If you are a nursing student, you will definitely be assigned a few papers to write that require some research. Or maybe you are just ambitious and have the urge to learn more. Thankfully, research is made easier with the invention of the Internet. The days of looking through little cards in a drawer in the library are gone.
However, when you evaluate your data, it is important to make sure it comes from a reputable website. Here are a few websites for nursing students to help you on your research:
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1. Cochrane Collection – http://www.cochrane.org/â
If you are looking for evidence-based practice information, this is a great place to start. The Cochrane Collection is a global network that attempts to make sense of all the current research on a given topic. Essentially, they synthesize all the data into useful recommendations to help you make informed decisions. The Cochrane Reviews take that a step further by answering specific questions. For example, one review evaluated if cranberries prevented urinary tract infections.
2. National Guidelines Clearinghouse – http://www.guideline.gov/â
This initiative by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is a public database of evidence-based clinical guidelines and related documents. Their mission is to make these guidelines more accessible to healthcare providers. One example is a set of nutritional guidelines for patients with chronic kidney disease.
3. PubMed – http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/â
This is another public resource that is part of the National Institute of Health. PubMed contains citations for biomedical literature that includes Medline, nursing journals, and online books. And one of its nice features is that it cross-references other citations. The search can be endless, literally.
For example, if you search “heart attack,” you are going to get more information than you could imagine. You can then streamline your search further and also see where each citation has been used in other articles. It offers endless possibilities for data.
4. Medscape – http://www.medscape.com/â
This is an often-overlooked resource online. Medscape has some great reference material, including anatomy reviews, disease and drug information, and procedures. The information is all referenced and a great go-to for some quick refreshers. They also have a news component that you can sign up for so you’d get the latest information delivered to your inbox.
5. Up-to-Date – http://www.uptodate.com/home
This is a paid, commercial product, but one of my personal favorites. Much like the other databases, Up-to-Date filters the latest medical literature to give you concise, timely information. Although it focuses on the medical management of patients, it can be extremely helpful for more rare or unfamiliar diseases and diagnoses. Up-to-Date is becoming increasingly popular with hospitals, so when you are starting your clinicals, check to see if they have an account and use it. Then you can simply email the article to yourself for later reference.