Database Hightlight: Clinical Evidence

When you're looking for evidence on the effects of common clinical interventions, consider using Clinical Evidence.

Clinical Evidence summarizes the current state of knowledge and uncertainty about the prevention and treatment of clinical conditions, based on thorough searches and appraisal of the literature. It is neither a textbook of medicine nor a set of guidelines. It describes the best available evidence from systematic reviews, RCTs and observational studies where appropriate, and if there is no good evidence it says so.

The contents are driven by questions rather than by the availability of research evidence. Rather than start with the evidence and summarise what is there, they identify important clinical questions, and then search for and summarise the best available evidence to answer them.

The summaries in Clinical Evidence result from a rigorous process aimed at ensuring that they are both reliable and relevant to clinical practice. You can check out this process by looking at their search strategies and their critical appraisal criteria (under the 'About Us' tab on the Clinical Evidence web site)

Clinical Evidence is available from the Major Resources A-Z list on the Cushing/Whitney Medical Library's home page. And the print version is available in the Medical Library Information Room (Ref 18 RA427 C45)

The Facts
Published by BMJ Publishing Group
Updated continuously, with full literature searches in each topic every 12 months
Available in electronic and print (full-text and Concise)
Web version updated monthly; print version updated twice yearly