NURS 344, Nursing Research

1. More precise searches give you more precise results - Use the Advanced Search screen to combine two or three keywords

2. Explore the filters and limiters available

3. Subject headings are your friend - They standardize all possible terms for a topic

To conduct a comprehensive search in a database, you should use the terms recognized by the database. These include subject headings (which standardize all the possible terms for a topic) and keywords (rather than complete sentences.) Find the keywords in your research question, then combine them with AND, OR, and NOT.

Use AND to join multiple concepts in your search. Use OR to combine similar terms for the same concept. Use NOT to exclude a concept, but we do not usually recommend using NOT.

(NICU OR "neonatal intensive care unit") AND feeding 

("medication adherence" OR "patient compliance" OR adheren* OR non-adheren* OR nonadheren* OR non-complian* OR noncomplian*)

AND 

(drug* OR medicat* OR pill*)

AND

(technology OR alarm OR device OR digital OR electronic OR monitor OR remind OR remote)

"End of life care" AND family AND decision

Prevention AND "pelvic pain" AND pregnancy

Finding research instruments like questionnaires, tests, and scales can be challenging. Many of them are proprietary and must be requested from publishers. Some cost money to use. 

Here are some strategies for finding instruments:

• Instruments are sometimes reprinted in research articles. They are usually appended at the end of the article. As you research your topic, keep an eye out for articles that include instruments! If you find an article where the authors describe an instrument that you want to use, but the full instrument isn't reprinted in the article, you can email the authors to ask whether they would be willing to share it with you. 
• In CINAHL, look at the Advanced Search screen. After you enter your search terms in the top box, scroll down to the Publication Type menu. Choose "Questionnaire/Scale" and run the search. This will find articles that used questionnaires and scales. Some of the articles will include the reprinted questinnaire/scale, and some won't. There is not a way to limit your search to only articles that contain copies of instruments. 
• Some instruments are available for free on the Web. Here is another library's list of some places to find instruments: https://research.library.gsu.edu/surveys-and-qualtrics/surveys-scales-measurements 

These tools are part of the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice (JHNEBP) model. Links to the tools are made available below for non-commercial use, with permission of Johns Hopkins, with the stipulation that the tools may not be altered nor the copyright notice on the bottom of each page removed.