The new EBSCO interface of CINAHL isn’t just a pretty color change. It offers new ways of retrieving the searches you’re used to in Ovid and offers new features you may have never considered. Spend a few minutes browsing the new CINAHL at http://purl.lib.uiowa.edu/ebsco/cinahl then try answering these questions.

1. Using subject words (a.k.a. CINAHL headings) when searching can often retrieve more results. For instance, a keyword search for bedwetting will find 58 articles, but a subject search using the approved terminology nets 269 articles.

What is the CINAHL subject word for bedwetting?

Incontinence Bedwetting Enuresis

Not a bad guess, but incontinence is too general. Look for a term that indicates urination during sleep. Now that would just be too easy wouldn’t it? This is approved subject word for bedwetting. Search using subjects with the CINAHL Headings button in the green navigation bar.

2. You can save article information in EBSCO CINAHL to look at later. How is this done?

Click the Folder icon. Create a Saved Search or Alert. Find an interesting article and think about it very hard.	Yes, like your shopping cart at Amazon, you can store articles in your CINAHL folder. Access the saved citations by clicking the Folder has items link above the results and view, print, save or check for full-text. Keep in mind these articles are only saved as long as you are using CINAHL – they can’t be saved until tomorrow here. By clicking the Search History/Alerts tab above the results then the Save Searches/Alerts link, you can return to searches another day, or set up automatic email updates for new articles. Just register and go crazy! No, but that would be very very cool. Maybe in the next version.

3. How many times has this article been cited by others articles in the CINAHL database (as of 4/27/05)?

Nurse staffing and patient outcomes.
Blegen MA;
Nursing Research, 1998 Jan-Feb; 47(1): 43-50
PMID: 9478183 CINAHL AN: 1998023317

77 37 40	Yes! Times Cited in this Database indicates 77 other articles have cited this article since its publication. The link will take you to their CINAHL records. This feature, not available in Ovid, allows you to track the evolution of a topic through time. Close. This is the Cited References number, which indicates the number of references in that article’s bibliography. Click this link to see the list of references. You can also save items to your folder or access full-text from this screen. A valiant effort, but no. Try again.

This quiz points out only a few of the interesting features in the new version of CINAHL. For more details, use the CINAHL Help menu or contact the Hardin Library Education Department at 319-335-9151 or hlhsed@uiowa.edu for an individual training session.