Savvy Searcher

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.

As you look at the databases offered, you will realize that a lot of them function in the same way. You can search a number of databases using the Ovid search system. Once you have tried this search interface on one database, you will have the tools in hand to search other Ovid databases. The Himmelfarb Library offers the following databases through Ovid: MEDLINE, AIDSLINE, BIOETHICSLINE, CANCERLIT, CINAHL, HealthSTAR, PsycINFO, SPORTDiscus, Journals@Ovid (Full-text), EBM Reviews:Best Evidence, and EBM Reviews:Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.

While not all databases are available through the Ovid interface, you can transfer some of the search savvy that you acquired from Ovid searching to other interfaces. You can check these database systems for the mapping features and controlled vocabulary that you used in Ovid. You can also look at other databases with an eye toward narrowing your search to recent years, to human research, and to English-language publications.

In the past, database searching referred almost exclusively to indexes of journal articles and other types of periodical publications. In recent years however, many reference books have become available in an electronic format. While journal articles tend to describe recent research and study results, reference books can provide overviews of topics. When you need a definition or general description, reference books can provide immediate and full-text access to information.

Although some indexes are beginning to offer full-text articles and other publications, many extremely useful indexes still offer only citations and abstracts. This means that when you examine your search results, you will examine summaries and descriptions of journal articles rather than the complete journal article. While you may prefer full-text databases, remember that a lot of useful information can be found in the abstract of an article and valuable information may not be available full-text online.

When searching an index, use abstracts to your advantage. By reading an article summary, you may acquire enough information to know if the complete article contains the information that you need or if you need to keep looking. In this way, abstracts can save you time by helping you eliminate irrelevant or off-target articles and allowing you to focus on articles that have the information that you need.

You should select a database based on the type of information that you need: recent studies and journal articles versus summary information offered by reference books. MEDLINE is the most comprehensive medical database in existence and is requently a good place to start for journal articles, while MDConsult and Clinical Textbooks both offer searchable collections containing multiple reference books. You will also need to decide between abstracted and full-text information sources, depending on the scope of your search and the time available. Your final decision will focus on the content coverage of the databases available.

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

AIDSLINE (Ovid) - periodical literature index focusing on research, clinical issues, and health policy issues related to AIDS. Coverage: 1980 - Present. Produced by the National Library of Medicine.

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.

BIOETHICSLINE (Ovid) - index of documents on bioethics from the disciplines of medicine, nursing, biology, philosophy, religion, law, and the behavioral sciences. Document types include journal and newspaper articles, monographs, court decisions, bills, laws, and audiovisual materials. Coverage: 1973 - Present. Produced jointly by the Kennedy Institute of Ethics and the National Library of Medicine.

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.

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: Best Evidence (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.

eMedicine - full-text online emergency medicine textbook. Textbook is peer-reviewed and constantly updated, providing "medical definitions, anatomical illustrations, audio, and video."

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

Internet GratefulMed - free access to MEDLINE. Coverage: 1966 - Present. Provided by the National Library of Medicine.

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 (Silver Platter) - 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.