Nursing
From Simmons Library Research Guides
We have selected these resources to help you find relevant information on your research topic. Please contact a librarian for help using the resources listed in this guide or for help with your research process.
Contents |
Reference and Background Information
Search for Reference sources that contain information about your specific research topic here:
You may also consult the resources below for overviews of the topic that you have chosen to research. Use these resources to help you to put your topic in context and give you the big picture of what information exists about your topic. These resources may have bibliographies at the end of each entry that can help further your research.
- Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health
Level 1 Reference RT21 .G353 2002
A five volume encyclopedia set that contains extensive entries on all of the tests, equipment, procedures, diseases, systems, and other information that is relevant to nurses and nursing students. Entries provide a full, detailed definition, symptom description, related diseases, diagrams, and much more.
- Harrison's Principles of Internal Medicine
Level 1 Reference RC46 .H333 2005 and Simmons Eresource
This is one of the most reliable and accurate medical text books available. This edition is full-color and updated to include the latest medical treatments and technology. Though these two volumes contain a great deal of information, it is well-organized and a great resource for medical research.
- ICD-9-CM
Simmons Eresource
The three ICD-9-CM (International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems) volumes from 2008 are provided electronically. Use the index to diseases to look up a disease or disorder alphabetically, and find the most appropriate, specific coding.
- Mosby's Handbook of Diseases
Level 1 Reference RT65 .L37 2000
This is a concise, easy-to-use guide to all kinds of diseases. Each entry includes a definition, symptom description, complications, diagnostic tools and tests, and treatment options. This is a great source for quick and accurate references.
- Mosby's Medical, Nursing, and Allied Health Dictionary
Level 1 Reference R121 .M89 2002 and Simmons Eresource
A comprehensive dictionary of diseases, symptoms, important people, procedures, and much more complete with color diagrams and photos. Also included are measurement conversions, symbol and abbreviation charts, a guide to medical terminology, explanations of physiology, and much more. Also available online.
- The Health of Boston
Free Online
This web page, provided by the Boston Public Health Commission, provides the latest reports from Boston health professionals about important public health issues such as health of youth, regional health information, substance abuse recovery, and much more. The reports are provided as full-text PDF's.
- Health Care State Rankings
Level 1 Reference RA407.3 .H42 2007
This is the definitive source for finding American medical statistics. The easy to use charts break the statistics down state by state, and cover topics such as abortions, deaths by specific diseases, numbers of health care providers, physical fitness, and many more relevant topics.
- Healthy People 2010
Level 1 Reference RA395.A3 H44 2000 and Free Online
This two volume reference work, provides outlines of the many public health issues that are influencing America, such as heart disease and environmental health. Each entry provides statistics related to the issue, treatment trends, related issues, national goals, and much more. Also available for free online.
Diagnosis and Treatment
- Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment
Level 1 Reference RC71 .A14and Simmons Eresource
This book is one of the most useful resources for learning about the latest medical technologies, which treatments are recommended, and which treatments have become outdated. Entries also throughly define different diseases and disorders, and discuss the advantages, disadvantages, and side effects of treatments.
- DeGowin's Diagnostic Examination
Simmons Eresource
This online reference book teaches the procedures behind conducting an examination, taking a medical history, and making medical diagnoses. Each section discusses techniques for linking symptoms to diseases, methods to insure accurate diagnosis, and much more in a user friendly online version.
- Essentials of Diagnosis and Treatment
Simmons Eresource
An electronic book that describes common and uncommon diseases and disorders and the methods and tools for diagnosis. The book is organized into sections according to type of disorder. Each entry contains symptoms to consider, differential diagnosis, treatment options, and references for further reading.
- Laboratory Tests and Diagnostic Procedures with Nursing Diagnoses
Level G Books RT48.5 .C67 2004
- Merck Manual of Diagnosis and Therapy
Level 1 Reference RC55 .M4 2006, Level G Books RC55 .M4 1999, and Simmons Eresource
Use this guide for looking up symptoms, treatments, diseases and disorders. The book is organized according to areas of the body, such as eye disorders and muscular disorders.
Drug Information
- AHFS Drug Information
Simmons Eresource
AHFS Drug Information "aims to provide an evidence-based foundation for safe and effective drug therapy." Published by the American Society of Health System Pharmacists, it is the only drug compendium published by a non-commercial entity and it is updated frequently.
- LEXICOMP
Simmons Eresource
An online interface of several databases that provide up-to-date information about drugs, including uses, interactions, and more. Included sections cover select international drugs, common natural products, information about drugs specifically for pediatrics and geriatrics, and genetic variations influence on drug interactions. There are sections on nuclear, biological, and chemical exposure, and poisoning and toxicology. Also included are an infectious diseases diagnosis and treatment guide, a laboratory test diagnostic manual, the Clinicians' Guide to Diagnosis, Clinicians' Guide to Internal Medicine, and Clinicians' Guide to Laboratory Medicine.
Care Plans
- Care Plan Archive
Free Online
This web page from the University at Buffalo provides an archive of a listserv where health professionals would post questions related to medical dilemmas and questions they were having, and subscribers could respond with advice and recommendations.
- Care Plans on RNCentral.com
Free Online
RNCentral.com provided free access to careplans for many different disorders in an easy to print format.
Taxonomies
- Nursing Interventions Classification (NIC)
Level 1 Reference RT42 .N858 2008
- Nursing Outcomes Classification (NOC)
Books - Level G RT85.5 .N864 2003
Finding Articles
Below are suggested databases and indexes for articles on the topic that you have chosen to research. These databases include articles from newspapers, magazines and scholarly journals. Articles are shorter and more narrowly focused than books or reference materials so you should use them after you have narrowed your topic.
- CINAHL
Simmons Eresource
Provides authoritative coverage of the literature in nursing and allied health. Over 1200 English-language nursing and allied health journals are indexed along with virtually all publications from the American Nurses' Association and the National League for Nursing. Selected journals in biomedicine, consumer health, health sciences librarianship, behavioral sciences, and education are also included. CINAHL also provides references to healthcare books, book chapters, pamphlets, audiovisuals, nursing dissertations, educational software, selected conference proceedings, standards of professional practice, nurse practice acts, critical paths, and research instruments.
Note: while CINAHL is primarily a citation database, Simmons subscribes to a special enhanced version that includes the full text for articles from about 250 publications.
- Medline
Simmons Eresource
Created by the National Library of Medicine, Medline provides access to articles about biomedical, health, and biological. It is the "authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more." Approximately 5,000 of the world's leading biomedical journals are indexed in Medline.
- Alt-Health Watch
Simmons Eresource
This database provides coverage on the many "perspectives of complementary, holistic and integrated approaches to health care and wellness." The journals are often peer-reviewed; the database also includes international journals. This database focuses on the subject areas included in alternative and complementary medicine.
- Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) Reviews
Simmons Eresource
This database includes four resources - the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, the ACP Journal Club and Definitive Controlled Trials. These provide a "systematic reviews of topics; article reviews; and access to definitive controlled trials" to help clinicians practice Evidence Based Medicine.
- Health Reference Center
Simmons Eresource
Use this database to find articles on: fitness, pregnancy, medicine, nutrition, diseases, public health, occupational health & safety, alcohol and drug abuse, HMOs, prescription drugs, etc.
- Health Business Fulltext
Simmons Eresource
A database that is especially good for finding articles and information about topics related to the business aspects of medicine, such as the influence of pharmaceutical companies, and other economic aspects of medicine.
Searching the Web
Simmons librarians have created a customized search engine that allows you to find Nursing information on the free web. Use this Nursing Google Custom Search Engine box to search all select, quality free web sites at the same time:
You may also wish to go directly to, or bookmark, theNursing Google Custom Search Engine
Tips for Searching the Internet:
- Use the advanced search function, which is available from most search engines:
- Google - See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Ask - Click "Advanced." See also "Advanced Search Tips"
- Live (MSN) - See also "Options"
- Exalead - See also "Exalead FAQ"
- Yahoo! Search
- Limit your search to .edu and .gov sites. These often provide quality research, statistics, and commentary. Sites ending in .org often have good information, too, but are likely to espouse a strong stance or bias on the issues they cover and may not be objective.
- Try Scandoo, which presents search results from Google, Yahoo! Search, or Live (MSN) with an evaluation about the objectivity, credibility, and overall reliability of the site.
- Consider using a directory of pre-screened, annotated sites:
Writing Style and Citation
For more information on style and citation for this discipline, please contact the Simmons College Writing Center
You may also consider consulting these resources:
- Writing Resources
Free Online
The Writing Center provides online resources for citing your research. If you are unsure of which citation style to use, consult your professor and consider the following:- Use APA (American Psychological Association) when your topic is in the Social Sciences
- Use ASA (American Sociological Association) when your topic is in Sociology
- Use MLA (Modern Language Association) when your topic is in the Humanities
- Use Chicago/Turabian when your topic is in Literature, History or the Arts
- Use CSE (Council of Science Editors) when your topic is in the Sciences
- RefWorks
Simmons Eresource
RefWorks is a great program for organizing articles, books, and other materials you need for research. You can also use RefWorks to create bibliographies, create in text citations in your paper (Write-N-Cite), and share your research with others. Access RefWorks from the A-Z list of resources on the library's web page, and then follow the instructions to create your own username and password. We hold RefWorks Clinics throughout the semester. For more information, ask a reference librarian
Related Topics
For more resources in this area, visit the following related guides or other Resource Guides located here.
