Physical Therapy Resources: Databases
This guide was developed by the Health Sciences Library in collaboration with the Division of Physical Therapy.
Created by Health Science Librarians
Welcome
- Physical Therapy Student Welcome Resources (8-13-23)Welcome! Download this 1-page brochure for links to the most critical resources for Physical Therapy students new to UNC.
- HMSC/Human Movement Science PhD Student Resources (9/5/23)Welcome! Download this 1-page brochure for links to the most critical resources for HMSC PhD students.
- OT-PT_Resident & Fellow Resource Brochure 9-5-23Welcome. Download this 1-page brochure for links to the most critical resources for Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy Residents and Fellows new to UNC.
- Student Welcome & Orientation VideosWelcome & Orientation Resources: A set of 5 short videos to help you use the Health Sciences Library
• Intro to HSL
• Catalog Searching
• Using Library Databases
• Article Searching (including how to use Interlibrary Loan - free to you - to get articles we do not own)
• Advanced Searching Tips
Core Databases for Physical Therapy Students
- Access Collection, including AccessPhysiotherapy (McGraw-Hill Medical)E-books, multimedia, cases, NPTE prep, and more. See collection on E-books tab.
Includes AccessPhysiotherapy and AccessPhysiotherapy Clinical: FA Davis PT Collection
- PEDro: Physiotherapy Evidence DatabaseDatabase of over 33,000 randomised trials, systematic reviews and clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy and physical therapy from the Centre for Evidence-Based Physiotherapy.
- Database Tips - Subject SpecificSubject Specific tab on Database Tips Guide has help for PEDro and PEDro DiTA.
- PEDro Partnership's DiTA (Diagnostic Test Accuracy) DatabaseIndexes primary studies and systematic reviews of diagnostic test accuracy studies related to physiotherapy practice.
- PubMed Clinical QueriesPubMed Clinical Queries provides specialized searches for clinicians, including Clinical Study Categories and Systematic Reviews.
For comprehensive searches, use PubMed directly. - PubMed MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) DatabaseMeSH (Medical Subject Headings) is the National Library of Medicine (NLM) controlled vocabulary thesaurus used for indexing articles for PubMed.
Anatomy & Physiology Databases
- e-AnatomyThis anatomy reference & teaching tool displays labeled body parts using multiple imaging modalities (MRI, CT) in a sequential, slice by slice manner. Clinical cases are available.
- Anatomy.tvGeneral & regional anatomical modules including 3D views, clinical text, dissection slides and videos, MRI correlations, biomechanics animations, and self-quizzes; includes focii on Head & Neck, Dental, Spine, Hand & Shoulder, Knee, Abdomen & Thorax, Clinical & Surgical Anatomy, Sports Anatomy, Anatomy Trains for massage, Pelvic Floor, Chiropractic & Acupuncture, etc.
Psychology and Education-related Resources
Additional Rehabilitation-Oriented Databases
- International Rehabilitation Research Collection (formerly CIRRIE) from NARICCIRRIE: Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information & Exchange (CIRRIE).
Legacy site formerly housed at the U. of Buffalo Dept. of Rehabilitation Science:
• The CIRRIE Database of International Rehabilitation Research has been transferred to the National Rehabilitation Information Center (NARIC) and can be accessed at the Rehabdata by NARIC page.
- NARIC (National Rehabilitation Information Center) KnowledgebaseThe NARIC Knowledgebase contains more than 3,000 resources ranging from organizations and agencies to periodicals and Web resources.
- REHABDATA from NARICOne of the most comprehensive libraries in the country on disability and rehabilitation information. All documents in the library are cataloged in the REHABDATA literature database, spanning 50 years of disability and rehabilitation research. Includes international research. Features:
(1) reports, studies, and papers submitted by projects funded by the National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR)
(2) articles published in rehabilitation-related periodicals, including over 115,000 abstracts for
Center for International Rehabilitation Research Information and Exchange (CIRRIE). - Rehabilitation Therapy in VideoStreaming video from world-renowned occupational, physical, speech, respiratory, and vision therapists on the physical treatment of patients with congenital disorders, chronic health issues, traumatic injuries.
Additional Medical & Interdisciplinary Resources
Why use multiple databases?
Different databases focus on different areas of the literature, particularly so in physical therapy. Two recent studies point to the need to use multiple databases for, "comprehensive coverage of the physical therapy discipline. "(Fell, et al., p. 202)
- Michaleff, ZA, et al. CENTRAL, PEDro, PubMed, and EMBASE are the Most Comprehensive Databases Indexing Randomized Controlled Trials of Physical Therapy Interventions. Physical Therapy, 91 (2), February, 2011, pp. 190-197
- Fell, DW, et al. Mapping the Core Journals of the Physical Therapy Literature. J Med Libr Assoc, 99 (3), July, 2011, pp. 202-207
Other Useful guides
- Global Health The Global Health guide provides resources and services to support the global health research of UNC-Chapel Hill faculty and students working on campus and in the field. The guide also addresses the research needs of non-UNC-Chapel Hill users with links to free or low-cost resources.
Citing: AMA Manual of Style, 10th edition
Learn How to Use Library Databases
- Database Tips GuideLearn how to search effectively for citations and links to the full text of articles using library databases such as PubMed.
Find @ UNC
Click on the 
button in database results to:
- Go directly to most online articles
- Export article citations to Endnote or to formats for other reference managers
- Use Google Scholar or the Google Scholar Button browser add-in to find free full text.
- Search the UNC-CH Library Catalog to find the print journal
- Send an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request if the journal is not owned by UNC-CH
A to Z Databases
- browse by title
- browse by subject
- search by database name
Aids for Organizing Your Search
Use this guide to help visualize and plan your search:
- From Purdue Libraries Creating a Search Strategy Guide: Constructing a Search Statement Worksheet (.pdf download).
Use this log to keep your search organized and to document your search strategy for reporting:
Some Food for Thought on Searching for Disability Research
- Nancy Schaefer (2015) Disability Search Tips and Resources, Medical Reference Services Quarterly, 34:1, 60-74, DOI: 10.1080/02763869.2015.986792Although this resource is several years old and much is evolving in this area, it has information that continues to be useful for searching.
For UNC Chapel Hill Users FIND@UNC link for Full Text.
- DO-IT Glossary of Disability-Related Terms DO-IT (Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking, and Technology) serves to increase the successful participation of individuals with disabilities in challenging academic programs such as those in science, engineering, mathematics, and technology. Primary funding for DO-IT is provided by the National Science Foundation, the State of Washington, and the U.S. Department of Education. DO-IT is a collaboration of UW Information Technology and the Colleges of Engineering and Education at the University of Washington.
- On Searching for the Unknown with Unspeakable Names: Searching PubMed for Disability Research. By P.F. Anderson and LaTeesa James in Bill of Health, the blog of the Petrie-Flom Center at Harvard Law School, September 27, 2023"Currently, structured vocabulary terms related to disability are scattered throughout PubMed’s medical subject heading (MeSH) trees, often without cross references to facilitate discovery, forcing discovery to largely depend on the unstructured language of whatever words were chosen by the authors to describe their research topics. This lack of consensus and consistency across professional disability terms, categories, and definitions contributes to a lack of comparability, discoverability, and access for disability data as well as research."
- Acknowledge Outdated or Offensive Terminology in Searches (UNC Health Sciences Library Systematic Reviews Guide)Research teams need to discuss current and outdated terminology and decide which terms to include in the search to be as comprehensive as possible.
- Addressing antiquated, non-standard, exclusionary, and potentially offensive terms in evidence syntheses and systematic searches. Townsend, W., Anderson, P., Haines, K., Hansen, S., James, L., MacEachern, M., Rana, G., Saylor, K. & Saylor, K. (2022)This document, from the University of Michigan Library, "provides suggested processes and wording for addressing the inclusion of antiquated, non-standard, exclusionary, and potentially offensive terms in evidence syntheses and systematic searches."
Implicit Bias Resources Guide
"Implicit biases are discriminatory biases based on implicit attitudes or implicit stereotypes. Implicit biases are especially intriguing, and also especially problematic, because they can produce behavior that diverges from a person's avowed or endorsed beliefs or principles."
Greenwald, Anthony G., and Linda Hamilton Krieger. "Implicit Bias: Scientific Foundations." California Law Review 94, no. 4 (2006): 945-67. doi:10.2307/20439056.
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