Secondary sources of information on CIAP

The use of pre-appraised resources will increase the chances of efficiently finding high-quality, current evidence that is relevant to clinical practice. Evidence summaries and systematic reviews are examples of pre-appraised secondary evidence.

These can be located through evidence databases (such as Cochrane Library and Joanna Briggs Institute), citation databases (such as those available on CIAP), pre-appraised information in clinical resources (such as UpToDate), or by accessing the secondary source directly. Pre-appraised resources on CIAP include:

• Cochrane Clinical Answers
• BMJ Best Practice
• The Cochrane Library
• The ACP Journal Club
• Ovid EBM Reviews
• Joanna Briggs Institute
• UpToDate

Each resource listed above provides pre-appraised evidence-based information to support clinicians with clinical decision-making. Each contains both a search function and a list of clinical conditions for you to choose from during your search for information. Read more about each of these resources below:

BMJ Best Practice

BMJ Best Practice is a database and clinical decision support resource providing up to date and summarised clinical information on the background, diagnosis, treatment options, and other resources relating to a wide range of diseases and conditions. It combines research evidence (along with references to the various studies), guidelines, and step by step treatment and diagnostic approaches to provide support to clinicians in practice. BMJ Best Practice includes Cochrane Clinical Answers systematic reviews that have been written by clinicians and clinical researchers to address specific clinical practice questions. These in turn contribute to the evidence for BMJ Best Practice. An assessment of the usefulness of treatments or interventions is provided for each question/condition, supported by reference to research studies.

The Cochrane Library

The Cochrane Library is a collection of six databases that contain various types of evidence put together by groups of researchers and clinicians in collaboration centres around the world (including Australia). The best known database is the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR), which is the leading resource internationally for systematic reviews in healthcare. These reviews pose clinical questions, synthesise research findings around interventions, and summarise the results. The CDSR is updated regularly and as new research becomes available.

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI)

The Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) is an international research and development organisation based in South Australia. The JBI produce best practice information sheets, evidence summaries, recommended practices, systematic reviews, and patient education. The JBI systematic reviews utilise diverse forms of high quality evidence, not simply randomised controlled trials.

UpToDate

UpToDate is a highly authoritative, evidence-based, and peer reviewed decision support resource, which contains in-depth clinical content and analysis across a range of specialties, delivered in easy to search and easy-to-read formats. It provides high-quality information to practitioners at the point of care.

Futher information may be found in the User Guides and Videos.