Evidence-Based Practice Point-of-Care Resources: A Quantitative Evaluation of Quality, Rigor, and Content

Jared M Campbell; Kandiah Umapathysivam; Yifan Xue; Craig Lockwood

doi:10.1111/wvn.12114

Evidence-Based Practice Point-of-Care Resources: A Quantitative Evaluation of Quality, Rigor, and Content

Worldviews Evid Based Nurs. 2015 Dec;12(6):313-27. doi: 10.1111/wvn.12114. Epub 2015 Dec 2.

Authors

Jared M Campbell¹, Kandiah Umapathysivam¹, Yifan Xue¹, Craig Lockwood²

Affiliations

¹ Research Fellow, Joanna Briggs Institute, School of Translational Health Science, Faculty of Health Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
² Associate Professor, Joanna Briggs Institute, School of Translational Health Science, Faculty of Health Science, University of Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.

PMID: 26629973
DOI: 10.1111/wvn.12114

Abstract

Objective: Clinicians and other healthcare professionals need access to summaries of evidence-based information in order to provide effective care to their patients at the point-of-care. Evidence-based practice (EBP) point-of-care resources have been developed and are available online to meet this need. This study aimed to develop a comprehensive list of available EBP point-of-care resources and evaluate their processes and policies for the development of content, in order to provide a critical analysis based upon rigor, transparency and measures of editorial quality to inform healthcare providers and promote quality improvement amongst publishers of EBP resources.

Design: A comprehensive and systematic search (Pubmed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Central) was undertaken to identify available EBP point-of-care resources, defined as "web-based medical compendia specifically designed to deliver predigested, rapidly accessible, comprehensive, periodically updated, and evidence-based information (and possibly also guidance) to clinicians."

Main outcome measures: A pair of investigators independently extracted information on general characteristics, content presentation, editorial quality, evidence-based methodology, and breadth and volume.

Results: Twenty-seven summary resources were identified, of which 22 met the predefined inclusion criteria for EBP point-of-care resources, and 20 could be accessed for description and assessment. Overall, the upper quartile of EBP point-of-care providers was assessed to be UpToDate, Nursing Reference Centre, Mosby's Nursing Consult, BMJ Best Practice, and JBI COnNECT+.

Linking evidence to action: The choice of which EBP point-of-care resources are suitable for an organization is a decision that depends heavily on the unique requirements of that organization and the resources it has available. However, the results presented in this study should enable healthcare providers to make that assessment in a clear, evidence-based manner, and provide a comprehensive list of the available options.

Keywords: editorial policies; evidence-based medicine; evidence-based nursing; evidence-based practice; online systems; point-of-care systems.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Databases, Bibliographic / standards
Databases, Bibliographic / statistics & numerical data
Evidence-Based Nursing / methods*
Health Personnel / education*
Humans
Information Services / standards*
Internet
Point-of-Care Systems / standards*