Searching for Clinical Practice Guidelines

Summary

This tutorial by OUTulsa Library walks viewers through the process of searching for clinical practice guidelines. These guidelines are vital for optimizing patient care as they provide recommendations based on systematic evidence reviews. The tutorial demonstrates how to use databases like Ovid MEDLINE and TRIP to find these guidelines, emphasizing the need to format clinical questions using the PICO method. Viewers learn to search databases efficiently by choosing appropriate Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and combining search terms. The session also covers applying filters to limit results to clinical practice guidelines in various databases, and highlights organizations that produce these guidelines.

Highlights

• The tutorial introduces clinical practice guidelines as essential tools for optimizing patient care 🎯.
• Demonstrates using the Ovid MEDLINE database to find guidelines with ease 🖥️.
• Guides on structuring clinical questions using the PICO format for better research outcomes 📊.
• Explains filtering techniques to narrow down search results to the most relevant guidelines 📂.
• Highlights the TRIP Database and other resources for finding clinical practice guidelines efficiently 🔎.

Key Takeaways

• Learn how to effectively search for clinical practice guidelines using databases like Ovid MEDLINE and TRIP 🕵️‍♂️.
• Understand the importance of the PICO format in structuring clinical questions for research optimization 📚.
• Discover how to apply filters in database searches to focus on clinical practice guidelines 🔍.
• Explore additional resources and organizations that provide valuable clinical guidelines 🌐.
• Transform your database searching skills for more accurate and relevant medical information 📊.

Overview

The OUTulsa Library tutorial takes you on a detailed journey through the world of clinical practice guidelines. These invaluable documents help healthcare professionals make informed decisions. They feature recommendations based on thorough evidence reviews, ensuring optimal patient care. The tutorial focuses on using popular databases like Ovid MEDLINE, demonstrating how to navigate them effectively for the best results.

A major highlight of the session is the emphasis on the PICO format to structure clinical questions. The PICO format aids in precisely targeting the information you need, making your research journey less cumbersome and more fruitful. By matching search terms to Medical Subject Headings, users can refine their searches, thus retrieving more accurate and relevant data.

Beyond databases, the tutorial also covers the spectrum of sources available for clinical guidelines. It directs attention to notable organizations like the National Institutes of Health and the American College of Physicians, which publish their guidelines. This comprehensive tutorial equips viewers with all the necessary tools and knowledge for successful and efficient searching of clinical practice guidelines.

Chapters

• 00:00 - 00:30: Introduction to Clinical Practice Guidelines This chapter provides an introduction to clinical practice guidelines, explaining their purpose and importance in optimizing patient care. It includes recommendations based on systematic reviews and assessments of different care options' benefits and harms. The tutorial demonstrates how to search for these guidelines through various databases such as Ovid MEDLINE, the TRIP Database, and other specific organizations and institutes.
• 00:30 - 01:00: Using Ovid MEDLINE for Guideline Search The chapter titled 'Using Ovid MEDLINE for Guideline Search' begins with accessing the Ovid link from the library homepage at library.tulsa.ou.edu. Once there, the user selects the Ovid MEDLINE link from a list, and it is noted that logging in with OUHSC credentials may be necessary. The chapter focuses on the initial steps of utilizing the Ovid MEDLINE platform, specifically in the context of guideline searches for the American College of Physicians. This section aims to guide users through the preliminary stages of this search process.
• 01:00 - 01:30: Formulating a Clinical Question Using PICO The chapter delves into the process of formulating clinical questions using the PICO format. It highlights how articulating questions in this format can streamline the search for relevant clinical practice guidelines and evidence in literature. The provided clinical question example involves comparing the efficacy of alternative medicine treatments to pharmacological treatments for adults with major depressive disorder. The chapter outlines the importance of breaking down the question into PICO components: Population (major depression), Intervention (alternative medicine), Comparison (pharmacologic treatment), and Outcome, which will be used to guide the research process in finding evidence-based answers.
• 01:30 - 02:30: Searching Ovid MEDLINE with Medical Subject Headings The chapter titled 'Searching Ovid MEDLINE with Medical Subject Headings' introduces the process of using Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to effectively search the Ovid MEDLINE database. It emphasizes the importance of matching search terms to the standardized subject headings used in the database to improve search accuracy and relevance. The chapter provides a step-by-step guide on using features such as mapping terms to subject headings. An example is given with the phrase 'major depression' to demonstrate how to perform a search and navigate through the system effectively.
• 02:30 - 04:30: Combining Search Results and Applying Limits in Ovid MEDLINE The chapter explains how to combine search results and apply limits in Ovid MEDLINE. It begins with choosing the most appropriate MeSH term for the subject. In the provided example, 'depressive disorder, major' is selected. Users are advised to check the 'explode' option to include any narrower terms related to the main subject. After this, they proceed by clicking continue to search for results containing the chosen subject. Further, the system displays several subheadings linked to the chosen subject heading, which are available for narrowing down the search, although the initial advice is to keep the search options broad.
• 04:30 - 06:30: Exploring Alternative Databases for Guidelines In this chapter titled 'Exploring Alternative Databases for Guidelines', the focus is on using alternative databases to search for clinical guidelines. A significant part of the process includes navigating through different menu options, specifically to search and refine results effectively. Initially, instructions guide the search for 'depressive disorder, major,' utilizing appropriate subject headings. Following this, the chapter transitions to exploring 'alternative medicine' as the next term, concluding the segment with tips on executing the search using the Enter key. This chapter specifically details searching strategies that help in accessing comprehensive results across several medical guidelines databases.
• 06:30 - 08:30: Using the TRIP Database for Guidelines Search Leave the Box checked for complementary therapies and proceed as we did for the major depressive disorder search, making sure to check the explode option and include all subheadings. We now have two separate sets of search results. To combine these two search results select the checkmarks next to each search in the search history section. Then select the AND button next to the label continue.
• 08:30 - 10:30: Finding Guidelines from Specific Organizations This chapter focuses on the process of finding clinical practice guidelines from specific organizations. It covers how to combine search results that have 'depressive disorder', 'major' and 'complementary therapies' as subject headings. Additionally, it explains the method to restrict these results further to clinical practice guidelines using specific tools and filters available, such as the 'additional limits' button, and highlights the importance of reviewing search history for effective results.

Searching for Clinical Practice Guidelines Transcription

• 00:00 - 00:30 This tutorial will demonstrate how to search for clinical practice guidelines. According to the Institute of Medicine, "clinical practice guidelines are statements that include recommendations intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of evidence and an assessment of the benefits and harms of alternative care options." Clinical practice guidelines can be found can be found in databases such as Ovid MEDLINE and the TRIP Database, as well as through specific organizations and institutes, like the
• 00:30 - 01:00 American College of Physicians. We're going to use Ovid MEDLINE for the first part of this tutorial. To start click the Ovid link on the library homepage, library.tulsa.ou.edu. Click the Ovid MEDLINE link at the top of the list. At this point you may be prompted to login using your OUHSC credentials. We will search
• 01:00 - 01:30 for clinical practice guidelines to answer the following clinical question: In adults with major depressive disorder, are alternative medicine treatments more effective than pharmacologic treatment? Before we begin to search we first need to adjust our question to fit the PICO format. The PICO format helps to find questions to address clinical issues and aids in finding relevant evidence in the literature. Using the PICO format we'll choose the following keywords to structure our search: population - major depression; intervention - alternative
• 01:30 - 02:00 medicine; comparison - pharmacologic treatment; and outcome - remission or reduction in depressive symptoms. To start we will match our search terms to Medical Subject Headings used in this database. Make sure the map term to subject heading box is checked. Enter the phrase major depression and click enter or hit the search button. This screen allows you
• 02:00 - 02:30 to choose the MeSH term that best describes your subject. Check the box next to depressive disorder, major. Check explode to include any narrower terms under depressive disorder, major as well. Then click continue to search for results with this subject. On this page you will see a number of subheadings that apply to the subject heading you chose. Since we're just beginning this search and want to keep our options as broad as
• 02:30 - 03:00 possible let's click the continue button to complete the search. This effectively includes all subheadings. You now return to the main search screen, but this time with a list of results for the subject heading depressive disorder, major. We can now continue by searching for the second search term from our clinical question. This time we'll search for alternative medicine. Enter alternative medicine in the search box and press the Enter key.
• 03:00 - 03:30 Leave the Box checked for complementary therapies and proceed as we did for the major depressive disorder search, making sure to check the explode option and include all subheadings. We now have two separate sets of search results. To combine these two search results select the checkmarks next to each search in the search history section. Then select the AND button next to the label continue
• 03:30 - 04:00 with. The two sets of results are now combined. The results in this set each have depressive disorder, major and complementary therapies as subject headings. We still need to limit the results to clinical practice guidelines. To do this select the additional limits button underneath the search bar. At the top you'll first see a section detailing your search history. The last search you performed, which should be labeled 1 and
• 04:00 - 04:30 2, will have the radio button next to it checked. Below your search history you will see a large number of limits that you can choose from. In the limits section look for the publication type section in the right column. There are many publication types available, including meta-analysis, systematic reviews, randomized controlled trials, and more. You can select multiple publication types by using the control or command key. Tor now let's select the
• 04:30 - 05:00 practice guideline option. Then click the limit a search button. Now that we learned how to search for clinical practice guidelines in Ovid MEDLINE let's look at a few other ways to search for this type of document. Some other library databases allow users to limit results to clinical practice guidelines. Try applying the practice guidelines limit to your searches in PubMed, CINAHL,
• 05:00 - 05:30 and EMBASE. The TRIP, or Turning Research Into Practice, Database also allows users to easily filter results for clinical practice guidelines. The Schusterman Library does not subscribe to the TRIP Database, but it is available via a freemium business model. Searching for clinical practice guidelines is a free feature. To access the TRIP Database, go to tripdatabase.com. We are now at the
• 05:30 - 06:00 TRIP Database. Unlike Ovid MEDLINE, TRIP is not organized by subject headings. Therefore we will type in a keyword search. Type major depression AND(alternative medicine OR complementary therapies) into the search bar and hit enter. You should now see a batch of search results on the
• 06:00 - 06:30 left side of the screen. The right side of the screen displays the available filters under the guidelines section. Select USA to filter by guidelines from the United States. The results should now include the practice guideline we examined in Ovid MEDLINE as well as many others. In addition to searching databases, clinical practice guideline can also be found by going directly to
• 06:30 - 07:00 the organizations that produce guidelines. A few of these organizations include the National Institutes of Health, the American College of Physicians, and the US Department of Veterans Affairs' Clinical Practice Guidelines. To learn how to search for other types of publications check out more of the library's evidence-based practice tutorials. Happy searching!