Searching for Evidence Base

Evidence-Based Mental Health Literature

Pre-search Decisions

  1. What is your question i.e. what are you actually trying to find out – terminology
  2. What are the breadth, depth and date limits?
  3. Where are you going to search i.e. which databases best cover your topic?
  4. What is the lowest acceptable level of evidence – systematic review, randomised controlled trial?

Search

If you are NHS, I suggest you start searching from the National Library of Health (www.library.nhs.uk). From here you can type in your topic and tick only the Evidence Based Reviews box. You may find exactly what you are looking for and have access to the full text. It will search all the Cochrane databases plus Trip and some EBP journals such as Bandolier.

As systematic reviews are so time intensive to write, many subjects still do not have one written, so you may have to look for and critique the research articles yourself.
To look for research articles on National Library of Health, you will need to have a password and must, therefore register online (left side of screen, or ask for help at your local NHS library).
Once you have your username and password you can choose a database to search from Books, Journals and Healthcare Databases. It is better to choose Advanced Search using subject headings, and to search one database at a time as the subject headings may differ.

Example – Searching CINAHL

  1. Under Healthcare Databases Advanced Search, click on the blue title ‘CINAHL’
  2. Tick the box next to Map to Thesaurus
  3. Type in the search box your main topic only e.g. schizophrenia.
  4. Choose any limits you require from below e.g. date, publication type, gender age etc. Evidence-based can be found in Other Limits, Systematic review is in Publication Type. If you are getting too few hits with the former, try the latter. Having made your selection, press Search.
  5. You should now be offered various subjects that may or may not be suitable. If you are unsure about a heading click on scope. If you find your term and wish to see related terms, click on the blue subject heading to view the thesaurus.
  6. Make your choice by clicking in the Select boxes; if you choose more than one heading then check that the circle next to OR is highlighted, before pressing Search. NB The explode boxes are for all the narrower terms to be included. The result will appear in the Search History.
  7. Repeat (from 2. above) for your next subject e.g. cognitive behaviour therapy.
  8. Now look in the Search history box. I have #1 SCHIZOPHRENIA/ =5239, #2 exp COGNITIVE THERAPY/ [Limit to: (Publication Type Systematic Review)] =124. To find articles that include both topics you need to combine these with an AND. Click in the boxes for #1 and #2, check that the combine with: indicates AND, then click COMBINE SELECTED SEARCHES. My result is 11.
  9. Click on the number of hits e.g. 11, and the list of articles etc, will appear below. By clicking the blue title you will see the subject headings (useful if you wish to amend your search) and an abstract if there is one.
  10. Some articles you will see are available full text, others are not. Some you will see are available from your NHS home library. By checking the LSBU Journal Catalogue http://lispac.lsbu.ac.uk/search~S6 ) you will see if it is available hard copy or electronically. If you need an article, not available online or as hard copy, a charge will be made from both LSBU and NHS libraries.
  11. You can save your search and return to it in future when it may be updated, with any more up to date articles.
  12. Log off.

Search Filters

Terms for finding qualitative research only, would include: qualitative, questionnaire$, attitude, findings, interview$, audio-taped, audiorecording, tape recorded, data saturation, ethnography, narratives, opinion$, focus group$, grounded theor$, experience$, survey$, observation$, descripti$, user$ adj view$, quasi adj experimental, thematic analysis, or content analysis. Those you wish to use should be included with an OR between them. The $ will include any letters following the stem of the word.

Some Recent Text Books that claim to use Evidence

Mental health nursing 9780443074516 (0443074518) Newell, Robert Paperback 2009 NP
Evidence-based policy and practice in mental health social work 9781844451494 (1844451496) Webber, Martin Paperback 2008  
Clinician's guide to evidence-based practices …addictions 9780195335323 (0195335325) Norcross, John C. Paperback 2008  
Evidence-based practice in school mental health 9780195366266 (0195366263) Raines, James Curtis Paperback 2008  
Delivering mental health in primary care 9780850843149 (0850843146) Cohen, Alan Paperback 2008  
Social work in mental health 9780471693048 (0471693049) Thyer, Bruce A. Hardback 2007  
Mental health social work 9780415319010 (0415319013) Pritchard, Colin Hardback 2006  

EBP Sources on the Web

EBP Journals

  • Bandolier
  • Effective Health Care Bulletins
  • Effectiveness Matters
  • Evidence-Based Health Care
  • Evidence-Based Medicine
  • Evidence-Based Mental Health
  • Evidence-Based Nursing
  • Health Technology assessment