Databases Guide

Allied & Complementary Medicine is a unique database covering the fields of complementary or alternative medicine. Approximately 400 biomedical journals are indexed regularly, and relevant articles are taken from other journals. The database
includes English-language and European sources; newspapers and books are also indexed. The database is produced by the British Library with a coverage from 1985 to date.

British Nursing Index is a tightly-focused, bibliographic database comprising over 250 of the most popular and important journal sources in the nursing and midwifery fields. The majority of these sources are specialist British nursing journals, but also includes citations to articles on medical, health management and allied health fields relevant to UK nurses and midwives. A representative number of non-UK specialist journals are also covered. The database is compiled by a partnership including the Libraries of Bournemouth University, Poole Hospital NHS Trust, Salisbury Healthcare NHS Trust, and the Royal College of Nursing. The coverage is from 1994 to date.

Cinahl covers all aspects of nursing and allied health disciplines. More than 1,200 publications are indexed. Additional sources include pamphlets, pamphlet chapters, books, book chapters, masters theses, dissertations, audiovisuals, software, practice acts, standards of practice, government publications, websites and critical paths. It is produced by Cinhahl Information Services with a coverage from 1982 to date.

The Cochrane Library is a unique source of reliable and up-to-date information on the effects of interventions in health care. Published on a quarterly basis, The Cochrane Library is designed to provide information and evidence to support decisions taken in health care and to inform those receiving care.

DH-Data is produced by the UK Department of Health (DH) Library and Information Services. The database reflects the business of the Department of Health and its Agencies and includes all DH publications including circulars and press releases. The coverage is from 1983 to date.

Economic and Social Data Service provides access and support for an extensive range of key economic and social data. On logging in first time users need to complete a registration form with the service.

EMBASE, the Excerpta Medica database, is a current and comprehensive pharmacological and biomedical database containing about 10 million documents from 1974 to date, with approximately 500,000 records added annually. It features unique international journal coverage and includes many important journals from Europe and Asia not found in other biomedical database; overall coverage of approximately 4,600 journals published in 70 countries. It is produced by Elsevier with coverage from 1974 to date.

The King's Fund database is produced by the Information & Library Service at this independent UK health charity covering policy and management of health and social care services in the UK rather than clinical issues and treatments. The coverage is from 1979 to date.

Medline is a vast source of medical information, covering the whole field of medicine including dentistry, veterinary medicine and medical psychology. 'OldMedline' (covering the period 1950-1965) is also provided as part of Medline. Information for is taken from over 3,800 journals in more than 70 countries. The coverage is from 1951 to date.

National Electronic Library for Health is a digital library open to NHS staff, patients and the public. It is a gateway to a large number of electronic resources to aid knowledge-based decision making.

PsycINFO covers psychological practice and research as well as the related clinical, social and biological disciplines. The major emphasis of the database is on original research, while case studies, literature reviews, surveys and discussions are also covered. A wide variety of source material is indexed, including over 1,900 periodicals written in over 25 languages, some dating back to 1887. It is produced by the American Psychological Association.

Pubmed is a password free version of Medline.