Randomised controlled trials

Published RCTs are best found from the following sources (click on a link to go to a source, or scroll down for more information):

Cochrane Library 

NHS Healthcare Databases 

PEDro (physiotherapy)

OT Seeker (occupational therapy) 

Current Controlled Trials

If you are unsure whether the topic has already been identified as requiring further researchYou could check the Database of Uncertainties of Effects of Treatments (DUETs) database 

Cochrane Library:

Consists of several databases and the most appropriate one for randomised controlled trials is the ‘Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials’.  A search of the Cochrane Library includes all of the databases, with results for RCTs displayed under the ‘Clinical Trials’ tab.  This contains records from Medline and EMBASE, along with other published and unpublished trials.  

NHS healthcare databases:

The databases allow you to search specifically for meta-analyses (systematic reviews) using the limit features on each database. 

PEDRo:

PEDro is the Physiotherapy Evidence Database and provides details of randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in physiotherapy.  Most trials have been rated for quality to discriminate between trials which are likely to be valid and to contain sufficient information to guide clinical practice.  

OT Seeker:

Contains abstracts of systematic reviews and randomised controlled trials relevant to occupational therapy.  Trials have been critically appraised and rated to assist you to evaluate their validity and interpretability.   

Ongoing clinical trials

Ongoing clinical trials are best found in Current Controlled Trials, a meta-register that contains records from over 20 registers in the UK and US, including the NHS Trusts Clinical Trials Register, and the UK Clinical Trials Gateway.  There are also links to registers not included in the meta-register, that need to be searched individually. 

To access some of these resources you require an NHS Athens login.  Please see our NHS Athens page for more information.