Medicine and health
Welcome to the subject guide for medicine and health! Here you will find databases, journals, links and other information that you may find useful when searching for material in a specific subject area.
The Library Search Tool
- The Library Search Tool
External link.
In the Library Search Tool you can search for books, e-books, dissertations and articles in all subject areas.
Articles and databases
Interdisciplinary databases
- Academic Search Premier (LTU)
External link.
Multidisciplinary research database. - Scopus (LTU)
External link, opens in new window.
Reference database with summaries and citations for scientific journal articles in all areas; natural sciences, engineering, medicine and social sciences, including arts and humanities. - Web of Science (LTU)
External link, opens in new window.
Database that provides access to multiple databases and covers leading journals and more in natural sciences, technology, social sciences, arts and the humanities.
Databases in medicine and health
- Swedish MeSH
External link.
Swedish MeSH, developed by Karolinska Institutet University Library, assists you in finding effective search terms for medical databases, including PubMed. It also provides English translations. - PubMed (LTU)
External link.
PubMed contains scientific articles in biomedicine, nursing, rehabilitation, psychiatry, dentistry and related subject areas. - CINAHL with Full Text (LTU)
External link.
A reference database covering nursing, occupational therapy, physiotherapy and health administration. It also includes full-text articles. - APA PsycInfo (LTU)
External link.
A reference database in psychology. - SBU, Swedish Agency for Health Technology Assessment and Assessment of Social Services
External link.Systematic reviews in Swedish.
- Cochrane Library (LTU)
External link.
Systematic reviews in medicine and related fields. - Micromedex (LTU)
External link.
Reference database providing information on pharmaceuticals, diseases, toxicology, and alternative medicine. - AMED (LTU)
External link.
A reference database in alternative medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and rehabilitation. - APA PsycArticles (LTU)
External link.
A full-text database from the American Psychological Association - SPORTDiscus with Full Text (LTU)
External link.
Reference database in physical education.
Journals in medicine and health
- DOAJ, Directory of Open Access Journals
External link.
Open-Access journals and articles within your subject area. - Journals
External link, opens in new window.
Search among the University Library's journals within your subject area.
Links
Authorities and organisations
- FASS
External link.
Database with information about pharmaceuticals. Fass, the Pharmaceutical Specialties in Sweden, contains pharmaceutical information. Fass is produced by Läkemedelsindustriföreningens Service AB, a trade organisation for research-based pharmaceutical companies operating in Sweden. - Läkemedelsboken
External link.
Information on pharmaceutical treatments for common diseases, published by the Swedish Medical Products Agency. Available in Swedish. - The Handbook for Healthcare
External link.
The Handbook for Healthcare aims to ensure equal access to safe, high-quality healthcare for everyone. It covers over a hundred topics with clinically adapted information, including texts, films, slideshows, illustrations, and photos. Available in Swedish. - The Swedish Medical Products Agency
External link, opens in new window.
The Swedish Medical Products Agency is a government authority working on behalf of the government and parliament to promote public and animal health in Sweden. It provides treatment recommendations, drug information, and regulatory guidelines. - The National Cancer Institute
External link.
Cancer information from the National Cancer Institute, including reports, fact sheets, patient and healthcare professional publications, encyclopedias, blogs, and newsletters.
ICD and ICF
ICD and ICF are international classification systems for diseases and health conditions.
ICD
The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) is a globally recognised diagnostic classification system. It is used to categorise diseases and other health issues, as well as in death certificates and patient records. Beyond supporting the storage and use of diagnostic information for clinical and epidemiological purposes, the ICD data also serves as a foundation for compiling national cause-of-death records and morbidity statistics within World Health Organization (WHO) Member States.
- ICD-10-SE
External link.
Swedish version of ICD-10, available on the National Board of Health and Welfare's website, available in Swedish. - ICD-11 Online
External link.
Search for ICD codes on the World Health Organization (WHO) website. ICD-11 provides codes for classifying mortality and morbidity statistics. - About ICD-11
External link.
Learn more about the ICD-11 on the WHO website.
ICF
The International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) categorises health and health-related domains. It consists of three lists: body functions, body structures, and activities and participation. Recognising that an individual's functioning and disability are influenced by their environment, the ICF also includes a list of environmental factors.
- ICF Browser
External link, opens in new window.
Search for ICF in the WHO's search service. - ICF in Swedish
External link, opens in new window.
The international classification ICF translated into Swedish by the National Board of Health and Welfare. Available in Swedish.
Ethical codes
Professional ethics codes are used to guide ethical reasoning, support practitioners in their work, maintain public confidence in the profession, and strengthen professional identity.
- Research ethics
External link, opens in new window.
Uppsala University collection of information on research ethics. - Declaration of Helsinki
External link, opens in new window.
Ethical principles for medical research involving human subjects, established by the World Medical Association (WMA).
Evidence-based practice
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) and evidence-based care (EBC) mean that healthcare professionals use the best available scientific information together with clinical experience and the patient's preferences when treating and caring for patients. Evidence-based medicine follows four steps:
- Formulate a question – a patient-related question that can be answered.
- Information search – find literature that answers the question.
- Critical review – is the literature relevant and valid?
- Apply the results – treat and care for patients based on current evidence.
- Formulate a question
A clear question gets a clear answer. PICO is a model often used in evidence-based care to structure and clarify the question. PICO stands for:
Population
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome
Population
Which patient category is relevant? Which age groups? Men or women? With what diagnosis, disease severity, risk factors, or other conditions?
Intervention
What treatment method is relevant? Applied by which type of therapist, at what intensity, and for what duration?
Control
Compared to what other method, placebo, or lack of intervention?
Outcome
Mortality? Morbidity? Quality of life? Measured by which method?
Keywords
When the search query is divided into smaller components, it’s time to find synonyms and subject headings for the terms, for example by using Swedish MeSH or SveMed+.
- Swedish MeSH
External link.
Medical subject headings in Swedish and English, created by Karolinska Institutet University Library. - SveMed+
External link.
You can also use SweMed+ to get suggestions for MeSH terms.
2. Information search
Usually, an evidence-based information search focuses on the first two parts of PICO: population and intervention. These can be broken down further. For example, if the population is 'adolescents with alcohol abuse,' you can separate it into 'adolescents' and 'alcohol abuse.' This approach is called the building block strategy. You combine all synonyms, subject headings, and free text into one block using OR, and then combine your blocks with AND, as shown in the example below:
Block 1:
("Virtual reality therap*" OR "Virtual reality glasses" OR "virtual reality technolog*" OR "virtual goggles" OR "VR goggles" OR Virtual Reality [Mesh] OR Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy [Mesh])
Block 2:
("panic attack*" OR Phobic Disorders [Mesh] OR Panic Disorder [Mesh] OR Anxiety [Mesh] OR Anxiety Disorders [Mesh])
Block 1 and block 2:
("Virtual reality therap*" OR "Virtual reality glasses" OR "virtual reality technolog*" OR "virtual goggles" OR "VR goggles" OR Virtual Reality [Mesh] OR Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy [Mesh]) AND ("panic attack*" OR Phobic Disorders [Mesh] OR Panic Disorder [Mesh] OR Anxiety [Mesh] OR Anxiety Disorders [Mesh])
Suitable databases and search sources:
The choice of databases for your search depends on the type of material you want to find. For evidence-based information searches, the SBU or Cochrane Library is a good place to start. After that, you can search for original articles in databases such as PubMed.
Suggestions of databases and sources
- SBU, Statens beredning för medicinsk och social utvärdering
External link.
Systematic reviews in Swedish. - Cochrane Library (LTU)
External link.
Systematic reviews in medicine and related fields. - PubMed (LTU)
External link.
Go to Clinical Queries. Search for studies concerning therapy, diagnosis or prevention. You can also find systematic reviews - CINAHL with Full Text (LTU)
External link.
Limit your search to Evidence-based practice or select a publication type. - OTseeker
External link.
Systematic reviews within the field of occupational therapy. - PEDro
External link.
Access systematic reviews in physical therapy. - Trip
External link.
Conduct searches in Cochrane Library, clinical guidelines, various EBM websites, and PubMed simultaneously.
3. Critical review
To evaluate relevance, validity, and clinical utility, the scientific quality of the articles must be assessed, as the studies may contain systematic errors or biases. Errors in results can, for example, stem from incorrect data, interpretation mistakes, or assessment errors. Various review templates are often used to assess the material, such as:
- Critical appraisal tools and checklists from SBU
External link.
Different types of review templates for systematic reviews, as well as tips on templates that students can use in their projects. - GRADE
External link.
An international grading system often used in evidence grading to assess the reliability of the scientific basis. - PEDro scale
External link.
The PEDro scale is used in the PEDro database to evaluate the quality of clinical trials.
4. Apply the Results
The applicability of scientific findings to a patient depends on their needs and the clinical experience of healthcare providers. How generalisable are the study's results? Do the benefits of the chosen intervention outweigh its drawbacks? Is the evidence sufficiently robust?
Open course in evidence-based information retrieval
Learn how to search for evidence-based information using resources like SBU, Cochrane Library, PubMed, Trip, OTseeker, and PEDro. This free online course is advanced and open to everyone. It includes easy-to-follow lessons featuring texts, videos, and interactive elements.
- Advanced level
- Online and open to all
- Not Personalised – responses are not saved
- Includes texts, videos, quizzes, and interactive elements
How does the course work?
This online course is ungraded and open to everyone. You can complete it in one session or focus on specific areas of interest. Please note that the course is not personalised; any answers you provide will be lost when you close the web browser window or take an extended break. This course is produced by the University Library.
- Evidence-based information retrieval
External link.
Select the link to start the course. The course is in Swedish.
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