Health Information Databases

1
Health Information Databases

• Sabelo Mapasure, MA, MCLIP
• SCHT PCTs Library Knowledge Services Manager
• Shropshire Community Health NHS Trust
• Sabelo.mapasure_at_shropcom.nhs.uk

2
Aims and objectives

• Introduction to searching clinical databases to
  find information relevant to individual needs and
  interests
• 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.

3
ATHENS Databases

• Have you signed up?
• ATHENS list of resources www.athens.nhs.uk

4
Types of Questions

• 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

5
P.I.C.O. Method

• P     Population/patient 
• I     Intervention/indicator 
• C     Comparator/control 
• O     Outcome
• In Evidence Based Medicine (EBM), treatments and
  therapies are called interventions.
• http//learntech.physiol.ox.ac.uk/cochrane_tutoria
  l/cochlibd0e84.php

6
Plan your search

• PICO method
• Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)
• Keywords
• Combining Terms (AND, OR, NOT)

7
Example Question

•   In patients with recurrent furunculosis, do
  prophylactic antibiotics, compared to no
  treatment, reduce the recurrence rate?

8
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

9
Boolean Logic

• AND
• OR
• NOT
• Wildcards e.g.
• Proximity searching

http//www.internettutorials.net/boolean.asp
10
Selecting the databases

• 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

11
Searching

• Simple Search
• Advanced Search
• Search using Thesaurus Mapping (recommended)

12
Search Results

• Display or Browse
• Save
• Print
• Export
• Alerts

13
Practical exercise

• 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

14
Exercise 1

• Clinical question
• How effective is hypnotherapy as a form of
  treatment for irritable bowel syndrome?

15
Practical exercise 2

• 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?

16
Practical exercise 3

• Clinical question
• I am looking for references on treatment
  exercises i.e. anterior patellofemoral syndrome
  in adolescent girls.

17
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.

18
FinallyThank you for attending!

• Impact assessment (please complete online)
• https//www.surveymonkey.com/s/post-training_appra
  isal_PCT_LKS
• Other courses are available, please ask
• Sabelo Mapasure
• SCHT PCTs Library and Knowledge Services
• library_at_shropcom.nhs.uk