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Tutorial
Step 2: Search For The Evidence In Critically Appraised Sources
You will search for evidence using your keywords in the Tutorial Search Toolkit for Clinical Inquiries. The Toolkit is a web interface for source of evidence that are arranged in suggested order of utility and usability. The first column, Secondary Sources, are sources of critically appraised evidence summaries. Those at the top of the list are more broadly applicable (cover many topics - TRIP) or excel in completeness (Prime Answers includes Cochrane, Clinical Evidence, POEMs, and more). The second column contains sources of primary evidence that have not been critically appraised, and are usually needed for more unusual questions or to access recently published studies. The final column contains other resources for patient and physician inquiries, but these sources are not rigorously based in evidence. They are most likely to provide some type of answer, but it may only be an expert opinion.
TIPS:
The table below provides some tips on which types of topics are most likely to be found in which databases.
Use search engines which look at multiple databases simultaneously (TRIP, Prime Answers)Start with sources which provide summaries of critically appraised evidence on a topic (secondary sources)Move to sources with critical appraisals of articles (POEMS, etc.)Last check primary literature with clinical queries filtersIf you find a systematic review or evidence-based guideline, STOP.
For the purposes of this tutorial and for your own records, we would like you to record the results of your search. We have tried to streamline the process as much as possible. You will only have space to record your five top references, and then you follow each through the process of validation assessment in Step 3 and application to patients in Step 4.
* To record your search results, Please copy and paste the TITLE and AUTHORS or URL from your search results into the fields provided below - for the 5 best references you find.
TIPS: When selecting references, consider the following questions...
1. Does this study/review answer my question?2. Did the authors study an outcome that my patients would care about?3. Is the intervention feasible in my patient care setting?4. Will the information, if valid, require a change in my current practice?
Begin working on Step 2: Search For The Evidence In Critically Appraised Sources.
When you are finished with Step 2, click here to continue on with Step 3.