lists. How to access it? PubMed Single Citation Matcher is freely available on the Internet. eTutorial For more help finding the full-text of a reference: Here’s how to  find the full-text from a Reference Here’s how to  find a Keele eJournal Here’s how to  find an NHS Journal More help? You’ll ...

What is it? Proquest PsychArticles is a bibliographic database containing full-text articles for journals published by the American Psychological Association, the APA Educational Publishing Foundation, the Canadian Psychological Association and Hogrefe & Huber. It covers topics on psychology, behavioural science and mental health issues. Key Features The PsychArticles database is delivered via the Proquest platform and via HDAS. This offers you general functionality such as: Basic and advanced searching options Filter options to focus your search Ability to save searches Ability to export results How can it help you? This is a topic-specific database, providing access to the latest research in the psychology and mental health fields. How to access it? This database is only available to NHS users via their NHS Athens username. You search the database either via the Proquest database or via NHS/NICE HDAS (healthcare databases advanced search). For links ...

What is it? Clinical Key is a clinical search engine that allows you to use simple free text to search through thousands of articles to quickly find answers you need. Key Features It includes a wide range of content, such as: Journals eBooks Drug resources – BNF and BNFc Guidelines – including NICE Patient Education leaflets Videos You can also choose to include Medline in your search as well as the Clinical Key content. When presented with search results you can use the filters to focus your search by: Source type Specialty Date Authoring organisation There are additional advanced features such as saving content and creating presentations. How can it help you? Clinical Key offers you access to a wide range of full-text material in many different forms. The search facility is a simple search engine which can easily help you to find the right information quickly. How to access it? Clinical Key is available to UHNM via their NHS Athen...

What is it? Pubmed is a freely available, online, searchable, bibliographic database, which includes data from Medline. You can use it to complement and supplement your literature searching. Key Features You use the main text box to enter your simple free-text search terms or the more sophisticated advanced search options to combine searches and apply limits. The results list will often include links to freely available article pdfs, though you will need to check on our journal lists for access to most journal titles. The search results list can be filtered, emailed or exported. If you sign-up and create a free login you can also save your searches and set up alerts. How can it help you? Pubmed is a useful extra database for you to search as part of your literature searching. As well as including Medline it does include a number of additional scientific databases. How to access it? Pubmed is freely available on the Internet to search. Note that you ma...

What is it? The NICE/NHS My Journals A-Z List is a list of all the journals that we subscribe to for our NHS Athens users. Key Features You MUST login with your NHS Athens username in order to view all the titles that are available at your trust. You will then be able to search for a journal title. You can also browse the list via the alphabet. Each journal entry will tell you what holdings you can access and, importantly, where you can access the articles from ie the platform, database or publisher website. How can it help you? This list is the main “go to” list to check whether you have access to the full-text of the articles you are looking for. How to access it? You can find a link to the list via the Journals page on the Health Library website. eTutorial Complete our etutorial Finding NHS eJournal s to learn more about the list or check our Information Skills blog for quick step-by-step instructions on using the list .

What is it? The Centre for Reviews and Dissemination , or CRD, is a research institute based at the University of York. They specialise in evidence synthesis of multiple research studies and complete systematic reviews and economic evaluations to support healthcare decision-making and development of policy. Key Features One of the key resources produced by the CRD is the CRD database. This allows you search for CRD reviews, economic evaluations and health technology assessments. The database allows you to combine search terms using AND, OR or NOT, and use publication date to focus search results. The results list includes items that match your search criteria. The entry for each search record will include the bibliographic information and where possible a link to the full-text. You can select search entries and export them. Some of the entries include a commentary from CRD. Don’t forget to check other resources available to you for the full-text of the entry, if the full...

What is it? AMED is the Allied and Complementary Medicine Database. It is a key database that offers access to complementary and alternative medicine topics, such as acupuncture, chiropractic, herbalism, homeopathy, hospice care, hypnosis, palliative care, physiotherapy, podiatry, and rehabilitation. You can search across a range of nursing and allied health focused publications, to find articles for your search. Key Features We provide access to the AMED database via 2 routes: Ebsco databases – for Keele staff and students HDAS databases – for NHS staff Both these routes allow you to use the following functionality: Perform simple and advanced searching Use thesaurus searching Save searches Export results Access some full-text articles How can it help you? The AMED database allows you to search a wide range of nursing, allied health and complimentary health focused publications, to find the research you need for your assignments, dissertations and r...

What is it? Web of Science is a multidisciplinary database covering science, social sciences and arts and humanities. It offers access to research tools like citation reports and cited reference searching, and personalised features such as saved searches and alerts. The Web of Science Core Collection contains access to the following: Science Citation Index Expanded (1970-present) Social Sciences Citation Index (1970-present) Arts & Humanities Citation Index (1975-present) Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Science (1990-present) Conference Proceedings Citation Index- Social Science & Humanities (1990-present) Book Citation Index– Science (2005-present) Book Citation Index– Social Sciences & Humanities (2005-present) Key Features You can complete a basic or advanced search, as well as use the citation searcher to look for articles, including where the article is cited. You have a range of filters that you can use to focus your search results. ...

What is it? RefWorks is a reference management software. It helps you to keep track of the articles and references that you find during your searching. Key Features You can use Refworks to: Save your references Organise your references into folders Import a reference from a website, journal, database or Library Search Create references manually Edit your references if needed Create a bibliography or list of references Add tags which you can use to group references Search your References Remove duplicate references Upload documents Share your references, for example with your project team or tutor Use Cite to add citations directly into your documents How can it help you? RefWorks can help you to keep track of all your references as you work through your course. How to access it? RefWorks is only available to Keele University staff and students. More help? There are a number of places where you can get more help: You can find help about R...

What is it? TRIP Pro is an upgraded version of the TRIP database. For more information about the TRIP database see our resource of the week #21 . Key Features Extra features in TRIP Pro include: More systematic reviews Database of medical images Clinical videos Links to full-text articles Reference management tool exports Advanced search options How can it help you? TRIP is an excellent search engine to help you to find good quality, high-level, medical related information. How to access it? TRIP Pro is feely available to NHS staff members, via the NHS network. More help? There are a range of “how to” videos to help you to get to grips with all the functionality of TRIP. You may also be interested in items posted on the TRIP blog .

What is it? NICE Evidence Search is a healthcare-based search engine provided by NICE. You can use it to search across a wide range of approved healthcare-based, mainly secondary, resources. It can be really useful to help you to find high-level evidence such as summaries and guidelines. Screen-shot of the home page for NICE Evidence Search Key Features Evidence Search offers you a simple search box to enter your search terms. Results are presented according to relevance. You can then use the options on the left-hand-side to filter the results according to: Evidence Type Area of Interest Source Date You can also select to view only those items from NICE accredited resources. How can it help you? This is an excellent search engine that can help you to focus on good quality healthcare resources, available in the UK. How to access it? NICE Evidence Search is freely available on the Internet. Many of the resources it finds are also freely available, howe...

What is it? The Keele A-Z eJournals List details all the online journal titles that Keele University subscribes to. Key Features You can use the list to: Browse for a title using the A-Z links Search for a journal title View the holdings available Use the online link to go to the journal page and access the full-text How can it help you? The Keele A-Z journal list helps you to find the full-text of articles. Full-text may not always be via the publisher page, thus it is always important to check the A-Z to see if the title is available elsewhere eg a database or other platform. NHS library members may have access to Keele networked resources via the Keele network. Ask for a temporary login at the counter. How to access it? The Keele journals A-Z list is available on the Internet via Library Search . You do not need a log in to see what is available on the list. However you will need a Keele computer login to access the full-text of any articles. Video...

What is it? CASP is the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme. This is a skills programme devised by a training and consultancy firm to help users to learn about and understand the critical appraisal of healthcare–related studies. Part of the programme provides checklists to help users to systematically critically appraise studies. These checklists are available online. Key Features Checklists are available for a range of study types: Systematic Reviews Qualitative Studies Randomised Controlled Trials Case Control Studies Cohort Studies You can either print off the checklist or fill it in online and then download and save it. How can it help you? The CASP checklists prompt you to think about various aspects of a study in order to help you to decide whether the study is valid, the results make sense and it is relevant to your question. How to access it? The checklists are freely available online. eTutorial Our etutorial Critical Appraisal Tools...