NURS 6052: ESSENTIALS OF EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICE

NURS 6052

Initial Post

PICO(T) Question

In the senior citizens (P), how does receiving the influenza vaccine (I) compared with not receiving the vaccine (C) affect the risk of contracting pneumonia (O) within the season of flu (T)?

Database Searches Experience

I utilized a number of databases find research evidence for the research question developed based on the PICO(T) format. Examples of the databases utilized include PubMed, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ProQuest, and the COCHRANE Database of Systematic Reviews. From the search, I realized that the databases have thousands of resources that relate to the researched topic. These resources are rich in international coverage of the academic and professional literature that can be utilized in developing a research that comprehensively looks into the research topic to yield reliable research findings.

Strategies to Increase Effectiveness of Database Search

When one is conducting some research, it is important to note that database search differs from the search on other search engines like Google and Yahoo. As such, there are various strategies that can be utilized to ensure optimization of the database search. For instance, it is important to utilize keywords as opposed to typing the entire sentence or question about the topic (Chang et al., 2012).

The idea is that databases do not have the capability of sorting out the keywords, and thus selecting the keywords yields more desirable search results. In order to be more effective, it is also necessary to utilize the language of the specific database. This includes the use of search terms and keywords in a language that the database is familiar with as a way of increasing the amount of specific and relevant results. More importantly, it is also necessary to ensure that all forms of a keyword are searched (Hsu et al., 2016). This can be done through the use of an asterisk symbol in order to yield various search results related to the keyword. Researchers should ensure that they do not limit themselves to a single database or a give set of search results. Use of multiple databases yields more search results regarding a given topic.

References

Chang, S. M., Matchar, D. B., Smetana, G. W., Umscheid, C. A., Gray, R., & Torchia, M. M. (2012). Methods guide for medical test reviews. Rockville: Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality.

Hsu, D., Brieva, J., Nardone, B., & Silverberg, J. I. (2016). Validation of database search strategies for the epidemiological study of pemphigus and pemphigoid. The British journal of dermatology, 174(3), 645.