Evidence Based Medicine

This option helps you to limit your search results to evidence based medicine records.

Select one or more publication/study types to limit your search results to those records meeting the specific evidence based medicine criteria.

Note: For each of the publication/study types mentioned below it is indicated when the specific term was introduced. From this date on, the term has been used consistently whenever applicable. Before this date, records of this publication/study type can be found, but the coverage is not comprehensive.

Cochrane Review

Cochrane reviews (http://www.cochrane.org/reviews) are systematic reviews on medical interventions written by healthcare professionals. They explore the evidence for and against the effectiveness and appropriateness of treatments (medications, surgery, education, etc.) in specific circumstances.

Embase: introduced in 2006
Medline: introduced in 2000


Controlled Clinical Trial

A publication of a prospective study in humans that meets the criteria of a controlled study as well as of a clinical trial.
Controlled study: original study with a control group.
Clinical trial: prospective study performed on humans in order to evaluate the (comparative) efficacy of one or more medical interventions.

Embase: introduced in 1994
Medline: introduced in 1995


Meta Analysis

A publication of a study evaluating a medical intervention (including but not limited to drug trials) by critical analysis of data from previously reported clinical trials.

Embase: introduced in 1994
Medline: introduced in 1989


Randomized Controlled Trial

A publication of a clinical trial using a control group (e.g. placebo, sham treatment, standard intervention) for comparison with the experimental intervention, with random allocation of subjects to experimental and control groups.

Embase: introduced in 1994
Medline: available from 1966 on


Systematic Review

Publication of a study that systematically summarizes all relevant evidence pertaining to a defined health question. Includes meta analyses as well.

Embase: introduced in 2004
Medline: not available