Evidence based nursing practiceDefinition: “the practice of nursing in which the nurse makes clinical decisions on the basis of the best available, current research evidence, their own clinical expertise, and the needs and preferences of the patient” Evidence-based nursing. (2006). Mosby’s Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing and Health Professions (7th ed.). St. Louis: Mosby.

Best available, current research evidence

• Primary source• Peer reviewed (scholarly) journal

article

Primary sources

• Source originating from a person who witnessed an event, created an artwork, or conducted a research study

Examples:– Artifacts– Diaries or autobiographies– Research reports (journal article)

Secondary sources

• Work that interprets or analyzes an event or phenomenon

Examples:– Critical review of novel, short story, poem– Systematic review (analysis of research reports)

Peer reviewed journal articles

• Critical review of article before publication by panel of subject experts

• Recommendations for revision sent to author• Following incorporation of

recommendations, article published

Benefit to reader: article includes expertise of author and scholars who reviewed content

Identifying peer reviewed journals

• Look for lengthy editorial panel in print issue

• Look at instructions for authors in either print issue or on journal website

• Search journal title in Ulrich’s Periodical Directory, a University Libraries database

Journal Article Descriptions

Physical– Author’s name– Article title– Journal name– Volume– Issue Number– Pages– Date

Content– Subjects headings– Keywords

Book Descriptions

Physical– Author’s or editor’s

name– Book title– Publisher– Place of publication– Date

Content– Subjects headings– Keywords

Content description : Subject Headings

• Subject headings are assigned by librarians and subject specialists.• The words in a subject heading might not appear in the physical description categories (i.e. title).• Items on the same subject are grouped together.

Content description : Keywords

When you put in a keyword, the computer matches it exactly in the

records.

Keyword

Records

• Book record: O’Lynn, Chad E. and Tranbarger, Russell E., editors. Men in nursing : history, challenges, and opportunities. New York: Springer, c2007. [Subject headings:] Nursing, Male nurses.

• Journal article record: Tracey, C. and Nicholl, H. “The multifaceted influence of gender in career progress in nursing.” Journal of Nursing Management 2007 Oct; 15(7): 677-82. [Subject headings:] Nurses, Male, Staff Nurses, Career Mobility.

Keyword Selection

Physical and content description categories = Fields

Examples of fields.• Author = Tracey, C., Nicholl, H., O’Lynn, Chad E.,

Tranbarger, Russell E.• Title = Men in nursing: history, challenges, and

opportunities, The multifaceted influence of gender in career progress in nursing.

• Subject heading = Nursing, Male nurses, Nurses, male, Career mobility, Staff nurses.

• Keyword = nursing, men, mutlifaceted, Tracey, Management, challenges, journal, Chad, gender

Fields = Record (Citation)

Database

AUTHORSTITLESDATES

SUBJECT HDGSJRNL TITLES

FIELD NAMES

TI

KWAUJNtiauSearch Engines

AUTHORSTITLESDATES

SUBJECT HDGSJRNL TITLES

FIELD NAMES

Search interface

Searchresults

YOU

Searchstrategy

Database

Search Strategy Development

• Overview: experience, textbook, skimming research articles.

• State question in conversational English.• Make a list of specific concepts from full

statement.• Rank concepts by importance.• Show relationships between concepts by

using Boolean operators (and, or, not).

Search Interfaces--Common Points

•Area to enter concepts•Specify fields to be searched•Use Boolean operators•Limiting by year, publication format, language•Display results