Research Guides: Physical Therapy: Evidence Summaries and Clinical Guidelines

Evidence Syntheses and Summaries

Evidence syntheses and summaries are the results of the aggregation and appraisal of the best available evidence on given clinical questions, often with the aim of making recommendations for clinical practice.

Joanna Briggs Institute EBP Database This link opens in a new window
"[G]ives comprehensive coverage of a wide range of medical, nursing, and health science specialties and includes a unique suite of information that’s been analyzed, appraised, and prepared by expert reviewers at JBI" (from the publisher's description)
BMJ Best Practice This link opens in a new window
"[A] combination of the latest research evidence, guidelines and expert opinion – presented in a step-by-step approach, covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis" (from the publisher's description)
Trip Database This link opens in a new window
TRIP (Turning Research Into Practice) brings together the key evidence-based healthcare resources available on the Internet. Eight major categories are searched by the TRIP search engine: Evidence based guidelines, general peer-reviewed journals, query-answering services, specialist peer-reviewed journals, e-textbooks, medical images and patient information leaflets. The Evidence-based category covers 32 major resources including the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Clinical Evidence, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness.
PEDro: Physiotherapy Evidence Database This link opens in a new window
"[A] free database of over 61,000 trials, reviews and guidelines evaluating physiotherapy interventions" (from the website). Limit to Method>"Systematic Reviews"

APTA Patient Care
Available to APTA members only, these evidence-based practice resources include guidelines, evidence summaries and guides to physical therapy practice.

Cochrane Library (includes: CDSR, DARE, CCTR, HTA, NHSEED, CRG's) This link opens in a new window
For evidence summaries and syntheses, see "Cochrane Reviews" and "Clinical Answers".

Clinical Guidelines

Clinical guidelines and other guidance regarding best practices are a source of evaluated, synthesized evidence.

Repositories & Websites

HSTAT U.S. Health Services Technology Assessment Text
"[F]ree, Web-based resource of full-text documents that provide health information and support health-care decision making" (from the publisher's description)
Guideline Central
Provides healthcare professionals with evidence-based clinical decision-support tools
AHRQ - Guidelines & Measures Microsite
This AHRQ microsite was set up by AHRQ to provide users a place to find information about its legacy guidelines and measures clearinghouses, National Guideline Clearinghouse (NGC) and National Quality Measures Clearinghouse (NQMC).
ECRI Guidelines Trust
ECRI Guidelines Trust is a publicly available online repository of objective, evidence-based clinical practice guideline content. Register for a free account to access.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC)
Leading public health organization in the U.S. Search for "treatment guidelines" + a condition of interest.
National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The NIH is composed of 27 Institutes and Centers. To search for practice guidelines within NIH's Institutes:
1. Select the Institute that pertains to your topic, e.g., select National Cancer Institute.
2. Use the search feature on the individual institutes, using search terms like "clinical practice guidelines," "practice guidelines," or "guidelines."
National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) - United Kingdom
NICE Guidance contains NICE guidance
evidence-based recommendations developed by independent committees, including professionals and lay members, and consulted on by stakeholders.

Databases & Meta-Search Tools

NYU Libraries Catalog
Search NYU Libraries' catalog for "Practice Guidelines". Consider limiting by Publication Date to view recent guidelines.
AccessMedicine
Includes an array of texts to support clinical practice. To view guidelines, select Quick Reference from the banner at the top of the screen, and then select Guidelines - Primary Care.
PubMed
Major biomedical and health sciences database. To view guidelines, search for your topic, then select the filter for "Guideline" or "Practice Guideline."
CINAHL
Nursing and allied health database. For guidelines, search for your topic, then select the Publication Type "Practice Guidelines" on the first search screen.
PsycINFO via PsycNET
Psychology and behavioral health database. For treatment guidelines, search the term "Treatment Guidelines" as an Index Term or search for the keyword phrase "Practice Guideline."
Trip Database
Eight major categories are searched by the TRIP search engine: Evidence based guidelines, general peer-reviewed journals, query-answering services, specialist peer-reviewed journals, e-textbooks, medical images and patient information leaflets. To find guidelines, filter for "Guidelines" after completing your search.

PEDro: Physiotherapy Evidence Database This link opens in a new window
Contains "trials, reviews, and guidelines evaluating physiotherapy interventions" (from the website). To view practice guidelines, limit your search to Method>"Practice Guideline" on the search screen.

APTA - Clinical Practice Guidlines
Available to APTA members only, these CPGs are based on a systematic review of the evidence and published by APTA sections, or by other health care associations, organizations, and societies, not by individuals.
REHAB+
A searchable database and email alerting system of best evidence from the health care literature of particular interest to rehabilitation professionals. Requires a free account to search. Under Advanced search, filter for Article type> Evidence-based guidelines.