Research guide to health science resources

Be efficient in your research and use the various databases, reference works and additional literature in the field of health and medicine.

Databases

Reference works

Theses

Databases

We recommend that you search the databases in order to research and review up-to-date and discipline-specific content on a topic. They mostly contain references to resources as well as full text articles from journals. Depending on the database, additional types of publications such as conference reports, book chapters, pictures, videos and much more are included.

Comprehensive databases

Topic-specific databases

Comprehensive databases on health

Name	Content	Guide
CINAHL Ultimate	Subjects: Nursing, health sciences Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Journal articles, evidence-based nursing information, continuing education modules, research instruments, some abstracts only	Video guides Guides More information
Cochrane Library	Subjects: Evidence-based medicine Coverage: International, English Content: Systematic reviews, clinical trials, journal articles, some abstracts only Special feature: Highest evidence quality for medicine and nursing	Guides Cochrane Kompakt
LIVIVO	Subjects: Medicine, health, nutrition, environmental and agricultural sciences Coverage: International, mostly German and English Content: Journal articles, conference papers, research reports, some abstracts only Special feature: Integrates various specialist libraries	Guides More information
MEDLINE via PubMed	Subjects: Medicine, biomedicine, health sciences Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Journal articles, other literature, some abstracts only Special feature: Freely accessible via PubMed Licensed access to MEDLINE MEDLINE via Ovid MEDLINE via ProQuest MEDLINE via Web of Science	PubMed videos PubMed user guide Differences between MEDLINE and PubMed MEDLINE Ovid videos
Scopus	Subjects: Multidisciplinary Coverage: International, multilingual Content: Focus on journal articles, some only abstracts Special feature: Enables citation and impact analysis; AI component integrated into search	Tutorials
Web of Science Core Collection	Subjects: Multidisciplinary Coverage: International, English Content: Focus on journal articles, some abstracts only Special feature: AI-supported search possible for literature reviews, research trends or topic explorations. Enables citation and impact analysis.	Guides

Topic-specific databases on health

Name	Content	Guide
AMED	Subjects: Alternative and complementary medicine, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, palliative care Coverage: International (focus on Europe), mostly English Content: Journal articles, some abstracts only Limited to four simultaneous users – please log out after use.	Video guide
Anatomy.tv	Subjects: Anatomy and the human body Coverage: International, English Content: 3D models of human anatomy in the areas of sport and rehabilitation, as well as an in-depth look at human physiology For access to the “Faculty only” section, please contact e-medien.hsb@zhaw.ch (for ZHAW staff only).	Webinars
CareLit	Subjects: Nursing and health sciences Coverage: DACH region, German Content: Journal articles, some abstracts only	-
Emcare	Subjects: Nursing sciences and related fields Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Journal articles, some abstracts only	-
OTDBASE	Subjects: Occupational therapy Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Journal articles, abstracts only	-
OTseeker	Subjects: Evidence-based occupational therapy Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and other resources, abstracts only Special feature: Freely accessible, trials include evidence rating (PEDro Scale)	-
PEDro	Subjects: Evidence-based physiotherapy and rehabilitation Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials (RCTs) and clinical practice guidelines, abstracts only Special feature: Freely accessible, trials include evidence rating (PEDro Scale)	Guides
PhysioTools	Subjects: Training programmes for therapy and rehabilitation Coverage: International, multilingual Content: Exercises, instructions, graphics Special feature: Individual training plans for printing or sending by email ZHAW physiotherapy students can find usernames and passwords in the Infopoint on Moodle. Others interested should contact e-medien.hsb@zhaw.ch	-
Physitrack	Subjects: Collaboration between physiotherapists, occupational therapists and midwives with patients Coverage: International, multilingual Content: Videos, training plans Special feature: Individually customisable video-based exercises for use on mobile devices	Registration guide Guides for using the database
SafetyLit	Subjects: Injury/accident prevention and safety Coverage: International, mostly English Content: Abstracts of journal articles and other resources Special feature: Freely accessible	-

Reference works

farbige Bücher stehen in einem Regal in der Hochschulbibliothek

Not sure where to start yet? Reference works are a good first step: they provide definitions, give an overview of a topic and help you find the right search terms for your research.

You can find all reference works in ZHAW swisscovery. To help you get started quickly in your specialist area, we have put together a selection of titles below.

General reference works can be found with the monolingual and multilingual dictionaries.

A Dictionary of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and further reference works from Oxford on the topic of medicine and health
A Dictionary of Nursing
A Dictionary of Public Health
APA Style Manual: Manual for citing (APA 7th ed.) and academic writing
Encyclopedia of Gerontology
International Classification of Diseases (ICD), different versions available: ICD-11, ICD-10-GM (German Modification), ICD-10-WHO
Praktische Schmerzmedizin and further reference works from Springer on the topic of medicine and public health
Pschyrembel Online: Evidence-based medical information
Waldeyer - Anatomie des Menschen: Textbook and atlas of anatomy

Theses

Selected theses from the School of Health Sciences are available in electronic form in the ZHAW digitalcollection.

Each year, the School of Health Professions organises a special day (Tag der Bachelorarbeiten) on which students present their theses.