Mangala Krishnamurthy, MLIS, AHIP

Associate Professor/Reference Librarian
Rodgers Library for Science & Engineering
The University of Alabama

Content

The Joanna Briggs Institute Database (JBI), based at the University of Adelaide, South Australia, is one of the leading providers of evidence-based information and tools for the healthcare industry. JBI is a comprehensive database that covers a range of medical, nursing, and health sciences specialties. This database is composed of information that has been analyzed and reviewed by subject experts.

Evidence-based resources from this database are used in practice to find:

– Evidence Summaries
– Evidence-Based Recommended Practices
– Best Practice Information Sheets
– Systematic Reviews
– Consumer Information Sheets
– Systematic Review Protocols
– Technical Reports

Features/Functionality

In the JBI database, all documents are full text and fully searchable on the Ovid platform. JBI is one of the leading providers of evidence-based information for healthcare professionals across the globe who are implementing evidence-based practice programs to provide effective patient care.

The database’s platform (Ovid) is user friendly as well as mobile friendly. The platform’s interface allows detailed searching using basic search to multifield search options including multimedia files. The database comprises information on subject-based nodes along with a review of the seven different publication types (including Best Practice Information Sheets, Evidence-Based Recommended Practices, and Consumer Information Sheets) that can be used immediately to inform treatment and guide practice. With a little practice to get familiar with the platform, one can perform searches, use techniques for managing the results, save searches, and export content to preferred bibliographic software.

JBI is available for institutions and a free trial can be requested by contacting regional representatives at Wolters Kluwer Health – Ovid Technologies. The JBI resource center on the website contains information about the many support and training options available to JBI subscribers. Platform usage reports can be generated for total searches, result clicks, and record views by month, which is useful for librarians and library administration to market the resource.

Subscribers also can request monthly JBI reports and can access several resources online from the Ovid website such as:

Ovid PICO Resource Center (http://access.ovid.com/training/pico/english/pico_widget.htm): This tool guides users through creating basic data points for their research, which become the elements of the PICO question.

Ovid Top Articles (http://ovidspstats.ovid.com/toparticles/): This tool provides a list of specialties from which to choose, and in each specialty, the top-read Ovid articles for the past month globally. This is a great way to learn what’s “hot” in a chosen specialty.

JBI also provides access to tools, for an added cost, to help implement evidence-based practice in every step. One such tool is the JBI Journal Club, which helps to create a personal journal club and keep up to date with the latest research in a social and team-based learning environment. It offers tools to easily evaluate a journal article and to share and discuss the article and the conclusions with a group. This helps users get familiar with the latest research on a chosen subject or topic among peers within an organization or in a classroom setting while learning how to critically appraise research papers using a standardized checklist.

This is an excellent feature for librarians and teaching faculty to collaborate on to introduce and encourage students in graduate studies in healthcare professional programs to keep up with the latest information in the field. There are two phases involved in using JBI’s journal club: select and appraise an interesting journal article and then share access with the group and discuss online.

Business Model

A site license is required and the licensing models vary depending on the size (FTE) of the institution. An Ovid representative is a good contact for getting details on pricing and any discounts available for consortia, as well as setting up free trials and training.

Breakthrough

JBI database is relevant and helpful for faculty and students, both graduate and undergraduate, in the health professions. It is a great resource for academic libraries supporting programs in healthcare.

References

http://site.ovid.com/site/resources/index.jsp

http://site.ovid.com/site/pdf/jbi/JBI_fs.pdf

http://site.ovid.com/site/resources/downloads_library.jsp