Filtered Information Resources
Foreground questions are meant to:
- help with a decision on a course of action for a patient (diagnosis, treatment, etc.)
- assist with a problem when you want to base your decision on the best available evidence.
If you have a foreground question, consult a filtered resource.
Filtered resources contain synthesized information. This means that clinical experts and subject specialists have posed a question and then synthesized the available primary studies – such as clinical trials – to make conclusions based on the available research. These resources are helpful because all available literature has been searched and their results have been evaluated to provide an answer to a clinical question. Make sure to evaluate how recently the synthesis was updated or revised – you may find that you need to find more recent evidence.
Not all topics are covered by filtered information resources. If your topic is not covered, you will need to search the primary or unfiltered literature.
Examples of Filtered Information Resources:
- DynaMed
- Micromedex
- Cochrane Library
- Clinical practice guidelines, which you can find in the TRIP database or by searching the organization’s website
Look for these resources and more at the Health Sciences Library’s homepage, hsl.lib.umn.edu.
