Evidence Reviews

NICE are an independent public body that provides national guidance and advice to improve health and social care in England. NICE produce evidence-based recommendations on a broad range of topics and will set out the care and services suitable for most people with a specific condition or need. Guidelines are mainly for individual health and social care practitioners, although some are for local authorities, commissioners and managers, and cover planning, commissioning and improving services.

The Maudsley Prescribing Guidelines in Psychiatry is the essential evidence-based handbook on the safe and effective prescribing of psychotropic agents. Covering both common and complex prescribing situations encountered in day-to-day clinical practice, this comprehensive resource provides expert guidance on drug choice, minimum and maximum doses, adverse effects, switching medications, prescribing for special patient groups, and more

The Cochrane Library is a collection of databases containing different types of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making. Cochrane produce high-quality, relevant and up-to-date systematic reviews and other synthesised research evidence. 

NICE Pathways provides quick and easy access, topic by topic, to the range of guidance from NICE, including quality standards, technology appraisals, clinical and public health guidance and NICE implementation tools.

CKS is a readily-accessible summary of the current evidence base and practical guidance on best practice in respect of over 300 common and/or significant primary care presentations.

BMJ Best Practice is an online point of care tool that combines the latest research evidence, guidelines and expert opinion – presented in a step-by-step approach, covering prevention, diagnosis, treatment and prognosis. Access via an NHS OpenAthens accountor download the mobile app.

Operating since 1993, the Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) is a collaborative initiative developing and disseminating national clinical guidelines, containing recommendations based on the latest evidence to promote good clinical practice and to improve the quality of healthcare for patients in Scotland by reducing variation in practice and outcome. SIGN also produces an award-winning mobile app, freely available for iPhone, iPad and Android devices, which allows you to search for latest guidelines from anywhere.

UpToDate is considered to be a premier evidence-based clinical decision support resource. Written by clinicians and very user intuitive, the reports are written to help healthcare practitioners make the best evidence-based decisions at the point of care. There is also a link on the trust's intranet site and the resource is available to download as  a mobile app.

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

• American College of Physicians

• Canadian Medical Association

• New Zealand Guidelines Group

• NHMRC Australian Clinical Practice Guidelines

• Toward Optimized Practice