chapter 4 EBP

Flashcards for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Healthcare

PICOT Question

A well-formed question that provides the foundation for a focused, systematic evidence search.

Primary Sources

Original research such as RCTs, cohort and qualitative studies

Secondary Sources

Systematic reviews, meta-analyses, clinical guidelines

Preappraised Evidence

Found in Cochrane Library, Joanna Briggs Institute, DynaMed

Grey Literature

Conference proceedings, dissertations, government reports

Databases & Tools

PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, Scopus, and point-of-care tools (UpToDate, ClinicalKey)

AND (Boolean Operator)

Narrows a search by combining terms.

OR (Boolean Operator)

Broadens a search by including alternative terms.

NOT (Boolean Operator)

Excludes specific terms from a search.

Exact Phrase

Using quotes to search for an exact group of words

Truncation

Using a symbol to search for variations of a word, like nurse, nurses, and nursing

MeSH

Apply subject headings in PubMed.

Search Filters

Filters used for study design, date or full-text availability

Proximity Searching

Finding terms within a certain number of words of each other

Citation Chasing

Using reference lists to find related studies.

Multi-Database Searches

Searching multiple databases.

Search Yield

The total number of articles retrieved from a database search.

Search Yield Reflection

The scope and effectiveness of your search strategy.

Good Search Yield

Must be screened using inclusion/exclusion criteria.

What to do With Too Many Search Results

Refine terms.

What to do With Too Few Search Results

Broaden keywords or remove filters.

PICOT element

Identifies essential keywords and concepts needed for effective database searching

PICOT element purpose

Helps determine inclusion/exclusion criteria

P in PICOT

An adult undergoing surgery.

I in PICOT

Pre-operative education.

C in PICOT

No education.

O in PICOT

Reduce anxiety.

T in PICOT

Within 1 week.

Focus of Primary Sources

Original research.

Focus of Secondary Sources

Summarized research.

Focus of Preappraised Evidence

Already synthesized research.

Focus of Grey Literature

Unpublished research.

Quotation Marks

Use for specific phrases during database searches.

When do you use Truncation

Using an asterisk (*) to find variations of a word

Study Design Filters

Using filters to limit results to research study types

Date Filters

Using filters to limit results to a specific time frame

Full Text Availability Filters

Using filters to limit results to articles that are available for free

Good Search

Optimizing search to get relevant and high quality results

Advanced Search Strategy

Applying MeSH headings to find relevant articles in PubMed

Importance of Citation Chasing

Finding research articles that cite a key study

Systematic Review

Combines Evidence to Enhance Conclusions

Secondary Source Benefit

Summarizes Primary Literature

Intervention

An intervention or area of interest.

Pre-appraised

Evidence that has already been summarized and assessed for quality.

Effective Searching

Use Boolean operators to refine search terms.

Search Yield Goal

Identify research articles that align with the focus of your database question

PICOT Use

Focus database searches.

When to use Inclusion/Exclusion

Apply inclusion and exclusion criteria to findings.

Full-Text Availability

Access the full article content without additional fees

OR Use

Broaden research for review.