YEAR 03 • CLINICAL TRANSITION

Research & Evidence-Based Medicine

20 learning units • 100 chapter sections • 200 explained questions. Build a question, judge the evidence and connect the answer with the person receiving care.

Original RAHBAR study material for the Year 3 learning pathway. Educational examples support supervised learning; institutional research and clinical requirements still apply. References & further reading ↓

MODULE 02 / 20

Finding & Recording Evidence

Build a reproducible search that balances useful coverage with a manageable number of relevant records.

Quick revision ↓ Medical Dictionary

01Choose the starting source

Match the source to the question. A current trustworthy guideline or systematic review may answer a common clinical question efficiently, while a new or very specific uncertainty may need primary studies. Check the date of the search underlying a review, not merely its publication date. Use bibliographic databases to locate research and read full methods when possible; a search-engine snippet is not an appraisal.

02Translate concepts into terms

Break the question into its main concepts and list spelling variants, synonyms and relevant controlled vocabulary. Combine synonyms with OR to broaden a concept, then combine different concepts with AND. Adding every PICO element can make a search too narrow, especially when outcomes are inconsistently indexed. Pilot the search against a relevant known paper and revise terms if that paper is missed.

03Understand filters and indexing

Database indexing and free-text searching complement each other. A recently added record may lack complete indexing, while an older paper may use different terminology. Language, date and study-design filters can improve efficiency but can also exclude useful studies. Apply restrictions for a stated reason and document them. A filter for trials does not verify that every retrieved report describes a valid randomised trial.

04Keep an audit trail

Record the database and platform, exact search string, date searched, restrictions and number of records. Export citations when permitted and remove duplicate records before screening. Record why full texts were excluded when conducting a systematic review. Reproducibility means another researcher can understand and repeat the method; it does not mean the result count will remain identical as databases acquire new records.

05Read beyond the abstract

Abstracts compress methods and may emphasise favourable outcomes. Compare the full report with its protocol or registry record, examine supplementary methods and look for corrections or retractions. One study can generate several publications, so reports must be linked before counting participants in a review. Citation tracking can locate additional evidence, but it should complement a planned search rather than become selective collection of supportive papers.

High-Yield Revision

OR joins synonyms; AND joins distinct concepts.
Record the exact search and its date.
Several reports may describe one underlying study.

Common Pitfalls

A highly ranked search result is not necessarily high-quality evidence.
Do not count duplicate publications as independent participants.

References & Further Reading

Use the full methods and relevant chapters when appraising a paper. These sources support further study; the examples and questions above are original teaching exercises.

Reference review: 25 September 2026. Consult current institutional guidance for project approval and clinical decisions.