Evidence-based Medicine Search: a customizable federated search engine.
OBJECTIVE
This paper reports on the development of a tool by the Arizona Health Sciences Library (AHSL) for searching clinical evidence that can be customized for different user groups.


METHODS
The AHSL provides services to the University of Arizona's (UA's) health sciences programs and to the University Medical Center. Librarians at AHSL collaborated with UA College of Medicine faculty to create an innovative search engine, Evidence-based Medicine (EBM) Search, that provides users with a simple search interface to EBM resources and presents results organized according to an evidence pyramid. EBM Search was developed with a web-based configuration component that allows the tool to be customized for different specialties.
Informal and anecdotal feedback from physicians indicates that EBM Search is a useful tool with potential in teaching evidence-based decision making. While formal evaluation is still being planned, a tool such as EBM Search, which can be configured for specific user populations, may help lower barriers to information resources in an academic health sciences center.
Bracke
Paul J
PJ
Purdue University Libraries, 504 West State Street, West Lafayette, IN 47907-2058, USA. pbracke@purdue.edu
Howse
David K
DK
Keim
Samuel M
SM
D000043:Abstracting and Indexing / Q000379:methods*; D019985:Benchmarking; D015706:Bibliometrics; D003658:Decision Making, Computer-Assisted; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D016730:Program Development; D015397:Program Evaluation; D009626:Terminology as Topic; D014481:United States; D018875:Vocabulary, Controlled