Health Databases   Tags: cinahl, cochrane, health, health_databases, medline, nursing, ot, ovid, physiotherapy  

You will need to use journal articles and other research  for the most specific and current information for your assignment. Search for journal articles using La Trobe Library Databases.

Before you begin your search, you will need to develop a clear search strategy. Follow the steps below to create a concept map to base your search on in your selected databases.

• Formulate a clear, focused research question
• Deconstruct the question into concepts
• Compile a list of Keywords for the concepts, including as many synonyms as necessary.
• Create a Concept Map, with as many columns as required. The PICO format can be used for clinical questions, if you have a more qualitative research question just think Concept 1, Concept 2 etc.
• The concept map helps with articulating your research question and with maintaining the logic of the search (where to use AND, where to use OR - the Boolean linking terms for your keywords)
• Consider the Levels of Evidence required for your question, this may form another colum in your concept map representing the research design e.g. Systematic Review RCT's etc.

A PICO map may help

Watch the video below for more information about using PICO.

Find additional videos in this series under the OVID tab.

© 2009 Cushing/Whitney Medical Library.

To get to the databases:

From the Library home page select the A-Z Databases/Journals tab

If you know which database you would like to search, find it using the A-Z, otherwise select your discipline from the drop down menu to get a list of databases recommended by your faculty librarian

Once you have your list, mouse over to read the database description or click to connect.