Library services and resources for Intensive and Critical Care

This site is maintained and hosted by Discovery Library, Derriford Hospital and gives details of selected content available in Intensive and Critical Care for staff / students on placement across the Plymouth and SWASFT health community and Primary Care and ICB staff in Devon

Visit our main library website

You may also wish to access our Anaesthetics page

If you have problems or comments / suggestions about resources please email library.mailbox@nhs.net 

How to literature search for articles on a subject (Databases)

Databases

Databases: contain bibliographic records about articles

Whilst you won't have full text access to all the articles referenced, where we have a subscription there will be a link to the article and where we don't there will be an article request option.

If you need an search assistance or 1-to-1 training on the use of resources please contact the Discovery Library.

You can also undertake NHS Learning Hub Literature Searching elearning modules  - you will need an NHS OpenAthens account to access.

 


 

NHS England subscribed healthcare databases

Search the NHS England subscribed healthcare databases below :

To access the NHS subscribed databases you will need an NHS Athens account.

 


 

Cochrane Library

Search Cochrane Library.

Collection of databases incl:

  • Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews

  • Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)

  • Cochrane Clinical Answers

that can be searched simultaneously and contain different types of high-quality, independent evidence to inform healthcare decision-making.

 


 

PubMed

Search PubMed. A free resource which contains more than 33 million citations and abstracts of biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books.

Search via your organisation:

The above link includes a local organisation logo on the right-hand side of each record. Clicking the logo will check article availability or offer a request form.

To access the content linked you will need an NHS Athens account.

 


 

NHS Library and Knowledge Hub

Search NHS Library and Knowledge Hub (Help)

Whilst it is advisable to search the databases above for more detailed and systematic searches, the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub can be used for more simple searches to find a couple of papers on a simple topic.

To access content on the Library and Knowledge Hub you will need an NHS Athens account.

 

 

How to search for evidence and best practice on a topic

A range of evidence-based and other resources available to help inform patient care or support your study including:

 

BMJ Best Practice

BMJ Best Practice

View BMJ Help and training resources

Evidence-based research, guidelines and expert opinion offering step-by-step guidance on diagnosis, prognosis, treatment and prevention.

On 1st access you’ll be asked to create a personal account to download the free App - you will need a local NHS OpenAthens account.

 


 

ClinicalKey

ClinicalKey

Clinical insight search tool which also gives access to over 1100 electronic books and 500 journals and other fulltext resources

Note you will need a local NHS OpenAthens account

 


 

Clinical Knowledge Summaries

Clinical Knowledge Summaries (provided by NICE)

Summaries of the current evidence base & practical guidance on best practice for >300 primary care presentations and regular updates to all topics

 


 

Trip Pro Database

Trip Pro Database

Clinical search tool designed to allow health professionals to rapidly identify the highest quality clinical evidence for clinical practice.

 


 

UpToDate

UpToDate

‘an evidence-based clinical decision support resource authored by physicians to help healthcare practitioners make the best decisions at the point of care’. 

Note you will need a UHP OpenAthens account. UHP staff or students register for a OpenAthens account. 
(available to University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust only).

 

How to find fulltext of a specific article

To access articles you will need a NHS OpenAthens account.

To search for availability of articles use the following options:

For each option you should either be able to

  • Access the fulltext of the article where we have a subscription to journal or

  • Complete a form to request a copy of an article not held

 

 

Article title

Search for the Article title via the Knowledge and Library Hub

If you have the article title please copy and paste into the main search box of the hub.

If the title is a short title using common healthcare terms, then you might want to add the Author name and/or Journal title to the search to specify your chosen article.

Find further help on the Knowledge and Library Hub

Screenshot of the search function on the Knowledge and Library Hub

 

 

Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or PubMed ID (PMID)

Search for the Digital Object Identifier (DOI) or PubMed ID (PMID) via LibKey

Digital Object Identifier (DOI)

A Digital Object Identifier (DOI)  is a string of numbers, letters and symbols used to permanently identify an article or document and link to it on the web.

It is usually in the format: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05043-y

The bit in italics which starts all DOIs can be ignored - please copy and paste the rest of your specific into the search box.

PubMed identifier (PMID)

A PubMed identifier (PMID) is a unique value assigned to each PubMed record usually 8 digits long.

Screenshot of LibKey site, highlighting the 'Choose your organisation' field and DOI search box

On the LibKey site, under 'Choose your organisation', type in one of the following and select option:

  • Plymouth: for University Hospitals Plymouth

  • Devon: for Primary Care and ICB staff in Devon - this includes Livewell Southwest and Plymouth GP staff/students

  • South Western: for SWASFT

 

 

Journal title

Search for the journal title using BrowZine

The search only includes journals for which organisation has a subscription.

If a journal is embargoed the embargoed article will still be listed but when you click to access content you will receive a article request form rather than the fulltext.

Screenshot of BrowZine site showing the Choose Library field and journal title search

On the BrowZine site, under 'Choose Library', type in one of the following and select option:

  • Plymouth: for University Hospitals Plymouth

  • Devon: for Primary Care and ICB staff in Devon - this includes Livewell Southwest and Plymouth GP staff/students

  • South Western: for SWASFT

 

 

Browser extension

Browser extension to check all scholarly pages for local access via Nomad

Screenshot of webpage showing browser extension with article link

After adding the extension, under 'Select Organization', type in one of the following and select option:

  • Plymouth: for University Hospitals Plymouth

  • Devon: for Primary Care and ICB staff in Devon - this includes Livewell Southwest and Plymouth GP staff/students

  • South Western: for SWASFT

Please note:

On University Hospitals Plymouth and Livewell SW networked machines IT have already made Nomad automatically available via Microsoft Edge. You will need to manually download to any other browsers you use on NHS Personal Device

Selected Intensive Care journals

If we don’t hold your required article you can consider making an article request via the library.

 

Selected Intensive Care journals
Journal Coverage Notes
American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine 2003-  
Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine 2007 -  
Anaesthesia, Critical Care & Pain Medicine 2015 -  
BMJ 1840-  
Critical Care 1997-  
Critical Care Clinics 2007-  
Critical Care Medicine 1995-  
Intensive Care Medicine 2011-  
Journal of Critical Care 2007-  
Journal of Intensive Care 2013-  
Lancet (1) 1992- 2 months ago  
Lancet (2) 2007-  
Neurocritical care 2004-  
New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) 1990-  
Nursing in Critical Care 2003-  
Resuscitation  2007-  
Trends in Anaesthesia and Critical Care 2007 -  

 

How to find print and electronic books

SWIMS Library Catalogue

 

Screenshot of SWIMS Library catalogue search

 

Go to SWIMS Library Catalogue

This is a regional NHS catalogue, so in location select ‘Plymouth, Derriford Hospital, PLY’ to limit your search to print books held at Discovery Library, Derriford. The shelfmark will correspond with shelf in library collection.

If you are unable to visit the library in person please email library.mailbox@nhs.net to request postal delivery of required book(s)

You can also log in and renew your books (if you have not already made a pin number for your library account follow the instructions on screen).

If we don’t have the book you require you can consider making a book request. This service is for registered borrowers, undertaking NHS work. Register for a library account

Ebooks

Select your location based on your organisation:

  • Plymouth, Derriford Hospital, PLY (for UHP, Livewell and Devon GP and ICB staff)

  • South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust SWASFT

You will need an NHS OpenAthens login to access ebooks.

 

Selected Intensive Care ebooks

Click on the ebook title and login with your NHS Athens account

 

Selected Intensive Care ebooks
Title Year Edition First Author
ABC of intensive care 2011 2nd Nimmo
ABC of transfer and retrieval medicine 2015   Low
Acute and critical care nursing at a glance 2018   Dutton
The acutely ill patient (Medical student survival skills) 2020   Jevon
Advanced paediatric life support : a practical approach to emergencies 2023 7th ALSG
Anaesthesia, intensive care and perioperative medicine A-Z: an encyclopaedia of principles & practice 2019 6th Yentis
Artificial Ventilation : A Basic Clinical Guide 2020 2nd Baker
The beginner’s guide to intensive care : a handbook for junior doctors and allied professionals 2018 2nd Arora
Blood Gases and Critical Care Testing 2022 3rd Toffaletti
Cardiac intensive care 2019 3rd Brown
Care of the Acutely Ill Adult 2020 2nd Creed
Challenging Concepts in Critical Care : Cases with Expert Commentary 2020   Gough
Clinical examination skills in the adult critically ill patient 2018   Dunser
Clinical practice manual for pulmonary and critical care medicine 2018   Landsberg
Core knowledge in critical care medicine 2014   Kruger
Critical Care Manual of Clinical Nursing Procedures 2024  2nd Bench
Critical care medicine: principles of diagnosis and management in the adult. 2019 5th Parrillo
Critical care nephrology 2019 3rd Ronco
Critical care nursing: learning from practice 2011   Bench
Critical Care Placements : A Pocket Guide 2020   Dodd
Critical care secrets 2019 6th Parsons
Critical care ultrasound 2015   Lumb
Current therapy of trauma and surgical critical care 2024 3rd Asensio
Decision Making in Emergency Critical Care : an Evidence-Based Handbook 2015   Arbo
Drugs in anaesthesia and intensive care 2025 6th Scarth
Duty of Care 2020   Pimenta
ECGs for Acute, Critical and Emergency Care : volume 1 2024 2nd Mattu
ECGs for acute, critical and emergency care : volume 2 2025 2nd Mattu
Emergency Department Critical Care 2013   Yealy
The ERS handbook of invasive mechanical ventilation 2019   Heunks
Essentials of Delirium : Everything You Really Need to Know for Working in Delirium Care 2020   Rahman
Essentials of Equipment in Anaesthesia, Critical Care and Perioperative Medicine 2024 6th Al-Shaikh
Evidence-based practice of critical care 2020 3rd Deutschman
Fuhrman and Zimmerman’s Pediatric Critical Care  2022 6th Zimmerman
Hagberg and Benumof’s airway management 2023 5th Hagberg
Handbook of Critical and Intensive Care Medicine 2021 4th Varon
Improving Critical Care Survivorship : A Guide to Prevention, Recovery, and Reintegration 2021   Haines
Manual of Cardiac Intensive Care  2023   Brown
MCQs and SBAs in Intensive Care Medicine 2021   Eyre
Mechanical Ventilation from Pathophysiology to Clinical Evidence 2022   Bellani
Monitoring the critically ill patient 2012 3rd Jevon
Neonatal, adult and paediatric safe transfer and retrieval: a practical approach to transfers 2019   ALSG
Neuroanaesthesia and Neurocritical Care (Oxford Specialist Handbook) UHP CONTRIBUTORS 2026   Sampson
Oh’s intensive care manual 2025 9th Handy
OSCEs for Intensive Care Medicine 2020   Hersey
Oxford Handbook of Anaesthesia 2021 5th Freedman
Oxford Handbook of Critical Care 2025 4th Singer
Oxford Handbook of Critical Care Nursing 2016 2nd Baid
Oxford Handbook of Rehabilitation Medicine 2019 3rd Sivan
Passport to Successful Outcomes for Patients Admitted to ICU : Meeting Patient Goals of Care 2024  2nd Boulanger
Procedures and protocols in the neurocritical care unit  2022   Arora
Rapid Response Events in the Critically Ill 2023   Zaidi
Rational Use of Intravenous Fluids in Critically Ill Patients 2024   Malbrain
Revision notes in intensive care medicine 2016   Gillon
SBAs and MCQs for Drugs in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care 2023   Scarth
Textbook of Critical Care  2024 8th Vincent
Trauma and combat critical care in clinical practice 2016   Hutchings
Trauma intensive care 2013   Tisherman
Ultrasound in the Critically Ill : A Practical Guide 2022   Walden

 

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