Penn State University Libraries - Summaries of the Evidence

Research studies and clinical trials published in the journal literature form the foundation of scientific evidence, but not all research meets the highest standards of quality. The following resources provide access to high quality, synthesized research on medical and nursing topics.

Systematic Reviews/Meta-analyses

If one research study or clinical trial provides good evidence, several studies with similar results may provide even stronger evidence or negate previous findings. This logic is applied by researchers to systematically identify, appraise and synthesize evidence from individual studies on a particular topic.

A vigorous review process with standardized protocols is applied to multiple studies, often utilizing meta-analysis of data from several studies, combined with statistical analyses techniques to minimize the bias of the conclusions. These processes translate into the literature as systematic reviews and summaries of evidence.

Resources

• Created by the Cochrane Collaboration
• Small collection of reviews on the effects of health care
• Reviews generally focus on patient treatment and therapy issues
• Stringent protocols are applied to each review
• Individual documents take a long time to develop because of the intensive review process  

Search the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews at Hershey

Search the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews in Penn State

• Non-Cochrane systematic reviews
• Over 2500 detailed abstracts and critiques
• Collection of reviews predominantly based on the journal literature

Search DARE (Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects) - Hershey only

Australian based nursing oriented Evidence-based resource

• Provides access to a limited number of resources without payment, a charge is required for access to others. Penn State does not have a subscription to this service
• An international collaboration of 200 researchers, clinicians, academics and quality managers
• The Institute provides education and training in the process of conducting systematic reviews; the development of Best Practice Information Sheets; the implementation of evidence-based practice; and more

Search the Joanna Briggs Institute Database

Search the ;Clinical Evidence database in Hershey Library (linked to Jama Evidence)

Search the Clinical Evidence database in Penn State

• Produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), a Federal agency
• Supports health services research
• Mission to improve the quality of healthcare and promote evidence-based decision making
• Evidence-based guidelines, not consensus-based guidelines
• Provide directions for handling certain clinical conditions
• Guidelines often published by specialty societies, i.e. American Heart Association, American Academy of Pediatrics

Search AHRQ Evidence Reports

• Produced by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the AMA and The American Association of Health Plans
• Provides summaries of each guideline and the development process
• Provides links to full-text guidelines, if available, and/or ordering information for print copies

Search the National Guidelines Clearinghouse