Many of the resources listed here require you to use an ATHENS ID and password. These are freely available to all NHS staff - just click on the 'Register for database use' link on the left. If you're unsure how to search these databases, give any of our libraries a call and book a training session. If you work in primary care, Rachel Coton, our Primary Care Librarian, runs sessions for GPs and primary care staff or can come to your workbase and give training at your own PC.
Of course, you don't have to struggle with databases yourself! Let us know what information you need and we will do the search, appraise the results and forward them to you. Use the 'Order a search' link on the left.
What are evidence databases?
These resources bring you closer to finding a reliable answer from the published literature. They contain links to research reviews, to evidence-based guidelines and to validated research articles. Some will present you directly with research-based clinical options.
The databases
BMJ Clinical Evidence
Clinical Evidence is an international source of the best available
evidence for effective healthcare. Evidence is checked and summarised, concentrating on evidence in
relation to common clinical problems, to ensure that solutions that are relevant to patients. Clinical Evidence includes
systematic reviews of over 3300 interventions in the context of over 670 clinical situations.
BMJ Clinical Evidence is available to West Sussex GPs and Sussex Community Trust via their NHS Athens accounts.
Clinical Knowledge Summaries
At the heart of CKS are concise summaries on how to manage almost 500 clinical situations commonly encountered in primary and first contact care. These are underpinned by detailed up-to-date clinical knowledge on acute and chronic conditions and disease prevention. Clinical Knowledge
Summaries includes evidence-based guidance from the Prodigy system. Whether
you need a quick overview or the full text on a topic, CKS can help.
The Cochrane Library
The Cochrane Library contains high-quality, independent evidence to inform clinical and public health decision-making.
It includes reliable evidence from Cochrane and other systematic reviews, clinical trials, and more. The Cochrane Library is compiled by the Cochrane Collaboration
and published by John Wiley & Sons.
Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects
DARE contains summaries of systematic reviews which have met strict quality criteria. Included reviews are about the effects of interventions. Each summary also provides a critical commentary on the quality of the review. The database covers a broad range of health and social care
topics and can be used for answering questions about the effects of interventions, as well as for developing guidelines and policy making. DARE is compiled and published by the University of York's Centre for Reviews and Dissemination.
Dynamed
DynaMed is a clinical reference tool created by physicians for physicians and other healthcare professionals for use primarily at
the 'point-of-care' with clinically-organized summaries on more than 3,200 topics. DynaMed is updated daily and monitors the content of over 500
medical journals and systematic evidence review databases. Each publication is reviewed cover-to-cover and each article is evaluated for clinical relevance and scientific validity. The new evidence is then integrated with existing content. The overall conclusions are changed as appropriate,
representing a synthesis of the best available evidence. Dynamed is probably the most up-to-date source of clinical evidence available.
OTSeeker
OTseeker is a database containing abstracts of systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials relevant to occupational therapy.
Trials have been critically appraised and rated for quality.
PEDro
PEDro is the Physiotherapy Evidence Database. PEDro contains over 20,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy. For each trial,
review or guideline, PEDro provides the citation details, the abstract and a link to the full text, where possible. All trials on PEDro are independently assessed for quality. These quality ratings are used to quickly guide users to trials that are more likely
to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice. PEDro is produced by the Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy at The George Institute for Global Health.