Overview of Database Resources

When you need medical information, you probably instinctively head for a computer and access the Himmelfarb Library homepage (http://www.gwumc.edu/library). From there, you may go a bit farther and access the Databases/MEDLINE page using the menu on the left-hand side of the screen. At that point though, confusion can set in:

• Which database should I use?
• How do I search it?
• What will the results look like?

If you have any questions about searching or finding information, you should talk to the librarians at the Reference Desk. They are familiar with the databases available, search strategies, and methods for narrowing your search to the most relevant information. Plus, they are eager to help you! If you are not in the Library, you can also call in 202-994-2850 or send an e-mail (library@gwumc.edu). The Reference Desk is staffed from 8:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday and from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Fridays. Saturday hours are 12:00 noon to 4:00 p.m.

The Himmelfarb Library also offers one-hour classes to teach students, faculty, and staff to use information resources. These classes are free and do not require registration. Check the Library homepage for Tutorials & Instruction, or go straight to the Continuing Education Course Schedule.

The following annotated list of databases should give you an idea of the breadth and format of information available.

Allied and Alternative Medicine (Silver Platter) - periodical literature index covering fields allied to medicine and alternatives to conventional medicine including acupuncture, homeopathy, palliative care, Chinese medicine, hospice care, physiotherapy, chiropractics, hypnosis, podiatry, herbalism, occupational therapy, rehabilitation, holistic treatments, and osteopathy. Coverage: 1985 - Present. Produced by the Health Care Information Service of the British Library.

CANCERLIT (Ovid) - periodical literature index on all aspects of experimental and clinical cancer therapy, screening and detection, prevention, and genetics; including chemical, viral and other cancer causing agents; mechanisms of carcinogenesis; biochemistry, immunology, and physiology of cancer; and mutagen and growth factor studies. Coverage: 1983 - Present. Produced by the National Cancer Institute.

CINAHL (Ovid) - the Cumulative Index to Nursing & Allied Health database provides authoritative coverage of the literature related to nursing and allied health. Coverage: 1982- Present.

Clinical Textbooks (STAT!Ref) - searchable database containing sixteen full-text medical textbooks including drug reference sources and specialty texts on current diagnosis and treatment.

Cochrane Library - regularly updated reviews of the effects of health care, critical assessments and structured abstracts of good systematic reviews published elsewhere, bibliographic information on controlled trials, information on the science of reviewing research and evidence-based health care. Coverage: current. Produced by the Cochrane Collaboration.

DARE (Thru Ovid) - The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE) is a Full Text database containing critical assessments of systematic reviews from a variety of medical journals. DARE is produced by the expert reviewers and information staff of the National Health Services' Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD) at the University of York, England, and consists of structured abstracts of systematic reviews from all over the world. DARE records cover topics such as diagnosis, prevention, rehabilitation, screening, and treatment.

DXPlain - a clinical diagnostic decision-support system that contains probabilities of clinical manifestation associated with different diseases. Produced by the Massachusetts General Hospital.

EBM Reviews: ACP Journal (Ovid) - enhanced abstracts and commentary of studies published in top clinical journals. Coverage: 1991 - Present. Produced by the American College of Physicians.

EBM Reviews: Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (Ovid) - full-text of the regularly updated systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare prepared by The Cochrane Collaboration. Coverage: current. Produced by the Cochrane Collaboration.

Harrison's Online - online version of Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine with additional features including recent clinical trial data, links to related web sites, and self-assessment questions. Produced by McGraw-Hill.

HealthSTAR (Ovid) - index of published literature on health services, technology, administration, and research including the evaluation of patient outcomes; effectiveness of procedures, programs, products, services and processes; administration and planning of health facilities, services and manpower; health insurance; health policy; health services research; health economics and financial management; laws and regulations; personnel administration; quality assurance; licensure; and accreditation. Coverage: 1975 - Present. Produced by the National Library of Medicine and the American Hospital Association

MDConsult - clinical medical information that includes full-text journal articles and clinics, reference books, clinical practice guidelines, drug information, and customizable patient education handouts.

MEDLINE (Ovid) - index encompasses information from Index Medicus, Index to Dental Literature, and International Nursing, as well as other sources of coverage in the areas of allied health, biological and physical sciences, humanities and information science as they relate to medicine and health care, communication disorders, population biology, and reproductive biology. Citations/abstracts of periodical literature plus selected full-text. Coverage: 1966 - Present. Produced by the National Library of Medicine.

MEDLINEplus - provides access through web links to extensive information about specific diseases and conditions, consumer health information from the National Institutes of Health, clearinghouses, dictionaries, lists of hospitals and physicians, health information in Spanish and other languages, and clinical trials. Coverage: current. Produced by the National Library of Medicine.

Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy - medical reference resource for clinicians that provide descriptions of diseases and disorders for clinicians. Produced by Merck.

NARIC Disability Databases - disability and rehabilitation information including indexes to published literature (1956 - Present), brochures, newsletters, and conference papers; a directory of projects funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research literature; and, a database of general disability resources including Internet sites, journals, magazines, newsletters, organizations, and reference publications. Coverage: varies by database. Produced by the National Rehabilitation Information Center.

OSH-ROM (Silver Platter) - indexes pertaining to occupational health and safety, and environmental medicine. Coverage varies by database. Produced by SilverPlatter's Health and Safety Publishing group.

PDQ - contains peer-reviewed summaries on cancer treatment, screening, prevention genetics, and supportive care; a registry of approximately 1,800 open and 10,300 closed cancer clinical trials from around the world; and directories of physicians, professionals who provide genetics services, and organizations that provide cancer care. Coverage: current. Produced by the National Cancer Institute.

POPLINE - international index of periodical literature on population, family planning, and related health issues. Coverage: 1970 - Present (some sources date from 1827). Produced by the Population Information Program, Center for Communication Programs, Johns Hopkins University.

PsycINFO (Ovid) - periodical index of professional and academic literature in psychology and related disciplines including medicine, psychiatry, nursing, sociology, education, pharmacology, physiology, linguistics, and other areas. Coverage: 1887 - Present. Produced by the American Psychological Association.

PubMed - free access to MEDLINE. Coverage: 1966 - present. Provided by the National Library of Medicine.

Scientific American Medicine Online - medical textbook covering all 15 subspecialties of internal medicine. Produced by Scientific American.

SPORTDiscus (Ovid) - serial and monographic literature in recreation, exercise physiology, sports medicine, coaching, physical fitness, the psychology, history and sociology of sport, training, and conditioning. Coverage: 1949 - Present. Produced by the Sport Information Resource Centre.

TOXNET - a cluster of databases on toxicology, hazardous chemicals, and related areas, including HSDB, IRIS, CCRIS, GENE-TOX, TOXLINE, EMIC, DART/ETIC, TRI, ChemIDplus, HSDB Structures, and NCI-3D. Coverage: varies by database. Produced by the National Library of Medicine.