NHS Evidence

Defunct UK online health information resource

NHS Evidence was a UK health care evidence search service that enabled users to access clinical and non-clinical evidence and best practice information through its web-based portal. Its purpose was to help users within the National Health Service (NHS), public health and social care sectors in decision-making by fostering evidence-based practices. NHS Evidence was managed by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE).[1] It was created in 2008 and as of 2024 is no longer in operation; NICE directs would-be users to alternate services on its website.[2]

## Origins

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The service was created as part of a broader initiative by the government of Prime Minister Gordon Brown "to improve quality of care" provided by the National Health Services (NHS) to the public.[3] It was established in April 2009 as part of Parliamentary Under Secretary of State Lord Darzi's strategy report[4] on the future of the NHS commissioned by the Brown government, entitled "High-Quality Care for All".[4] In his report, Darzi identified the need for better information access to improve services.[5]

## Capabilities

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NHS Evidence allowed users to search over 100 health and social care databases simultaneously,[5][6] including The Cochrane Library, the British National Formulary and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence. Users could search in clinical areas and in demographic and policy subjects, including topics related to inequalities in services available to different population groups.[7]

Its budget in 2009 and 2010 was £19,433,000. In 2010 and 2011 it was £24,438,000.[8]

## Resources

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Information available via NHS Evidence included clinical and public health guidance, government policy, patient data, pharmacological data, systematic reviews, primary research, and grey literature.

There were six 'lots', or categories, of data available as defined by NICE, organized by type of source.[9] These categories were: 1) print journals; 2) electronic journals; 3) print books; 4) electronic books; 5) databases; and 6) aggregated evidence summaries. Source providers were as follows: 123Doc; BMJ; Wiley-Blackwell; Coutts; Dawson; EBSCO; Oxford University Press; Ovid; Pharmaceutical Press; ProQuest; Tomlinsons; and Waterstone.[citation needed]

## NICE

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The acronym "NICE" refers to the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, a special health authority that was initially responsible for maintaining the evidence search service.[2] Following the Health and Social Care Act 2012, NICE was renamed the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence and changed from a special health authority to an executive non-departmental public body. NICE International[10] was established in 2008 to help cultivate links with foreign governments[11] and universities in the UK and abroad. NICE International has received financial support from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation.[12] Part of its process involves the publication of case studies.

## See also

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The Norwegian Electronic Health Library (Helsebiblioteket.no) is a similar public website for health professionals and students.

## References

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1. ^ "About Us". National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 30 August 2024. Archived from the original on 23 May 2013. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
2. ^ a b "Evidence search service closure information". National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 2024.
3. ^ "High Quality Care For All NHS Next Stage Review Final Report" (PDF).
4. ^ a b "Our NHS Our Future: NHS Next Stage Review Leading Local Change". Department of Health. May 2008. 084644
5. ^ a b "UK Government Web Archive". webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk. Retrieved 27 September 2023.
6. ^ "NICE Evidence Search" (PDF).
7. ^ "Ethnicity and Health". NICE. Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
8. ^ "Budget for NHS Evidence - a Freedom of Information request to National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence". 16 March 2010.
9. ^ "NICE Electronic & Print Content Framework". NICE. Retrieved 4 June 2013.
10. ^ "About NICE International | NICE International | What we do | About". NICE. Retrieved 31 August 2024.
11. ^ Cheng, Tsung-Mei (15 September 2009). "Nice approach". Financial Times. Retrieved 18 September 2009.
12. ^ "Annual General Meeting and Public Board Meeting" (PDF). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. 19 July 2017. Archived (PDF) from the original on 21 January 2022. Retrieved 15 June 2022.

## External links

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* NHS Evidence [archived from original]
* National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE)
* NICE International
* Development of a Search Strategy for an Evidence Based Retrieval Service [journal article]