Find what you need in our searchable FAQ.
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💡 Make Sure to Review the HJF Research Guides. This will get you started in using the HJF resources, basic research skills, and some more advanced tips & tricks that will save you time and make your research more effective.
This FAQ is focused very generally on nursing and medicine to help the most individuals out through identifying the best resources to find more specific topics in these fields. If you need help researching a more specific topic after reading through this FAQ and going through the linked help guide from above, please make an appointment or stop in to speak to a librarian.
💻 See All Nursing & Health Databases
Recommended Databases
There are three main databases that focus on the fields and professions of nursing, health & medicine we recommend most often.
💻 CINAHL Plus with Full Text (EBSCO)
“This comprehensive research database provides full text for nursing and allied health journals indexed in CINAHL Plus. Additional materials include full-text evidence-based care sheets, quick lessons and continuing education modules. CINAHL Plus with Full Text includes publications from the National League for Nursing and the American Nurses Association. In addition, this resource offers access to health care books, nursing dissertations, selected conference proceedings, standards of practice, audiovisuals, book chapters and more.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text covers a wide range of topics including nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative/complementary medicine, consumer health and 17 allied health disciplines" (EBSCOhost 2019).
⚠️ Warning: CINAHL has a simultaneous user limit of 8 users. If you receive a message of too many simultaneous users, wait and come back in a few minutes.
💡 See the Help Guide on Using CINAHL
💻 Cochrane Clinical Library (Wiley)
"The Cochrane Library (ISSN 1465-1858) is a collection of six databases that contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making, and a seventh database that provides information about Cochrane groups" (Wiley 2016).
💡 See the Help Guide on Using Cochrane Clinical Library
"With UpToDate Advanced, clinicians can use UpToDate® Pathways and Lab Interpretation™ at different touchpoints in their workflow to support appropriate screening, diagnostic testing, treatment, and hospitalization. Pathways and Lab Interpretation address common medical conditions and those with known variability, and include interactive algorithms that provide clinical recommendations tailored to each patient and lab monographs designed to support the quick and accurate interpretation and management of abnormal test results" (Wolters Kluwer 2018).
⚠️ Every student will need to authenticate, even when on campus, to use this database.
These specific titles are ones that the Nursing Program has requested the HJF provide access to and therefore, are recommended titles for students to use in their research. This list however, is not exhaustive of all the nursing content the HJF provides access to and it can change at any time based on subscription status with individual databases or journals. To find out if the HJF has access to a specific journal title, use the Full Text Finder and search for the journal's name.
Recommended Journal Titles by Nursing Program
Because of the nature of nursing and medical fields, information becomes outdated very quickly. Researchers typically use a "within 5 years" date range for information to be "up to date" with the exception of doing historical research. Because of this, the HJF purchases very few medical or nursing titles. If you are looking for books or eBooks, try searching the HJF Discovery. You can find information regarding using the HJF Discovery here. The HJF does provide access to the most recent guides on NCLEX-RN and some other nursing and medical related professional tests.
The following online resources are NOT provided by the HJF, but open access content found on the web. Make sure to evaluate all your sources, but especially so web based resources. This FAQ focuses mainly on online sources for clinical guidelines and standards.
🌐 Clinical Practice Guidelines from National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health
"'Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed statements to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate health care for specific clinical circumstances.' (Institute of Medicine, 1990) Issued by third-party organizations, and not NCCIH, these guidelines define the role of specific diagnostic and treatment modalities in the diagnosis and management of patients. The statements contain recommendations that are based on evidence from a rigorous systematic review and synthesis of the published medical literature. These guidelines are not fixed protocols that must be followed, but are intended for health care professionals and providers to consider. While they identify and describe generally recommended courses of intervention, they are not presented as a substitute for the advice of a physician or other knowledgeable health care professional or provider.
🌐 Clinical Guidelines & Recommendations from American College of Physicians
"ACP's goal is to provide clinicians with recommendations based on the best available evidence; to inform clinicians of when there is no evidence; and finally, to help clinicians deliver the best health care possible."
🌐 NICE Guidance from National Institute for Health and Care Excellence
"Evidence-based recommendations for the health and social care sector, developed by independent committees, including professionals and lay members, and consulted on by stakeholders."
Additional Sources for Guidelines & Standards
This is not an exhaustive list, but a short list of other recommended online sources to find clinical guidelines and standards. When looking for these types of sources, consider your topic and the broader scope in which it fits. Try and identify a national or international organization that would be responsible for providing guidance to those professionals in the field. Their websites is often where you can find access to clinical guidelines and standards.
The following list are some help guides and other FAQs that are often found helpful to those researching areas