Find health and medical information from books, journal databases and reputable online resources at State Library Victoria.
Evidence-based medicine is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.
The evidence-based medicine pyramid (below) is used to illustrate the hierarchy of medical evidence, from the weakest to the strongest. The least powerful information is at the base and the strongest at the tip.
Australia has been a leading player in the area of medical research for many decades, and Melbourne is home to several of the highest profile research bodies. The organisations listed here make available a range of valuable resources related to their areas of research via their websites.
NHMRC - National Health and Medical Research Council
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is Australia's peak body for supporting health and medical research; for developing health advice for the Australian community, health professionals and governments; and for providing advice on ethical behaviour in health care and in the conduct of health and medical research.
This site provides information on: health research in Australia, the grant process, key public health issues, research ethics, guidelines, and some patient/consumer oriented information. Some publications listed on the site are free for download.
Walter & Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research
Focus on disease research into: infectious diseases; cancer; chronic inflammatory disease. Well known names associated with the WEHI include renowned scientists, Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet and Sir Gustave Nossal. The WEHI site includes several resources, including their WEHI.TV site whch uses 3D video animation to explain key aspects of research.
Burnet Institute
Named in honour of Sir Frank Macfarlane Burnet, the institute focuses on research into: infectious diseases – hepatitis, HIV, influenza, malaria and tuberculosis; cancers – breast, ovarian, prostate and blood cancers; and autoimmune diseases: rheumatoid arthritis and lupus.
Howard Florey Institute
Research fields include: Parkinson's, Huntington's and motor neuron disease; stroke and epilepsy research; multiple sclerosis; addiction and traumatic brain and spinal cord injury among others. The website includes information on the the brain and its disorders as well as the research being undertaken.
Systematic reviews are regarded as the "gold-standard" of medical evidence. Systematic reviews of medical literature produced by the Cochrane Collaboration, and made available through the Cochrane Library.
Cochrane Reviews are systematic reviews of primary research in human health care and health policy. They investigate the effects of interventions for prevention, treatment and rehabilitation. They also assess the accuracy of a diagnostic test for a given condition in a specific patient group and setting.
Each systematic review addresses a clearly formulated question; for example: Can antibiotics help in alleviating the symptoms of a sore throat? All existing primary research on a topic that meets certain criteria is searched for and collated, and assessed using rigorous guidelines, to establish whether there is conclusive evidence about a specific treatment. Reviews are updated regularly, ensuring that treatment decisions are based on the most current and reliable evidence.
TRIP database (part free full-text and part paid access)
TRIP (Turning research into practice) enables searching of a range of health resources, from patient handouts, to clinical guidelines, journal articles, clinical trials and studies, right through to systematic reviews. It uses the evidence-based pyramid approach (listing weakest to strongest research) when showing results.
In the area of medicine, and science generally, it is of primary importance to find the latest developments in the field. The key resource for the latest research is in journal literature, especially peer-reviewed journals.
These journals can be accessed through electronic databases which allow you to search through hundreds of journals to find relevant articles. The Library subscribes to a number of health and medical databases that are available to Library members onsite and online from home (for Victorian resident members).
See the Databases page for more information.
Man wearing white coat, in a hospital, probably a doctor, Mark Strizic, H2009.81/2562
