Welcome to Fireside Chats
Health Evidence: A Canadian resource for facilitating
evidence-informed public health decision making
Thursday, 11February 2010, 01:00 PM — 02:30 PM (Eastern Time)
Advisors on Tap:
Maureen Dobbins RN, PhD
Associate Professor, McMaster University School of Nursing
Paula Robeson, RN MScN
CHNET-Works! Hosts weekly Fireside Chats
Population Health Improvement Research Network, University of Ottawa
www.chnet-works.ca

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Advisors on Tap
• Maureen Dobbins RN, PhD
Associate Professor, McMaster University School of Nursing
Career scientist of the Ontario Ministry of Health and Long-Term Care.
• Her research is focused on understanding knowledge translation and exchange
among public health decision makers in Canada.
– identification of barriers and facilitators to research utilization;
– understanding the information needs of public health decision makers at the local,
provincial and federal level; evaluating the use of systematic reviews in provincial
policies;
– exploring where research evidence fits into the decision-making process; evaluating the
impact of knowledge transfer strategies,
– exploring knowledge brokering in public health units in Ontario.
• Paula Robeson, RN MScN
Knowledge Broker with Health Evidence,
• Paula’s role involves tailored approaches to individual and organizational
capacity development for evidence-informed public health decision making.
• Health Evidence: offers a suite of resources and services to Canadian public health
decision makers.

Today’s chat..
In collaboration with Health-Evidence.ca ....
• Real practice-based issues to illustrate how health-evidence
promotes quick and easy access to public health effectiveness
evidence
• A demonstration of how to navigate the site and content
• How health-evidence.ca has helped local public health units
with their decision making in practical ways
• Answer questions about how to use review evidence in
decision making, from searching to interpretation

Health Evidence
A Canadian resource for facilitating
evidence-informed
public health decision making
Maureen Dobbins RN, PhD
& the Health Evidence team

Our Funders
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Why health-evidence.ca?
• Saves time
• Filtered, quality-rated, searchable
• Summarizes key findings and draws
practical implications
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Search Strategy
• Electronic search of 7 online databases:
MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO,
Sociological Abstracts, SPORTDiscus
and BIOSIS
• Handsearching of >20 main journals
• Reference lists
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Transparent Process
Relevance tool
Keywording tool
Quality assessment tool & dictionary
Summary statement template
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

We do the quality assessment
for you…
Help links to quality
assessment dictionary
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Succinct, practical summaries
Page one: context
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Page two: results and what they mean
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching health-evidence.ca
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Features available
Access your
saved searches
Submit free-text
searches
Filter
results sets
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Features available
Submit keyword
searches by
selecting
•Focus of Review
•Review Type
•Population
Characteristics
•Intervention Location
•Intervention Strategies
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

AND, OR, NOT Search Options
Modify keyword
search strategy
by changing
Boolean
operators
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Enhanced Free Text Searching
Expand
searches by
including related
terms
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

What your results will look like
Print results
Sort results by
column headings
Identify reviews
with summary
statements
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Saving Searches
• Save up to 50 searches to a user account
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Linking to Full Text Articles
Full text links available for:
• 607 free access
journal articles
• 335 Cochrane articles
Info on organizational
subscriptions are available
via PubMed LinkOut links
for all reviews published in
peer-reviewed journals
See ‘Related Links’ section
in article display
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Additional Resources
• Tools to support EIDM
– Practical tools to help you use research evidence in
decision making
• Workshops & Educational Opportunities
• Evidence Related to CD Prevention
• Links to resources to support EIDM
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
Example 1
• I am interested in program planning
around infant feeding – where do I go
from here?
sample health-evidence.ca user inquiry
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 1: Develop a clear question
• Population
• Intervention
• Comparison/Control
• Outcomes (PICO)
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
For example:
• Population: Infants
• Intervention: Infant feeding methods
• Comparison/Control: Not applicable in this case
• Outcomes: Growth & development
Question: What is the effectiveness of
different infant feeding programs
on infant growth and development?
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 2: Search using the keyword tree:
• Focus of Review
– Nutrition
– Parenting, Infants and Children
65 results
• Population Characteristics
– Age Groups
• Infants (0-1)
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 3: Filter results set
– Limit to ‘strong’ results (41 results)
– Limit to specific publication dates
– Further narrow search strategy
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Finding a Summary Statement
You can limit your
search for results
with summary
statements
Link to English &
French summaries
in ‘Summary
Statements’ section
of article display
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
Example 2
• How do I find review literature on mould
in schools?
sample health-evidence.ca user request
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 1: Develop a clear question
• Population: school-aged children & school staff
• Intervention: this is what we are seeking
• Comparison/Control group: usual practice
• Outcomes: mould reduction
Question: What interventions are effective
in reducing mould in schools?
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 2: Search using the keyword tree
• Focus of Review
– Environmental Health
• Mould Search returned 0 results
– Intervention Location
• School
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 3: Refine search strategy
Broaden search.
Remove parameter
‘intervention location =
school’ to retrieve all
possible reviews
pertaining to mould
Search returned
1 result
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Searching on health-evidence.ca
STEP 3: Refine search strategy (continued)
• Expand search to include single studies
– Search health databases,
– Use other available evidence databases / search engines:
• NurseONE www.nurseone-inf-fusion.ca
• PEN – Practice-based Evidence in Nutrition
www.dieteticsatwork.com/pen
• Cochrane Library www.thecochranelibrary.com/
• PubMed www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
Information on provincial initiatives available from health-
evidence.ca
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

Other Health Evidence Services
 Facilitated Evidence Review
 Literature Searching & Instruction
 Mentoring & Brokering Support
February 11, 2010 Fireside Chat

The Health Evidence Team
Maureen Dobbins, Director
• Tel: 905 525-9140 ext 22481
• E-mail: dobbinsm@mcmaster.ca
Kara DeCorby, Project Coordinator
• Tel: (905) 525-9140 ext. 20461 Paula Robeson Lori Greco
• E-mail: kdecorby@health-evidence.ca Knowledge Broker Knowledge Broker
Daiva Tirilis Lyndsey McRae Kathryn Spoelstra
Heather Husson Project Manager Research Assistant Research Assistant Research Assistant
• Tel: (905) 525-9140 ext. 20462
• E-mail: hhusson@health-evidence.ca

Questions?

Thanks for joining in!
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and future Fireside Chats
www.chnet-works.ca
• animateur@chnet-works.ca