Using PubMed in Evidence-Based Practice

Use PubMed to Find Relevant Articles

Perform a PubMed Search

Now we are ready to search PubMed.gov .

Simple Subject Search

To perform a simple subject search, enter the key terms with no tags or punctuation. Using “AND” to combine terms is unnecessary. Be as specific as possible.

Scenario

Using the key search terms identified in the clinical question, we'll search for high blood pressure patient education exercise.

PubMed.gov homepage with 'high blood pressure patient education and exercise' in the search box

Search Results

Here are the results of the simple subject search. Each record lists the title and authors of the article.

PubMed result page with first result's title and authors circled

Abstract Page

Click on the title to see additional information, including the abstract or summary.

Additional Training

For an additional example of a PubMed simple search, view the PubMed Quick Tour – Find Articles on a Topic .

Find Articles on a Topic training home page