1. 11 David Watson East Midlands Library Trainers Searching the health databases

2. 22 Health care databases Medline EMBASE CINAHL BNI All databases use the same search software & link with the rest of NHS Evidence. AMED PsycINFO HMIC Health Business Elite

3. 33 Other links Full text journal articles Paper journals held in local Health Libraries & Resource Centres

4. 4 Searching the Healthcare databases Learning outcomes Plan a search strategy Access the databases Know which databases to use Choose search terms Combine search terms Limit and view search results Save, print, email search results Save a search & create an auto alert

5. 55 Planning a search strategy Turning your search topic into a question can help in identifying the different elements within a search eg if you want to know whether to use aspirin or paracetamol to relieve headache pain becomes - Is aspirin more effective than paracetamol at relieving pain from headaches? Next break the topic down into its individual subject areas One way of doing this is by using the PICO formula Patient, Population or Problem/Intervention/Comparison/Outcome

6. 66 Planning a search strategy Patient/Problem/Population – Headache Intervention – Aspirin Comparison – Paracetamol Outcome – Pain relief Not all the areas need to have something in them

7. 77 Other examples Is flu vaccine effective in reducing sick leave for healthcare staff? P – Healthcare staff I – Influenza vaccine C – O – Sick leave reduction

8. 88 In keeping with our smoking cessation theme Are smoking cessation strategies effective in pregnancy? P – Pregnant women, smoking I – Smoking cessation strategy C – O – Stopping smoking

9. 99 Alternative terms Also try and think of alternative terminology for your subjects – Pregnant, pregnancy, prenatal, baby. Stopping, stop, cease, discourage, prevent. Smoke, smoking, cigarettes. Strategy, intervention, plan

10. 10 Let’s get started! Please go to the Internet Go to the NHS Evidence Internet site www.evidence.nhs.uk