Introduction
Evidence-based practice guidelines, or clinical practice guidelines, aim to help providers choose appropriate healthcare options for specific clinical circumstances. This guide provides instructions on how to find guidelines in the library and online.
Databases for Finding Guidelines
Below are library databases that will allow you to limit your search results to guidelines.
CINAHL Plus with Full Text
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Database- CINAHL with Full TextCINAHL with Full Text is the world’s largest source of full text for nursing and allied health journals and provides full text for more than 1,300 journals indexed in CINAHL
To find guidelines in this database, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the database link above. This will take you directly to the advanced search page.
2. Enter your keywords in the search fields.
3. Scroll down to the Limit Your Results section.
4. Locate the Publication Type menu, and select Practice Guidelines.
5. Add any other filters to your search that are of interest and hit search.
DynaMed Plus
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Database - DynaMedDynaMed is the clinical reference tool that clinicians go to for answers. Look to DynaMed for the most current, evidence-based information available.
To find guidelines in this database, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the database link above.
2. Enter your keywords into the search field and hit search.
3. Click on the title of the result that best identifies your topic.
4. Find the Guidelines and Resources link in the left-hand navigation menu.
5. Click on that, and you will be taken to a list of original guidelines for that topic.
Medline Complete
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Database - Medline Complete from EBSCOThe largest companion to the MEDLINE index, this full-text database provides access to top-tier biomedical and health journals. Covering a wide range of subjects, it is an essential resource for doctors, nurses, health professionals and researchers engaged in clinical care, public health and health policy development.
To find guidelines in this database, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the database link above. This will take you directly to the advanced search page.
2. Enter your keywords in the search fields.
3. Scroll down to the Limit Your Results section.
4. Locate the Publication Type menu, and select Guideline.
5. Add any other filters to your search that are of interest and hit search.
PubMed
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Database - PubMedPubMed comprises more than 24 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Citations may include links to full-text content from PubMed Central and publisher web sites.
To find guidelines in this database, follow the steps below:
1. Click on the database link above.
2. Enter your keywords into the search field and hit search.
3. Scroll down and click Additional Filters to the left of the search results.
4. Select Article Type in the left-hand navigation menu.
5. Select Practice Guideline from the menu, and hit Show.
6. You will now have that filter to the left of your search results, and you can then select it to limit your results to just practice guidelines.