The document provides guidance on searching the CINAHL database for a nursing assignment on postoperative care for a patient returning from surgery to remove their gallbladder. It outlines searching for subject headings and keywords on "laparoscopic cholecystectomy" and "postoperative", then combining the searches and limiting to peer-reviewed, English language articles within a date range. It also offers tips on refining searches, accessing full text, creating a CINAHL account, and getting research help.

1. Searching in CINAHL – 2nd Year Assignment
Nursing and Midwifery - Acute Care A
Sharon Karasmanis
Faculty Librarian for Nursing and Midwifery
4th March 2014
CRICOS Provider 00115M
latrobe.edu.au
CRICOS Provider 00115M

2. Assessment – 2,000 word individual report – clinical scenario
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Clinical scenario of patient:
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You are the nurse allocated to provide postoperative nursing care for a patient
returning to the ward (RTW) from the post anaesthetic recovery unit (PARU)
post the surgical procedure laparoscopic cholecystectomy
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You are required to apply a person-centred care approach to manage the
patient’s care for the next four hours upon RTW
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Using the literature identify the four highest priority problems for this patient,
either potential or actual postoperative problems that may occur as a result of
the surgery or the patient’s past medical history
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Discuss the relevant nursing interventions and rationale using evidence from
the current peer reviewed nursing literature
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3. www.latrobe.edu.au/library
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4. Select CINAHL from the Database listing
(Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health)
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5. Login with your username and password
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6. Identify which Search Terms to use:
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Cholecystectomy laparoscopic
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AND
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Postoperative
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Postoperative care
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Postoperative complications
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Postoperative haemorrhage
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Postoperative pain
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More postoperative problems you may have identified …
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7. To search by Subject Heading:
1. Enter the term – cholecystectomy laparoscopic
2. Select Suggest Subject Terms
3. Search
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8. Select cholecystectomy laparoscopic and Search Database:
The Scope Note provides further information
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9. Search results will list under the search history:
Click on the article title to see the full record and abstract
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10. Enter the second concept:
Postoperative, select Suggest Subject Terms and Search
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11. There are a number of options that may be suitable depending on
the four highest priority problems you have identified:
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Select Postoperative Pain, Complications, Period, Care or more!
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Check the Scope Note if unsure:
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12. Search results for postoperative search terms:
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Note: all postoperative terms have been searched using OR
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Now: Select both searches and AND
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13. Search results which include both cholecystectomy laparoscopic
(search 1) and postoperative terms (search 2)
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14. •
Search 1:
cholecystectomy laparoscopic = 544 results
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Search 2:
postoperative period or care or complications or pain = 36,259
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Search 3:
added two searches together = 148
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15. Refine the search:
Show More provides more limiting options:
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16. Show More limits the results:
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17. Search now limited to peer reviewed, language and date:
Save your search history (Create an account)
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18. Select which articles are suitable, then find the full text!
1. Click on the Full Text Finder
2. If not found, search the journal title from Journals (Library home) and navigate to
the article by date, volume, issue …
3. If still not found, order from Document Delivery (see Quick Links on Library home)
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19. Other postoperative search terms (subject terms or keywords)
• You can also combine keyword searches with subject terms
• Or use other subject terms or keywords with cholecystectomy laparoscopic:
• Infection
• Haemorrhage
• Septicaemia
• Pressure sores
• Or other identified postoperative problems/complications
• Or other complications of the patient’s past medical history
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20. Keyword Searching
• You can search CINAHL with keywords instead of Subject Terms
• Subject Terms provide more precision in the search, but sometimes there is
no term, so you will need to use keywords or
• Recent records in CINAHL may not have had full indexing, so subject
heading will not retrieve these
• Keyword searching is enhanced by using:
• Truncation * use this to extend a word e.g. child* will retrieve
children, childless, childhood etc.
• Quotes will search for two or more words as a phrase e.g. “acquired
brain injury”, “quality of life” or “type 2 diabetes”
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21. Create an account in CINAHL:
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Create an account in CINAHL. Select Sign In from the top blue bar
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You can save searches
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Sort search results and store articles
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Export references to EndNote (http://latrobe.libguides.com/endnote)
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Set up email alerts to journal publications
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22. Help!
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Nursing and Midwifery Guide: http://latrobe.libguides.com/nursing_midwifery
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Health databases guide: http://latrobe.libguides.com/healthdatabases
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Academic Writing guide: www.latrobe.libguides.com/academicwriting
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Referencing Tool: www.lib.latrobe.edu.au/referencing-tool/
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Assignment Calculator: www.latrobe.edu.au/library/calculator
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Research Help Desk from your campus Library
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