Some day you could be held accountable for the information you provide to patients and use for applying to your nursing plan of care. How many times have you looked up a procedure, a medication, or a diagnosis on the internet and got that quick answer? Or even worse, do you use printed resources like books, compatibility charts, or policy manuals that may be a few years old?  Now nurses have ready access to the internet at their workplaces, and can access the most current information in minutes. However, I frequently hear that nurses are searching Google because it is quick and easy. The issue is how you determine what information to use? Whether this information is guiding your patient care or being used to write a paper for a class you're taking, you want to obtain the most current, accurate, and evidence-based information that is available. You wouldn't want to be in court explaining that the reason you chose to use content from a particular website was because it was free. I'm not knocking free sources. Lippincott's NursingCenter.com has lots of free content. It makes sense to be conscientious about the method you use to select sources, and to be able to articulate the process you use to determine if a source is credible.

It is best to use peer-reviewed journals. Your workplace is likely to have a subscription to a database with access to full-text journal articles. If you work at a smaller organization without employer paid library resources, a good place to start is PubMed.gov. Articles with government funded research are required to have free access, but to avoid limiting your search, you may have to pay to view articles. Still there are numerous free sources of reputable information including government agencies, professional organizations, universities, other sources vetted by experts in the subject matter. Some organizations including private foundations or community websites may have evidence-based research reports available for download or they may organize information from other sources. Be sure to check the original sources to verify that the information is correct and not misinterpretted. Go ahead and use your favorite search engine or consumer website to help you with ideas, but make your clinical decisions on information you can you can justify.