1. How to search for research evidence: introduction to finding research on the internet using free resources Alison Bethel Morwenna Rogers Information Specialists

2. Overview Discussion Resources Finding evidence fast (using TRIP and NICE Evidence) Basic search techniques The Cochrane Library PubMed Activity

3. Common problems with searching Too many results Not enough results Absent records Too many resources! When do you stop?

4. Hierarchy of Evidence

5. Type of informationResourceWebsite GUIDELINES TRIPhttp://www.tripdatabase.com/ NICE Evidence Searchhttp://www.evidence.nhs.uk/ SYSTEMATIC REVIEWS TRIPhttp://www.tripdatabase.com/ Cochrane Library (CDSR and DARE)http://www.thecochranelibrary.com RANDOMISED CONTROLLED TRIALS Cochrane Library (CENTRAL)http://www.thecochranelibrary.com PUBMED (or MEDLINE)http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed EMBASE(via library) SUBJECT SPECIFIC DATABASES PsycINFO (mental health/psychology)(via library) CINAHL (nursing)(via library REGISTRIESCurrent Controlled Trialshttp://www.controlled-trials.com/ Finding the Evidence

6. Scenario A friend has an elderly aunt with dementia. Your friend has heard that physical exercise might be good for relieving some of the symptoms of dementia and slowing decline. She asks for your advice on how to find the evidence.

7. Does physical exercise help to relieve the symptoms of dementia and reduce the speed of decline?

8. A clinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care. Motto is ‘Find evidence fast’ Unique algorithm As well as research evidence TRIP includes images, videos, patient information leaflets, educational courses and news.

9. NICE Evidence search A unique index of selected, authoritative and evidence-based information. Free access to health, public health and social care information Over 1000 trustworthy and accredited sources Search using wildcards, filters and exact phrases. Sources include: British National Formulary, Clinical Knowledge Summaries, SIGN, the Cochrane Library and Royal Colleges, Social Care Online and GOV.UK.

10. TITLEEpidemiological and Neurobiological Evidence of an Age-related Clinical Condition AUTHORPanza F, Solfrizzi V, Barulli MR SOURCERejuvenation Res SUBJECTAged; dementia; epidemiology TITLECaffeine consumption and prevention of dementia: a systematic review. AUTHORPanza F, Solfrizzi V, Barulli MR SOURCE J Nutr Health Aging SUBJECT Dementia; coffee; caffeine TITLECaregiver burden characterization in patients with Alzheimer's disease AUTHORD'Onofrio G, Sancarlo D SOURCEInt J Geriatr Psychiatry SUBJECTAlzheimer’s Disease; dementia, caregivers ANATOMY OF A DATABASE Database: A collection of records RECORDS (consist of fields) FIELDS (individual elements of information)

11. Term Selection: using your PICO Does physical exercise help to relieve the symptoms of dementia and reduce the speed of decline? P opulation terms: I ntervention terms: C omparator terms: O utcome terms: Dementia, Alzheimer’s, cognitive impairment Exercise, physical activity, sport, walking N/A Decline, memory, depression, quality of life, falls, hospital admission etc.

12. Term Selection: using your PICO Population (Group 1) Intervention (Group 2) ComparatorOutcomes (Group 3) DementiaExerciseDecline Alzheimer’sPhysical activityMemory CognitiveWalkingAdmissions GardeningFalls OR AND

13. AND Exercise AND dementia OR Dementia OR Alzheimer’s NOT Tuberculosis NOT badgers Can combine search phrases: Exercise AND (dementia OR alzheimer*) (Walking OR gardening) AND (dementia OR alzheimer*) Boolean logic

14. Think about…. Truncation or wildcard* $ ? flight? Or flight* Phrase searching() ““blood clots” (blood clots) Abbreviations and acronymsADHD or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder Synonymsheart attack or myocardial infarction Previous terminologyneurodisability or neurological disability

15. Term Selection: using your PICO Population (Group 1) Intervention (Group 2) ComparatorOutcomes (Group 3) DementiaExercise*Decline Alzheimer*“Physical activit*” Memory CognitiveWalk*Admissions GardeningFalls OR AND

16. Term selection: search string (Dementia OR Alzheimer* OR Cognitive) AND (Exercise OR “physical activity” OR walk* OR gardening”) AND (decline OR depression OR “quality of life” OR admissions )

17. The Cochrane Library A collection of six databases that contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence 1.CDSR – Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews 2.DARE – Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects 3.CENTRAL – Database of Randomised Controlled Trials 4.HTA database 5.Cochrane Methods Database 6.NHS EED

18. PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed Database from the US National Library of Medicine Free to search More than 24 million citations from MEDLINE and life science journals LinkOut function provides some access to full text

19. Other places NHS Choices: – http://www.nhs.uk/ http://www.nhs.uk/ The King’s Fund publications: – http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications http://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications Social Care Institute for Excellence, Social Care Online – http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/ http://www.scie-socialcareonline.org.uk/ AgeInfo: – http://www.cpa.org.uk/ageinfo/ http://www.cpa.org.uk/ageinfo/ Alzheimer’s Society library, dementia catalogue: – http://dementiacatalogue.alzheimers.org.uk/library/libraryHome.do http://dementiacatalogue.alzheimers.org.uk/library/libraryHome.do Twitter YouTube

20. ACTIVITY Does a daily supplement of Vitamin C protect people from catching common colds?

21. Summary Choose your resources according to hierarchy of evidence – search for best first Choose your search terms carefully Think about groups of terms – use your PICO to help you Search for terms within groups using ‘OR’ and then link groups of terms with ‘AND’ Use the help function within each database You don’t have to use every group in the search

22. Thank you Contact: morwenna.rogers@exeter.ac.uk a.bethel@exeter.ac.uk Twitter: @EvidSynthTeam