This document provides guidance on subject heading searching in CINAHL, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health database. It uses the example search topic "pressure sores among nursing home residents" to demonstrate how to identify relevant subject headings, perform searches using those headings both individually and combined, and refine the search results. The document also briefly covers keyword searching as an alternative to subject headings and creating a CINAHL user account to save searches and set up email alerts.

1. latrobe.edu.au
CRICOS Provider 00115M
CRICOS Provider 00115M
CINAHL: Subject Heading Searching
Nursing and Midwifery
La Trobe University Library
College of Science, Health & Engineering
September 2015

2. www.latrobe.edu.au/library
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3. Select CINAHL from the Database listing
(Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health)
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4. Login with your username and password
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5. Our topic is “Pressure sores among nursing home residents.”
Identify which Search Terms to use:
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Concept 1 Concept 2
Pressure sores Nursing homes

6. To search by Subject Heading:
• Enter the term – pressure sores
• Select Suggest Subject Terms
• Search
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Select ‘Suggest
Subject Terms’

7. • Select "Pressure Ulcer”
• Select “Explode” to include narrower terms.
• What is Scope? Always check the “Scope Note” if available to confirm you are
using the correct subject term!
• Search Database
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Select the appropriate term
then ‘Search”

8. Search results will list under the search history:
• Click on the article title to see the full record and abstract
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Citation – note journal title:
Journal of Rehabilitation
Research & Development

9. Enter the second concept:
• Nursing homes, select Suggest Subject Terms and Search
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10. There are a number of options that may be suitable:
• Select “nursinghomes”, “nursing home patients” or more!
• Check the Scope Note if unsure.
• Select “Search Database
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You can search
multiple search
terms at once.

11. Search results for nursing homes search terms:
• Note: all nursing homes terms have been searched using
OR
• Now: Select both searches and “Search with AND"
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12. Search results which include both pressure sores (search 1) and
nursing homes terms (search 2)
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Note search results
reduced to 557 when
included both
concepts.

13. • Search 1:
Pressure ulcer = 9,158 results
• Search 2:
Nursing home patients OR nursing homes = 20,924
• Search 3:
added two searches together = 557
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14. Refine the search:
Show More provides more limiting options:
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15. Show More limits the results:
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16. Limits are available. In this example, we limited our search to
peer reviewed, English language and date, which has decreased results.
Save your search history (Create an account)
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17. Select which articles are suitable, then find the full text!
• Click on the Full Text Finder
• If not found, search the journal title from Journals (Library home) and navigate to
the article by date, volume, issue …
• If still not found, order from Document Delivery (see Quick Links on Library home)
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18. Keyword Searching
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• You can search CINAHL with keywords instead of Subject Terms
• Subject Terms provide more precision in the search, but sometimes there is
no term, so you will need to use keywords or
• Recent records in CINAHL may not have had full indexing, so subject
heading will not retrieve these
• Keyword searching is enhanced by using:
• Truncation * use this to extend a word e.g. child* will retrieve
children, childless, childhood etc.
• Quotes will search for two or more words as a phrase e.g. “acquired
brain injury”, “quality of life” or “type 2 diabetes”

19. Create an account in CINAHL:
• Create an account in CINAHL. Select Sign In from the top blue bar
• You can save searches
• Sort search results and store articles
• Export references to EndNote (http://latrobe.libguides.com/endnote)
• Set up email alerts to journal publications
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20. Help!
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• Nursing and Midwifery Guide: http://latrobe.libguides.com/Nursing_Midwifery?hs=a
• Health databases guide: http://latrobe.libguides.com/healthdatabases
• Academic Writing guide: www.latrobe.libguides.com/academicwriting
• Referencing Tool: www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/referencing-tool/
• Assignment Calculator: www.latrobe.edu.au/library/calculator
• Help Zone from your campus Library