CINAHL

CINAHL (Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature) is a comprehensive and authoritative database for research in the fields of nursing and allied health. It provides indexing for journals from the fields of nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative medicine, consumer health, and other allied health disciplines.

History

CINAHL was first introduced in 1961 by the Cumulative Index to Nursing Literature (CINL) and has since evolved to become a critical resource for healthcare professionals and researchers. The database is maintained by EBSCO Information Services.

Content and Coverage

CINAHL covers a wide range of topics including nursing, biomedicine, health sciences librarianship, alternative medicine, consumer health, and other allied health disciplines. It includes indexing for more than 5,000 journals, with full-text access to over 1,300 journals. The database also includes books, dissertations, conference proceedings, standards of practice, and educational software.

Features

• **Subject Headings**: CINAHL uses a controlled vocabulary of subject headings to index articles, which helps in precise and efficient searching.
• **Full-Text Access**: Many articles indexed in CINAHL are available in full-text format.
• **Evidence-Based Care Sheets**: These provide summaries of the best available evidence on various healthcare topics.
• **Quick Lessons**: These are clinically focused summaries of diseases and conditions.

Access and Usage

CINAHL is available through institutional subscriptions, typically provided by universities, hospitals, and other healthcare organizations. Access to the database is usually through the EBSCOhost platform, which offers various search and retrieval functionalities.

Importance in Healthcare

CINAHL is an essential tool for nurses, allied health professionals, and healthcare researchers. It supports evidence-based practice by providing access to a vast array of peer-reviewed articles and other scholarly resources. The database is widely used for literature reviews, clinical decision-making, and academic research.

Related Pages

• Nursing
• Allied health professions
• Evidence-based practice
• Medical literature
• EBSCO Information Services

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