Guides and databases: Library Skills@UCL for NHS: Library skills for NHS staff

Library skills for NHS staff

This guide provides training materials and guidance for NHS staff at NHS Trusts supported by UCL Library Services, to support the development of information literacy and library skills to inform clinical practice, study and research.

Library research to inform evidence-based practice follows a process; consider each of the five steps below to:

Plan your search
to know which resources to use to identify evidence and plan your searches
Search for evidence
to effectively and efficiently find what you need
Evaluate evidence
to ensure evidence is reliable, valid and relevant
Acknowledge the sources
of the evidence and keep a record of evidence used
Communicate
the results of research and apply them in clinical practice

Information skills for NHS FAQ

How do I set up a NHS OpenAthens account?
Enter your details using this link - be sure to use your @nhs.net email.
How to create a NHS OpenAthens account (video)
This video shows how to create an NHS OpenAthens account and how to transfer your account.
How do I find health guidelines?
Various search tools exist, such as Trip Database and NICE Guidelines to find secondary health information (e.g. practice guidelines and systematic reviews).
How do I find journal articles?
You can find journal articles, via NHS subscribed journals, using the search tool: NHS Knowledge and Library Hub. Link to the Hub, to start your search.
How do I find systematic reviews?
There are a number of search tools and databases, which allow you to filter results to systematic reviews only. Trip Database and PubMed both allow this. See guides to using either Trip or PubMed via this link.
How do I collect references I am using for an extended project?
Using reference management software, you can collect, deduplicate and organise references. You can also later insert them into word-processed documents.
How do I find an e-book?
Probably the easiest way, is to use the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub, searching for word or two in the title, and limiting results to e-books.
How do I locate a print book in UCL libraries
Use the UCL Explore search tool, limiting the results to 'physical items'. See section: 'Introduction to Explore', to learn how do to do this.

Further information and support

Information skills for NHS FAQ
Find answers to frequently asked questions, and quick links to relevant content in this guide.
UCL Library Services for NHS Staff
Where's my NHS library?

Sessions we recommend for NHS staff:

Don't see what you need? See the full list of sessions we recommend to NHS Staff or view all UCL sessions open to NHS staff or Book a consultation with a Librarian

Related guides

Support for dissertations and research projects
A guide to resources and support for undertaking dissertations or research projects
Systematic reviews
Information on systematic review methods and support available from UCL Library Services.