Health Information Databases
Sabelo Mapasure, MA, MCLIP
SCHT & PCTs Library & Knowledge
Services Manager
Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
Sabelo.mapasure@shropcom.nhs.uk
Aims and objectives
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Introduction to searching clinical
databases to find information relevant
to individual needs and interests
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Plan a search strategy to search for
information
Aware of various clinical databases
Carry out a search for information
Display/print/export/save search results
Leave the session with some useful
information of occupational interest, CPD
or studies.
ATHENS Databases
Have you signed up?
 ATHENS list of resources
www.athens.nhs.uk
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Types of Questions
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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
P.I.C.O. Method
P
I
C
O
Population/patient
Intervention/indicator
Comparator/control
Outcome
In Evidence Based Medicine (EBM),
treatments and therapies are called
‘interventions’.
http://learntech.physiol.ox.ac.uk/cochrane_tutorial/cochlibd0e84.php
Plan your search
PICO method
 Medical Subject Headings
(MeSH)
 Keywords
 Combining Terms (AND, OR,
NOT)
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Example Question
In patients with recurrent
furunculosis, do prophylactic
antibiotics, compared to no
treatment, reduce the
recurrence rate?
Example answer
P Population/patient = patients with recurrent
furunculosis
I Intervention/indicator = prophylactic
antibiotics
C Comparator/control = no treatment
O Outcome = reduction in recurrence rate of
furunculosis
Boolean Logic
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AND
OR
NOT
Wildcards e.g. *
Proximity searching
http://www.internettutorials.net/boolean.asp
Selecting the databases
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AMED (Allied and Complementary
Medicine)
BNI (British Nursing Index)
EMBASE
Medline
CINAHL (Cumulative Index to
Nursing and Allied Health Literature)
PsycINFO
Health Business Elite
HMIC
Searching
Simple Search
 Advanced Search
 Search using Thesaurus
Mapping (recommended)
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Search Results
Display or Browse
 Save
 Print
 Export
 Alerts
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Practical exercise
1.
2.
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Plan your search strategy using
given question or use your own.
Perform a search (advanced
recommended)
Combine sets
Search limits by: adults, English,
2000+
Display results
E-mail results
Change database and repeat search
Save Search and Create Alerts
Exercise 1
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Clinical question:
How effective is hypnotherapy as
a form of treatment for irritable
bowel syndrome?
Practical exercise 2
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Clinical question:
In a 70 year old woman with
primary insomnia and a previous
adverse reaction to hypnotics, can
cognitive behavior therapy improve
sleep quality and duration?
Practical exercise 3
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Clinical question
I am looking for references on
treatment exercises i.e. anterior
patellofemoral syndrome in
adolescent girls.
Objectives - Recap
Plan a search strategy to search for
information
 Be aware of various clinical databases
 Carry out a search for information
 Display/print/export/save search
results
 Leave the session with some useful
information of occupational interest,
CPD or studies.

Finally…Thank you for attending!
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Impact assessment (please complete online)
https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/posttraining_appraisal_PCT_LKS
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Other courses are available, please ask
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Sabelo Mapasure
SCHT & PCTs Library and Knowledge Services
library@shropcom.nhs.uk