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Evidence-based Medicine Resource Center
Fact Sheet

Ovid Fact Sheet

What is Ovid?

General Information about: Ovid MEDLINE Evidence-based Medicine Reviews Best Evidence Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews DARE Clinical Evidence

What is Ovid?

Ovid is a company that designs search engines. Though they do this for a number of products, the ones that are of particular interest to evidence-based searching are MEDLINE and Evidence-based Medicine Reviews (EBMR). You will be able to access these databases by clicking on the Ovid link from the Evidence-based Medicine Resource Center's Home Page, and inputting your password.

Is MEDLINE different on Ovid?

Ovid has the same database that you will find if you were to search MEDLINE on PubMed or Internet Grateful Med. However, there are differences in the way you search MEDLINE on Ovid. Ovid's software prOvides easier access to certain search limiters (like to English language). And, using MEDLINE on Ovid allows you to limit your search to only studies that were reviewed in EBMR. For more information on searching MEDLINE and EBMR, please see the fact sheet How Do I Search Ovid?

What is Best Evidence?

Best Evidence (BE), which was developed by the American College of Physicians, consists of the full-text of two journals ACP Journal Club and Evidence-based Medicine. These two journals identify studies in the medical literature (they review about 150 journals) which they consider to be "the most likely to be true and useful" (EBM 3(3):66). The complete contents of these two journals (dating back to 1991) is included in EBMR. Print copies of Evidence-based Medicine are presently ONLY available in the US with a subscription to Best Evidence.
What is The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR)?

The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (CDSR) includes the full text of the systematic reviews of the Cochrane Collaboration, an international network committed to "preparing, maintaining and promoting the accessibility of systematic reviews of the effects of health care interventions." The full-text of the database, dating back to 1991, is available on EBMR.

For more information on searching MEDLINE and EBMR, please see the fact sheet How Do I Search Ovid?

What is The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness (DARE)?

The Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effectiveness, or DARE, is a full-text database containing critical assessments of systematic reviews from a variety of medical journals. Produced by the staff of the National Health Services' Centre for Reviews and Dissemination (NHS CRD) at the University of York, England, DARE consists of structured abstracts of systematic reviews from all over the world, and covers topics such as diagnosis, prevention, rehabilitation, screening, and treatment.

What is Clinical Evidence?

Clinical Evidence is regularly updated and fully searchable textbook which provides a compendium of evidence on the effects of common clinical interventions. Clinical Evidence attempts to discuss the most common or important clinical conditions seen in primary and hospital care, and aims it focus at the benefits and harms of preventative and therapeutic interventions, with emphasis on outcomes that matter to patients.

For more information on searching MEDLINE and EBMR, please see the fact sheet How Do I Search Ovid?

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Updated: 9/27/00
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