Specialty Cancer/Palliative Care Nursing

Searching the databases: CINAHL

Sharon Karasmanis

s.karasmanis@latrobe.edu.au

Faculty Librarian, Health Sciences

3 stages in the search process:

1. Search strategy – preparing your search

2. Using the databases

1. Understanding which database to use

2. Understanding which search terms to use

3. Understanding the database functionality

4. http://latrobe.libguides.com/CINAHL

3. Finding the full text of the article

Sample search query

• What factors influence the control of post-operative pain in older people?

• What are the key concepts in this question - look for alternative words to describe these concepts?– Factors (communication, patient interview, pain

assessment practice)– Pain control (pain management or pain measurement)– Post-operative pain (post surgical pain)– Older people (aged person, elderly etc)

• Use these words to form the foundation for your search

It’s helpful to draw a concept map

Concept 1 + Concept 2 + Concept 3

communication

or

pain management

or

post operative pain

or

patient interview pain measurement

post surgical pain

or

consultation

or

pain assessment

or

post-operative pain

Efficient searching requires subject heading and keyword searching!

• Subject heading (subject term) search:– this is a more specific way of searching where you

retrieve only those records which list the subject heading for your concept

– e.g. Subject heading for ‘stroke’ will cover: cerebrovascular accident/s, cerebral vascular accident/s, CVA/s etc.

• Keyword search– this is broader way of searching where you will

retrieve records which mention your keywords but may or may not be specifically about your concept

More on subject headings …

• Subject Headings (or controlled vocabulary) overcome variations in the: – use of terminology e.g. back pain, spinal pain or backache – use of spelling e.g. ageing or aging

– Tick the Subject Heading box, scroll down to the ‘used for’ to look for other relevant keywords

• Scope note: describes how the term is used in the database, the “scope” of the term or the history of the indexing

To look for subject terms, login to the CINAHL database:

• www.lib.latrobe.edu.au (A-Z Databases/Journals)

• Click on Suggest Subject Terms and enter your query

Concept 1: subject heading search communication

• Use the subject term communication• Do not use diacritics e.g.* (only use in keyword search)• Select the term, and explode (to include narrower terms)• Read the Scope Note• Tick on the Search Database (green box)

Generic search tips for keyword searching

• Spelling: be aware of variations e.g. paediatric or pediatric; counselling or counseling; ageing or aging

• Terminology: the term stroke could also include cerebral vascular accident/s, cerebrovascular disorders

• Truncation: occupation* will produce occupation, occupational, occupations

• Wildcard(?) for example: randomi?ed will retrieve randomized and randomised

• Phrase search use quotation marks to search as a phrase e.g. “acquired brain injury” or “quality of life”

• Understand Boolean operators and + or

Concept 1: keyword search

communicat* or patient interview* or consultation*

• Use the asterisk to search for all forms of the word e.g. communicat* - communication/s, communicate, communicating, communicated

• Using or will combine all words within your first concept

• When searching by keyword, do not tick the subject heading box

Concept 2: subject heading and keywords

• Searched for and used the subject heading: pain measurement

• Searched for keywords: pain management or pain assessment* or pain measurement*

Concept 3: subject heading and keywords

• Searched for and used the subject heading: postoperative pain

• Searched for keywords: postoperative pain or post-operative pain or post surgical pain

Search results showing a combination subject heading and keyword search

Limit your search

• Use the Edit function to limit your search

• Useful limits in CINAHL include:– Peer-reviewed– English language– Date – Age groups

Important:

Click: View Results after editing to see the edited list.

Other considerations:

• You can just use subject headings or keywords separately, or as individual searches.

• There may not always be a subject term or heading for your query, in this case, just use a keyword search

• Sometimes there may be two subject terms that you can use e.g. maternal-child nursing or community health nursing

Check the full record for the source, and more relevant subject headings & keywords

Search results – finding the full text!

• some databases will have the Full Text Finder icon to link you to the full text of the article

• If not, search the Catalogue by the title of the journal via the Journal titles tab and follow the links to the full text: – sometimes the article may only be in print copy in the Library

• If not held by the Library, request the article via Document Delivery Services www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/document-delivery/

• Ensure you have registered for remote delivery, instruction in the guide under off campus services.

Another useful feature: set up an account in CINHAL to save searches, articles, journal alerts ..

Homework!

1. Search in CINAHL for the following subject terms

2. Check the scope note (if available), search by the term, view the results, and practice the edit function

3. Look for the full text in the Library’s collection– Symptom distress – Palliative care– Quality of life– Oncologic nursing– Cancer pain– Cancer fatigue– Pleural effusion malignant– Breast neoplasms– Hormone therapy

http://www.lib.latrobe.edu.au

http://latrobe.libguides.com/cancernursing

http://latrobe.libguides.com/nursing_midwifery