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Finding evidence resources is one of the pieces of evidence based practice. I have definitions and places to go to find specific types, such as systematic reviews, To learn more about evidence synthesis, please see the guide by Philip Espinola-Coombs.
Looking to Find Systematic Reviews?
There are a number of places to look for systematic reviews, including within the commonly used databases listed on this page. Some other resources to consider are:
FREE RESOURCES ON THE WEB
- Epistemonikos
Epistemonikos is a collaborative, multilingual database of health evidence. It is the largest source of systematic reviews relevant for health-decision making, and a large source of other types of scientific evidence.
- PEDRO (Physiotherapy Evidence Database)
free database of over 54,000 trials, reviews and guidelines evaluating physiotherapy interventions.
- Systematic Review Repository - International Initiative for Impact EvaluationThe systematic review repository from International Initiative for Impact Evaluation is an essential resource for policymakers and researchers who are looking for synthesized evidence on the effects of social and economic interventions in low- and middle- income countries.
article databases (subscription)
- Embase (Elsevier) This link opens in a new windowAn up-to-date biomedical research database covering the most important international biomedical literature from 1947 to the present day. Structured and natural language searching.
- Cochrane Library This link opens in a new windowA full text database of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. Cochrane and other systematic reviews, clinical trials, and more.
Definitions-Publication Types
Systematic Reviews
Address a focused clinical question where review authors systematically search for, identify, select, summarize and critically apraise all of the medical research literature available on a specific topic. Statistical techniques may be used to combine the results of these studies. The authors clearly state the search methods used to locate these studies. It is important to examine the search methods used and decide for yourself if it was broad enough to include all of the relevant studies, and if the studies found were relevant to the clinical question.
Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial (RCT)
An experimental design used for testing the effectiveness of a new medication or a new therapeutic procedure. Individuals are assigned randomly to a treatment group or a control group, and the outcomes are compared. RCT is the most accepted scientific method of determining the benefit of a drug or a therapeutic procedure. It represents the best evidence available, which is integrated into the final decision about the management of a condition by healthcare practitioners in what is called evidence-based healthcare.
Clinical Trial
an experiment performed on human beings in order to evaluate the comparative efficacy of two or more therapies.
Protocol
In the Cochrane Library database, the protocol outlines the question that the review authors are addressing, detailing the criteria against which studies will be assessed for inclusion in the review, and describing how the authors will manage the review process.
Meta-Analysis
When results of individual studies are combined to produce an overall statistic.
Review Article
Brings together information about previously published research on a topic. It provides a critical appraisal of the topic over a period of time. It is helpful in identifying the important literature on a topic. Given the vast amount of scientific literature published, review articles are an excellent tool for researchers wishing to research a topic.
What is Evidence Based in Physical Therapy
- Components of Evidence Based Practice (APTA)
Evidence-based practice includes the integration of best available evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values and circumstances related to patient and client management, practice management, and health policy decision-making. All three elements are equally important.