Nursing: DNP Students

Strategies: Searching for Research Instruments in CINAHL:

Strategy #1: Run your search in the database. Then, on the search results page, on the left hand side under "Refine Results", under the section for "Source Type", select "Research Instruments" (note that "Research Instruments" will only be displayed here if there are articles in your search results that contain research tools).

Strategy #2: On the main search page, type your search terms into the boxes.  Scroll down, and under the limit for "Publication Type", select "Research Instrument"

Strategy #3: You can specifically search the "Instrumentation" field of article records (this searches for words in this field that include statistical instruments discussed in the article).

For example, imagine that you'd like to find articles that talk about the Beck Depression Inventory.

Type the word, Beck, into the first search box.  In the dropdown menu to the right of the search box, select "IN Instrumentation"

When you click on one of the articles in your search results, you'll see the instrumentation area of the record (see example below)

PRISMA

• PRISMA Checklist
• PRISMA Flow Diagram

No one database can search all the medical literature. Searching is an iterative process, and you will need to search several different databases.  The databases you search will depend on the topic of your systematic review.   According to Finding What Works in Health Care: Standards for Systematic Reviews (Table E-1, page 267), you should search at least two databases, starting with MEDLINE (or PubMed) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials.  You should also search other subject specific databases that index the literature in your field.  

Use these links to find supporting materials for PICO(t) searching on the Ovid platform.

• PICO Videos
• PICO Cards
• PICO Widget