NHS resources : Finding the Evidence
Use the resources below to find essential healthcare evidence; resources may be freely available, require an NHS OpenAthens username or individual login.
Search UHNM-based resources below.
Users working for North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare or GP surgeries or the Integrated Care Board (ICB) in Staffordshire should use the options via the buttons below.
A full A-Z list of resources is available further down the page.
Search the Knowledge and Library Hub
Use the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub discovery tool for basic searching on NHS resources; includes major databases, journals, articles, ebooks and high-level evidence. It is essential that you log in to access full-text resources for your organisation. Try the search box below. More help.
Searching: Health and Care Evidence
Literature Searching via Databases
Log in to the platform you need using your OpenAthens username, then select the database to start searching:
Enter keywords to filter the list
Sorry, no matches found.
- A-Z Journals List Check for subscribed journal titles More help
- Articles for the NHS Find how to find full-text articles, when you have a reference, using NHS resources.
- BMJ Best Practice An online evidence-based, clinical decision support tool, available to all NHS OpenAthens users. Follow the links for OpenAthens login. If prompted for an institution and you cannot find your Trust name, then enter "NHS in England". More help
- BMJ Case Reports (UHNM only) Access full-text clinical case reports via OpenAthens login and submit your own. More Help
- BNF / BNFc Essential reference text for drugs and medicines in the UK; available to all users. More help
- Books Use Library Search to find books on the topics you need, log in to view your account and request items. More help
- Browzine UHNM Journals Use Browine to browse journals, includes UHNM subscribed titles
- Browzine North Staffs Combined Healthcare Journals Use Browine to browse journals, includes North Staffs Combined subscribed titles
- Browzine GPs, practice staff and ICB staff in Staffordshire Use Browine to browse journals, includes subscribed titles for GPs, practice staff and ICB staff in Staffordshire
- Care Quality Commission Independent regulator of health and social care in England. Freely available.
- CASP (Critical Appraisal Skills Programme) Free downloadable checklists to help you critically appraise research papers
- CINAHL Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature; a key searchable database for nursing, midwifery and allied health journals. Select the database from the Ebsco platform. More help
- Clinical Key (UHNM only) Clinical search engine, full-text articles, topic summaries and ebooks; available to UHNM staff via OpenAthens. More help
- Clinical Knowledge Summaries Evidence-base best practice recommendations for primary care. No login required. Non-NHS users should check the user licence agreement.
- Cochrane Library Search for systematic reviews and clinical trials. Full-text of Cochrane reviews are freely available. More help
- Department of Health Policies, frameworks, regulations, bulletins and statistics. Freely available
- E-Learning for Healthcare (eLfH) Online evidence-based training hub; available to all NHS OpenAthens users.
- EBooks We have specialist ebook collections as well as those on Library Search. More help
- EBSCO Ebsco databases currently subcribed to include CINAHL and Medline with full-text. Log in with your OpenAthens username, click the Research Databases option, then select the database you want. More help
- EJournals Check the NHS Journals lists to find out what full-text articles you have access to. More help
- EmBase Major biomedical and pharmaceutical database; select the database via OVID. More help
- EmCare Major nursing and allied health database; select the database via OVID. More help
- FAB NHS Stuff Examples of practice within the NHS, including nursing practice, management of services and cost effectiveness.
- Google Scholar General academic search engine; link in to your organisations full-text collection.
- Health Library eTutorials - Information Skills Develop your Information Skills, learn how to find information more effectively and how to use our key resources.
- HMIC Health management information consortium; an invaluable source of information for health service managers. Select the database from the OVID platform. More help
- Information Skills for Health blog Get the latest news about our resources and develop your skills via bite-sized articles.
- Joseph Rowntree Trust Charity publishing research into a range of social and health-related issues. Freely available.
- King's Fund Independent charity working to imporve the health system in England, includes research and reports. Freely available.
- Knowledge and Library Hub Discovery tool for NHS resources including major databases, journals, articles, ebooks and high level evidence. It is essential that you log in to access resources for your organisation. More help.
- Knowledge and Library Hub for UHNM staff Discovery tool including UHNM-specific resources. More help.
- Knowledge and Library Hub for North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare staff Discovery tool including North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare-specific resources. More help.
- Knowledge and Library Hub for staff working in GP practices and ICB in Staffordshire Discovery tool including GP practices and ICB-specific resources. More help.
- KnowledgeShare Register to get the latest Evidence Updates from KnowledgeShare.
- Kortext eBooks NHS-subscribed ebooks available to all NHS staff. Select your institution, then log in with your OpenAthens usernames to view the collection you can access.
- LibKey Nomad A browser extension to identify full-text options within publisher websites. Follow the instructions on the website to install the extension.
- Library Search Find healthcare-specialist books, both in print and online. No login required to search. More help
- Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry Essential evidence-based handbook on the safe and effective prescribing of psychotropic agents
- Medical Exam Revision Collection Browse through the collection of medical exam books available in the Health Library
- Medicines Complete (North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare only) Includes BNF / BNFc as well as any extra ebooks purchased by your organisation; log in with OpenAthens username. More help
- Medline [Ebsco] Key medicine-based database; covers a wide range of topics - medicine, nursing, midwifery, allied health therapies, pharmacy and some management and education topics. Select the database from the Ebsco platform. More help
- Medline [OVID] Key medicine-based database; covers a wide range of topics - medicine, nursing, midwifery, allied health therapies, pharmacy and some management and education topics. Select the database from the OVID platform. More help
- NHS England Annual plans and reports for delivering healthcare throughout England. Freely available
- NICE Guidelines Evidence-based recommendations developed independently. Freely available.
- NICE Into Practice Advice and examples of how to implement NICE guidelines.
- NICE News and Alerts Newsletters and alerts from NICE. Sign-up to receive specialist bulletins.
- NIHR The latest evidence from the Nationa Institute for Health Research. Sign-up to receive the latest news in your inbox.
- Nuffield Trust Independent research and analysis for improving healthcare in the UK. Freely available.
- OpenAthens Authentication system allowing you access to many different resources (ebooks, databases and ejournals) using the same username / password. Also known as Athens. More help
- OrthoEvidence (Health Library users) Specialist tool providing access to physiotherapy and orthopaedic evidence. Not accessible via OpenAthens. Request a username / password. More help
- Ovid (OvidSP) Currently subscribed Ovid databases include Embase, Emcare and HMIC (Health Management Information Consortium). Log in via the OpenAthens option and select which database you wish to search. More help
- Ovid Health Library Medical Education Collection Browse and search a collection of medical ebooks; quickly find videos, images, cases and clinical skills content. Register for your personal account to access self-assessment quizzes.
- Oxford Medicine Online and Oxford Clinical Psychology collections Browse Library Search for the titles available in this collection.
- Patient.co.uk Health information aimed at patients, reviewed by a network of healthcare professionals. Freely available.
- Patient Experience Library Patient experience research database, includes patient experience reports.
- Patient Voices Collection Browse a collection of books and DVDs relating the patient experience.
- PsycInfo (North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare only) Key searchable database for mental health topics, available via the Ovid platform. More help
- Pubmed Search this database for a wide range of medicine and healthcare topics. No login required. More help
- RCNi Journals (UHNM and North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare only) Collection of nursing specialist journal titles.
- Read by qxmd App and website allowing users to sign-up for journal and article updates; personal login required; access full-text (where available) via NHs OpenAthens username Read by qxmd instructions (261KB)
- Renal Drug Database (UHNM only) Prescribing guide for renal practitioners, prescribing for patients with renal disease or those who receive renal replacement therapy. Not OpenAthens authenticated, please request a login.
- Royal Marsden Manual Online Nursing procedures; available to all NHS staff via OpenAthens. More help
- Social Policy and Practice Database Provides access to social care releated content. Select the database from the Ovid platform. More help
- Training at the Health Library Check our scheduled programme or book a 1-to-1 session to learn more about our resources and how to use them.
- TRIP Search tool to identify high quality healthcare evidence. Free to search; pro-version available via NHS OpenAthens login. More help
