Evidence-Based Resources   Tags: best practices, critical assessment, decision tools, dentistry, dietetics, emergency medicine, evidence-based practice, family medicine, internal medicine, mobile resources, occupational therapy, physical therapy, practice guidelines, surgery  

Not finding what you want? Call, email, chat with an MCL Librarian who will be glad to help you.

Medical Center Library Hours

Campus Map (MCL Location)

Medical Center Library Classes

Off-Campus Access Instructions

Med Center Library News & Announcements

The graphic for the hierarchy of medical information located in the box to the right represents the quality level of the different sources of medical information.  When looking for information, you should endeavor to obtain information at the highest level possible of the information pyramid. Each of these categories is explained further on its own page in this guide. 

"Evidence-based" can either refer to a resource that provides recommendations to aid in medical decision making or it can refer to a scientific method by which research is assessed and evaluated. This guide will provide information on both.

 The tradition definition of Evidence-Based Medicine provided by one of the originators of this process, D.L. Sackett, is that it is the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.  Source:  Sackett DL: Evidence based medicine:   what it is and what it isn't. British Medical Journal  13 Jan 1996; 312 (7023): 71-72.

Evidence-based resources are books, journals, practice guidelines,  or electronic resources that provide evaluated summaries of  research and grade the recommendations based on the quality of the research.

Please see the box at the left for further information regarding the Information Pyramid.