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Free bibliographic databases

These databases are freely available online

Access free online databases:

CIRRIE Database of International Rehabilitation Research

  • Access CIRRIE database
  • The CIRRIE Database is produced by the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange. International in scope, it collects bibliographic citations from all areas of rehabilitation.
  • In addition to indexing from mainstream journals and internet sites, the database has over 30,000 citations. Over 1,400 journals are represented, and abstracts are available for most citations.
  • Searches can be limited by research area, geographic area, language and year. The database covers 1990-present.

Clinical Trials.gov

  • Access Clinical Trails.gov
  • ClinicalTrials.gov is a resource that provides patients, their family members, healthcare professionals, researchers, and the public with access to information on publicly and privately supported clinical studies on a wide range of diseases and conditions from around the world. Most of the records describe clinical trials (also called interventional studies).

Cochrane Library

  • Access the Cochrane Library
  • The Cochrane Library is designed to bring together high-quality evidence to inform people providing and receiving healthcare, and those responsible for research, teaching, funding and administration at all levels.

Global Health Cost Effectiveness Analysis (GH CEA) Registry

  • Access the GH CEA Registry
  • Basic searches may be conducted without charge.
  • In 2022, the Global Health Registry formally merged with the Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Registry. The registry is a database of cost-effectiveness analysis studies that evaluate a variety of health interventions worldwide. It focuses on those interventions designed to mitigate disease burden, research literature on the economic value of global health interventions, and measuring the cost-effectiveness of an intervention.

Medscape UK (formerly Guidelines and Guidelines In Practice)

  • Access Medscape UK Guidelines
  • Medscape UK guidelines summarises clinical guidelines for primary care and supports the implementation of best practice.

PEDro

  • Access PEDro
  • PEDro is the Physiotherapy Evidence Database produced by the Centre of Evidence-Based Physiotherapy at the School of Physiotherapy, University of Sydney, Australia.
  • The database has been developed to give rapid access to bibliographic details and abstracts of randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.

Watch a one-minute video about the PEDro database:

There are many resources for learning about evidence-based practice:

All clinical trials indexed on the database are rated for their methodological quality using the PEDro Scale by trained raters. The PEDro Scale training programme is an online course for using the scale to rate the quality of clinical trials. The programme includes an accuracy test at the end. Those who successfully pass the test are invited to become volunteer PEDro raters. Read more about the PEDro training programme.

PubMed

  • Access PubMed
  • PubMed is provided by the US National Library of Medicine. It includes 35 million references to journal articles in life sciences with a concentration on biomedicine.
  • The broad coverage of the database includes basic biomedical research and the clinical sciences since 1951 including nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, allied health, and pre-clinical sciences.

REHABDATA

  • Access REHABDATA
  • The REHABDATA database spans almost 50 years of disability and rehabilitation research. More than 200,000 abstracts are available through this database, including approximately 115,000 records originally indexed in the Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE) database.
  • Each abstract includes bibliographic information, a 250-word abstract, and, when appropriate, information regarding the project that produced the document.
  • The index spans research from 1956 to the present.

Rehabilitation Measure Database (RMD)

  • Access RMD
  • The Rehabilitation Measure Database (RMD) has over 400 measures in a range of conditions. Doctors, clinicians, therapists and physical medicine and rehabilitation researchers use this for benchmarks and outcomes.

Scottish InterCollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN)

  • Access SIGN
  • SIGN develops and disseminates national clinical guidelines containing recommendations for effective practice based on current evidence. 
  • SIGN guidelines are derived from a systematic review of the scientific literature and are designed as a vehicle for accelerating the translation of new knowledge into action to meet our aim of reducing variations in practice, and improving patient-important outcomes.
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