Evidence-Based Public Health Portal

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses of the literature that use specific methods and criteria to locate, appraise, and synthesize the evidence from research studies. The reviews uncover the strengths and weaknesses of the evidence and identify gaps in current research.

Core

• PubMed Systematic Review filter
  (National Library of Medicine) - Specialized PubMed searches to retrieve citations identified as systematic reviews, meta-analyses, reviews of clinical trials, evidence-based medicine, consensus development conferences, and guidelines.
• Cochrane Library
  (Cochrane Collaboration) - The most respected source of systematic reviews of healthcare interventions. Abstracts of reviews are freely available. Access to full text requires a paid subscription.
• Cochrane Reviews of Relevance to Health Promotion and Public Health
  (Cochrane Health Promotion and Public Health Field)- Subset of the Cochrane Library, specific to the fields of public health and health promotion.
• Health-Evidence.ca
  (Canadian Institutes of Health Research) - Systematic reviews on health promotion and public health interventions.

International

• Centre for Reviews and Dissemination Databases
  (University of York, UK) - International databases of systematic reviews, economic evaluations and health technology assessments.
• EPPI (Evidence for Practice and Policy Information) Centre
  (Social Science Research Unit, Institute of Education, University of London, UK) - Reviews related to health promotion and intervention.
• Evidence Based Health Promotion
  (Victorian State Government, Department of Human Services, Australia) - Current evidence and critical appraisal review series.
• Health Evidence Bulletins Wales
  (Duthie Library, University of Wales College of Medicine, Cardiff, UK) - Collection of published documents outlining current clinical evidence for several health topics.
• Public Health Evidence Briefings
  (Centre for Public Health Excellence, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, UK) - Detailed reports on the existing evidence available (e.g., systematic reviews and meta-analyses) for public health and health improvement, with particular focus on health inequities.
• Effective Public Health Practice Project
  (EPHPP) (Ministry of Health & Long Term Care, Canada, and the City of Hamilton, ON, Public Health Services) - EPHPP conducts systematic reviews on the effectiveness of public health interventions, and summarizes recent, high quality reviews produced by others. Although EPHPP reviews focus on public health interventions, review methodology

Evidence-based guidelines based on a systematic review of the research literature. The guidelines provide summaries of evidence and recommendations for practice from government agencies, professional organizations, and convening expert panels

• Evidence-based Practices for Healthiest Wisconsin 2010
  A site developed by the WI Department of Health and Family Services (DHFS) in partnership with the UW Population Health Institute (UW PHI) to encourage the use of evidence-based practices in the implementation of Healthiest Wisconsin 2010.
• Guide to Clinical Preventive Services
  (U.S. Preventive Services Task Force) - Summaries evaluating preventive measures for a variety of clinical services including health screenings, immunizations, and counseling.
• Guide to Community Preventive Services
  (Task Force on Community Preventive Services) - Collection of summaries and recommendations detailing the effectiveness, economic efficiency, and feasibility of interventions for a number of health topics.
• MMWR Recommendations and Reports
  (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) - Published reports outlining policy statements for prevention and treatment on all areas in CDC's scope of responsibility.
• National Guideline Clearinghouse
  (Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality) - Clinical practice guidelines from national and international agencies and professional organizations.

These tools have been developed to help you more effectively search PubMed for literature related to your research or practice area. The "pre-formulated" search strategies save time and take the guesswork out of choosing the right search terms.

• Healthy People 2010 Information Access Project
  (National Library of Medicine and the Public Health Foundation) - Specialized PubMed searches for research articles related to Healthy People 2010 objectives.
• PubMed Clinical Queries
  (National Library of Medicine) - Specialized PubMed searches for citations specific to clinical research areas.
• PubMed Health Services Research (HSR) Queries
  (National Library of Medicine) - Specialized PubMed searches on healthcare quality and costs.

Public health programs, interventions, and policies that through experience have been evaluated, shown to be successful, and have the potential to be adapted and transformed by others working in the same field. These have not been subject to the same standards of review as systematic reviews and EBPH guidelines.

• National Registry of Evidence-based Programs and Practices (NREPP)
  (Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration) - Database of interventions for the prevention and treatment of mental and substance abuse disorders.
• CDC - Registries of Programs Effective in Reducing Youth Risk Behaviors
• Best Practice Initiative
  (U.S. Department of Health and Human Service) - Collection of projects from around the United States highlighting successful public health projects.
• Model Practices Database
  (National Association of County and City Health Officials) - Collection of projects from around the United States highlighting successful public health projects.
• Promising Practices Network
  (RAND Corporation) - Collection of summaries of successful projects, programs and practices addressing the needs of children and youth.

• Compendium of HIV Prevention Services with Evidence of Effectiveness
  The National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention, Division of HIV/AIDS Prevention at CDC developed this Compendium to organize science-based interventions that prevent HIV transmission
• Prevention Communication Research Database
  The Prevention Communication Research Database (PCRD), a project of the Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion (ODPHP), Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), is a searchable collection of audience research conducted or sponsored by HHS agencies.

• Statistics Resources on HealthLinks
  Compilation of statistics resources provided by University of Washington. Quick links to US vital statistics, health care economics, international health, and more.
• CDC Wonder
  Searchable compilation of CDC reports, guidelines, and health data for disease (by ICD-9 code) and demographic groups. Includes data on AIDS, cost-benefit analysis, chronic disease prevention, cancer surveillance, census data, fatal accidents, STDs, health reform, Healthy People 2010 data, injuries, MMWR, natality, prevention guidelines and tuberculosis
• National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS)
• HCUP: Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Databases
  State, regional and national level discharge data, available for purchase. Includes State Inpatient Databases (SID), State Ambulatory Surgery Databases (SASD), State Emergency Department Databases (SEDD), Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS), and Kids' Inpatient Database (KID). Free tools include AHRQ Quality Indicators (QIs), Clinical Classifications Software (CCS), Comorbidity Software, and HCUPnet, a web interface to free HCUP data.
• National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR)
• State Health Facts Online
  State-level data on demographics, health, and health policy, including health coverage, access, financing, and state legislation.
• AHRQ Data and Surveys
• Healthiest Wisconsin 2010 Data
  This site provides population-based data for the priority health conditions on the county, regional and state level. Many of the conditions are measured by mortality data; however, some links redirect the user to external sites that provide other kinds of data.