Evidence-Based Medicine and Dentistry (EBM and EBD) Resources: Tufts University Health Sciences Library

Tufts-Created Resources

Agencies & Centers

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
AHRQ is the health services research arm of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). It provides evidence-based information on quality improvement and patient safety; outcomes and effectiveness of care; clinical practice and technology assessment; health care organization and delivery systems; primary care (including preventive services); and health care costs and sources of payment.
Canadian Centres for Health Evidence (CHE)
Presents knowledge-based resources and summaries to health professionals. CHE provides extensive information on how to identify the required evidence, how to critically appraise published literature and understanding statistics.
Center for Evidence-Based Medicine
University of Toronto
Contains materials related to teaching and practising EBM, including a glossary of EBM terms, resources for handheld devices, and links to other EBM sites.
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
National Health Service (UK)
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine website contains resources which promote and provide support evidence-based health care providers, students and patients.
Centre for Reviews and Dissemination
National Health Service (UK)
The largest group in the world engaged exclusively in evidence synthesis in the health field. The centre undertakes high quality systematic reviews that evaluate the effects of health and social care interventions and the delivery and organisation of health care. CRD produces the renowned DARE, NHS EED and HTA databases which are used by health professionals, policy makers and researchers around the world. The centre also undertakes methods research and produces Hitting the Headlines, providing busy health professionals with a rapid and reliable analysis of the evidence behind news reports on health interventions.
Clinical Knowledge Summaries
National Health Service (UK)
This is a freely available collection of evidence-based information about the common conditions managed in primary and first-contact care. It is complied by the National Health Service and outlines the evidence on which answers are based.
Cochrane Collaboration
Cochrane Collaboration is an international network of individuals and
institutions committed to preparing, maintaining, and disseminating systematic reviews of the effects of health care.
Cochrane Collaboration Complementary Medicine Field
Overview of the mission and activities of the Cochrane Collaboration Complementary Medicine Field. Includes links to the Complementary Medicine Field Newsletter, Complementary Medicine Reviews & Protocols, and the Registry, a database of randomized control trials (RCT) and controlled clinical trials (CCT) on Complementary Medicine topics.
Evidence-Based Practice
U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality
Links to scientific reviews, evidence reports, evidence-based practice centers, conferencs and evidence-based methodology.
Evidence-based Medicine Resource Center
The New York Academy of Medicine Library/ American College of Physicians, New York Chapter
Contains references, bibliographies, tutorials, glossaries, and on-line databases to guide those embarking on teaching and practicing evidence-based medicine. It offers practice tools to support critical analysis of the literature and MEDLINE searching, as well as links to other sites that help enable evidence-based medical care.

Joanna Briggs Institute for Best Practices
Its Evidence Libraries include databases of best practices information sheets, systematic reviews, executive summaries, and review protocols on various topics.
Sarah Cole Hirsh Institute for Best Nursing Practices Based on Evidence
The purpose of the institute is to build a repository of best nursing practices based on research findings.
U.S. Preventive Services Task Force
An independent panel of experts in primary care and prevention that systematically reviews the evidence of effectiveness and develops recommendations for clinical preventive services.

Appraising the Evidence/Calculators

EBM Online Collections
BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Collections of articles featured in the journal EBM Online. Articles are listed by topical area.
EBM Concepts
Medical University of South Carolina
Contains overviews, questions & answers regarding major EBM concepts, including: Odds Ratio vs. Relative Risk, Threshold Decision Making, and Kappa.
EBM Toolbox
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
Collection of resources for evidence-based medicine and clinical decsion making. Tips for searching MEDLINE, a glossary of EBM terms, and a comparison of research study designs are included.
Online Clinical Calculator
Medical College of Wisconsin
Online Bayesian Calculator for calculating test sensitivity, specificity, predictive values, and likelihood ratios. Contains several clinical formulas including: Pregnancy Due Date, Ingested Substance Blood Level, Estimated Creatinine Clearance, and Body Surface Area, Body Mass Index.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

CDC Recommends:The Prevention Guidelines System
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Up-to-date and archived guidelines and recommendations approved by the CDC for the prevention and control of disease, injuries, and disabilities.
Clinical Practice Guidelines
U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Consists of a series of 19 Clinical Practice Guidelines. Each guideline has several versions as listed: Clinical Practice Guidelines, Quick Reference Guides for Clinicians, and Consumer Versions.
CPG Infobase Clinical Practice Guidelines
Canadian Medical Association
A database of guidelines produced or endorsed in Canada by a national, provincial/territorial or regional medical or health organization, professional society, government agency or expert panel.
Health Services Technology Assessment Texts - HSTAT
National Library of Medicine
HSTAT is a free, web-based resource that provides access to full-text documents useful for providing health information and for health care decision making. HSTAT provides access to a wide variety of publications, including: clinical practice guidelines, quick-reference guides for clinicians, consumer health brochures, evidence reports and technology assessments.
National Guideline Clearinghouse
U.S. Agency for Healthcare Policy & Research
A public resource for evidence-based clinical practice guidelines. Guidelines can be browsed by the following categories: Disease/Condition, Treatment/Intervention, or Organization. The National Guideline Clearinghouse is sponsored by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Policy & Research, the American Medical Association and the American Association of Health Plans.

Databases

See EBM Databases, Limits, Publication & Study Types

Directories

Evidence-Based Health Care
HealthWeb, U. of Illinois at Chicago
Directory of online resources for evidence-based health care. Categories include: Databases, Clinical Guidelines, Online Publications, Organizations, Online Journals, Tools and Tutorials, Guides to Searching the Literature.
Evidence-Based Medicine
Welch Medical Library at Johns Hopkins U.
Collection of evidence-based medicine resources that have been evaluated and rated for content. Rated resources include:
- Systematic Reviews, Journal Articles and other Databases
- Clinical Trials and Pre-publication Resources
- Research Tools: Filters, Hedges and Strategies
- Statistical Tools and Calculators
- Journal Clubs, List Servers, and Meta-lists
- Education and Tutorials Organization
Understanding and Evaluating Medical Information
New York Online Access to Health
Information guide to EBM resources on the web, includes sections such as: the Basics, Types of Evidence, Research Methods and Statistical Terms in EBM.

EBM Centers by Speciality

Guides & Tutorials

Bandolier Knowledge Library
Pain Research at Oxford University
Collection of evidence under a variety of different health topics. Bandolier searches and abstracts systematic reviews of treatments, evidence about diagnosis, epidemiology or health economics.
Evidence4u
National Health Service (UK), Manchester
Comprehensive tutorial about how to access, appraise and apply evidence to everyday practice. It provides the opportunity to learn the skills and techniques of evidence based practice by working through a case scenario from start to finish. Requires a one time registeration for new users.
Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Glossary
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine (UK)
Glossary of terms frequently used in EBM.
EBM Tutorial
Boston University Medical Center - Alumni Medical Library
Evidence-Based Medicine Tutorials
Lamar Soutter Library at Umass Medical School
Interactive tutorial focusing on the construction of evidence-based clinical questions in terms of both prognosis and therapy.
Evidence-Based Medicine: What it is and what it isn't
National Health Service (UK)
Article discussing the definition of evidence-based medicine, its application to clincial practice and its limitations. Bibliographic references are provided.
How to Read a Paper: the basics of evidence based medicine
Trisha Greenhalgh, BMJ Publishing Group
A series of 10 articles that serve to introduce the non-expert researcher to the
varieties of medical articles and to the assessment of their values.
Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine
Duke University/ UNC - Chapel Hill
"A basic tutorial intended for any health care practitioner or student who needs a basic introduction to the principles of Evidence-Based Medicine."
McMaster Online Rating of Evidence (MORE)
A system to help define the best research to support evidence-based clinical practice, tailored to the individual interests of clinicians.
Netting the Evidence
U. of Sheffield School of Health & Related Research
"Netting the Evidence is intended to facilitate evidence-based healthcare by providing support and access to helpful organisations and useful learning resources, such as an evidence-based virtual library, software and journals."
Searching for the Best Evidence in Clinical Journals
National Health Service (UK)
Recommendations for maximizing literature searching efficacy.
Users' Guides to Evidence-Based Practice
Canadian Centre for Health Evidence
Contains the complete set of Users' Guides originally published as a series in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA).

Journals

The Hirsh Health Sciences Library has current subscriptions to the following journals. Unless indicated, the following journals require a valid Tufts ID for access.

Bandolier: Evidence Based Health Journal (Tufts ID is not required for access)
Produced and edited by Pain Research at Oxford University.
EBM Online (Tufts ID is not required for access)
Bi-monthly journal designed to alert clinicians to scientifically meritorious and clinically important advances in treatment, diagnosis and clinical prediction, etiology, prognosis, economics, and quality improvement. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Ltd.
Evidence-based Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Evidence-Based Dentistry
Evidence-Based Obstetrics & Gynecology
Journal of Family Practice
Features a column "POEMS (Patient Oriented Evidence that Matters)".
Online Journal of Issues in Nursing
Features systematic reviews prepared by the Sarah Cole Hirsh Institute for Best Nursing Practices Based on Evidence.

PDA Resources

Clinical Practice Guidelines for Handheld Computers
National Guideline Clearinghouse
PDA versions of slected clinical practice guidelines from the National Guideline Clearinghouse. Includes guidelines from the following associations/organizations: American College of Cardiology, American Heart Association, American College of Chest Physicians, American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute.
Duke University Medical Center Library EBM File
Duke University Medical Center Library
Free PDA file of evidence-based medicine resources. Contains information on EBM terminology, how to construct a well-built clinical question, and how to evaluate various types of journal articles. A reference guide on searching Ovid MEDLINE is also included. Free AvantGo account required. Operating System: Palm OS, Pocket PC, WinCE
EBM Calculator
Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, Toronto
Designed to calculate relevant statistics for Diagnostic studies, Prospective Studies, Case Control Studies, and Randomized Control Trials (RCT). Operating System: Palm OS.
MedRules
Developed for educational use, MedRules features useful clinical prediction rules taken from the medical literature. Includes rules for Apache II scores, Breast Cancer Risk, Coronary Disease Risk, Pre-Op Cardiac Risk, Ottawa Knee, Ankle, and Foot Rules, Family Practice Incidence Rates, and others. Operating System: Palm OS 3.1 or higher.
Students' Guide to the Medical Literature
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center
A how-to guide developed for medical students on appraising the medical literature. Covers how to frame research questions, develop search strategies, appraise the results, and implement findings into clinical practice. Free AvantGo account required. Operating System: Palm OS, PocketPC, WinCE.

Texts & Textbooks