Systematic literature search strategies for the health sciences
- Author:
CELSO PAGATPATAN, JR.
;
JOENABIE ENCANTO AREVALO
- Publication Type:Journal Article
- Keywords:
Systematic literature search;
Databases;
Health sciences;
Open-access sources
- From:
Philippine Journal of Nursing
2016;86(1):48-55
- CountryPhilippines
- Language:English
-
Abstract:
Systematic search of literature is an important skill for researchers to
help achieve a comprehensive understanding of the topic of interest.
Likewise, clinicians need this skill for them to be updated on the recent
evidence in providing relevant health care interventions to their
patients. However, many health professionals and health science
students rely on the use of limited search engines and few databases
without systematically performing search and retrieval of relevant
studies. This practice commonly yields inadequate references for a
research project or clinical decision-making resulting to an incomplete
understanding of the topic at hand. This paper aims to provide an
introductory guide for researchers as well as clinicians on the stepby-step process of systematic literature search. It also provides
information on the available open-access directories and databases
as additional or alternative sources of evidence especially in lowresource institutions. However, careful guidelines must be considered
in using open-access sources to maintain the quality of research
projects and clinical decisions.
- Full text:pjn 92.pdf
