What is CINAHL?

The Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) is a comprehensive database that provides access to content covering over 50 nursing specialties and allied health subjects (including speech and language pathology, nutrition, physical therapy, and more).  In addition to full text articles published in journals, CINAHL also includes materials from books, dissertations, conference proceedings, standards of practice, audiovisuals, legal cases, clinical trials, and other sources. Additional resources include Evidence-Based Care Sheets, Quick Lessons, and Continuing Education modules. 

CINAHL can be accessed through the Strauss Health Sciences Library home page.

Why should I use CINAHL?

Before starting your research, it's important to consider which database is most appropriate. For most searches related to nursing, PubMed and CINAHL will be your top resources. To conduct a comprehensive search, it is recommended to use both databases, though keep in mind that there are some similarities and key differences between the two resources. 

The choice of database should also take into account the research topic and type of information you are searching for.

For example, CINAHL would be an appropriate source for:

• Questions specifically related to nursing or allied health, e.g. Can expressive touch improve patient's comfort at the end-of-life? 

PubMed would be an appropriate source for: 

• Questions more generally related to healthcare (such as etiology, therapy, etc.), e.g. How does Haloperidol alone compared with Haloperidol plus Midazolam affect acute agitation in patients receiving end-of-life care?