CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) is an international and bibliographic database for Nursing and Paramedical disciplines. It contains a wide range of (para)medical top journals, including over 1,400 validated Open-Access journals. Many of the articles are available in Full Text format. Do you only find an article reference? In that case, use Google Scholar to search for the title.
► Articles in CINAHL are labelled using CINAHL Subject Headings. These follow the structure of the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) of the National Library of Medicine. CINAHL contains additional Subject Headings in a number of fields, such as Nursing and Occupational Therapy.
► Before searching, always consider carefully which search terms you will use. If used unprepared, this database rarely leads to useful results.
► Use CINAHL when you: are searching for (para)medical information, want to answer a clinical question (e.g. to work out a CAT) or want to do a Systematic Review or a Meta Analysis.
From the menu bar (at the top of the screen), go to Publications to explore which journal titles are searched. For each of the titles, it is indicated whether the search results contain a Full Text PDF or only bibliographic data. You can also see here which volumes are covered.
At the top of the screen, choose Evidence-Based Care Sheets. These provide a concise overview of the latest knowledge and proven treatment methods for specific diseases and conditions.
► Select one or more conditions by ticking them. Click 
.
► Open the search result.
In the blue bar at the top, choose Quick Lessons. Use this button to quickly learn about the current state of affairs. The Quick Lessons include: a definition, risk factors, a realistic overview of treatment goals and Red Flags (= things you absolutely must avoid as a healthcare worker).
► Use this option in the same way as the Evidence-Based Care Sheets.
Sometimes it adds value to your research if you visualise parts, for instance through a graph. CINAHL offers the possibility to browse for images. This mainly involves graphs with research outcomes.
► In the menu, go to More and choose Images.
► These images are taken from articles. You can often access the full article via CINAHL.
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Marsha Bokhorst |
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Danny Brassé |
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Bas Nieuwenhuijsen |
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Christina Piovesan christina.piovesan@zuyd.nl 045-4006029 Vocational Therapy |
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Liesbeth Ramaekers |