Whatever aspect of physiotherapy you are studying, the library has books, journals, and databases to suit your needs.
Welcome to our guide on Physiotherapy resources. As the librarians for Medicine, Health and Social Care, we are here to support you in your learning and assignments.
Kate Davies and Michelle Crowther, Learning & Research Librarians for Medicine, Health and Social Care (Canterbury), David Bedford, Academic Support Librarian (Medway)
You can use LibrarySearch to search for the books you need. Just type in a few words from the title plus the surname of the author(s) into the search box. If you get stuck – please ask!
Our books are arranged on the shelves using the Dewey Decimal System, which assigns different numbers to different subjects. The key number for physiotherapy is 615.82, but others are found with the books on specific body systems (e.g. books on cardiorespiratory or neurological physiotherapy). Of course, there are other useful books too, on anatomy (611), physiology (612), health promotion (613), biomechanics (612.76), reflective practice and a whole host of other subjects. A quick hunt around LibrarySearch unearths gems like the Neurological Physiotherapy Pocketbook and Understanding Physiotherapy Research.
As you can see, each number refers to a different subject area. The numbers will help you find the books:
We also have a wide range of useful e-books available via LibrarySearch, which can be accessed from home as well as on site. Useful titles include:
In addition to our academic textbooks, you may wish to explore the Experts by Experience (EbE) and the Professional Reflection collection of e-books and e-audiobooks. The Experts by Experience collection includes texts written by patients/clients/carers which shed light on their illness/condition/situation from their own perspective. The Professional Reflection collection includes texts by healthcare professions which reflect on life in the sector. Visit the Learning Skills Hub module on EbE to explore the collection further and see how to access the texts on the Libby app.
You may see journal articles on your reading list – below is an example of a reference to a journal article:
Fransen, M. (2004) 'When is physiotherapy appropriate?', Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology, 18(4), pp: 477-489.
The above example shows that the article 'When is physiotherapy appropriate?' was published in the Best Practice & Research Clinical Rheumatology journal.
You can find individual journal articles to read online by doing a quick search in LibrarySearch. Try searching for a key word or phrase connected with your research topic, e.g. “post stroke rehabilitation” or “physiotherapeutic interventions”.
You can see which journals are available online by using LibrarySearch. Make sure you log in first! (You will need your university username and password).Try entering the title of a journal into the search box or using the “Find e-journals by title” link.
Online journals relevant to physiotherapy include:
You can also browse e-journals by subject, using Browzine. This software allows you to read a journal like an e-book, so you can look through the whole journal rather than just individual articles. There is an app so you can use it easily on your phone or other mobile device.
Databases are specialised information resources which contain particular types of information on specific topics. One of the useful things about journal article databases is that you can search for multiple different words for the same thing at the same time. Need to find information about physiotherapy practice with teenagers? No problem – with CINAHL and other databases, you can search for teenagers, teens, adolescents, youths, young people and other words and phrases with similar meanings all at the same time.
The following are available via LibrarySearch – log in and use the Find Databases A-Z link.
CINAHL Complete The Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) covers journals on the allied health professions.
MEDLINE is one of the world's biggest biomedical databases, searching the contents of medical journals. It can be useful to search both CINAHL and MEDLINE to find the widest range of journal articles.
SportDiscus can help you delve into sports rehabilitation research.
Acland’s Video Atlas of Human Anatomy: comprised of video recordings of real dissected human cadaveric specimens. The specimens have not been embalmed and therefore retain the colour, texture and mobility of the living body. The recordings show real life movement. The content is organised into five sections: upper extremity; lower extremity; trunk; head & neck; and internal organs. Also included are tests and a glossary. Search by anatomical region, part or using the A-Z index. Excellent resource for those studying medicine, health, social care, human biology, biomedical and sport & exercise science subjects.
Box of Broadcasts (BOB): Archives British TV and radio broadcasts. You can search for a topic and find BBC, Channel 4 and Sky documentaries. Another great feature is that you can take clips of programmes and put them in your presentations or analyse the transcripts. Visit the Learning on Screen How to Videos or look at the CCCU Box of Broadcasts guide.
STATdx: Primarily for radiography and radiology professions, this resource includes high quality images and illustrations from x-ray; CT; MR and ultrasound procedures. This resource is available on campus pcs only. If you tutor requires you to use this resource from off-campus they will provide access details.
Visible Body: An interactive multimedia resource containing 3D anatomy and physiology models, animations, illustrations, quizzes and more. Premium content includes a Human Anatomy Atlas, Muscle, Skeleton, Heart & Circulatory and Physiology animations modules.
Although CINAHL, MEDLINE and SportDiscus are likely to be the databases you use most often, these other sources can be very useful for Physiotherapy, particularly if you are doing a literature review.
ASSIA - a social sciences database which is useful for finding information on topics such as public health and health promotion.
Business Source Premier - useful for essays on leadership and management in all fields, including healthcare.
Child Development and Adolescent Studies - can be useful for any paediatric topic, but particularly those with a social, rather than medical, focus.
The Cochrane Library - this includes databases of systematic reviews and clinical trials. Cochrane are viewed as world leaders on evidence-based information.
EMBASE - a large medical database with particular strengths in pharmacology and medical technology.
PsycInfo - large database with a focus on peer-reviewed information in mental health and behavioural science. Often the best starting place for mental health and psychology topics.
SCOPUS - Scopus is the largest abstract and citation database, containing both peer-reviewed research literature and quality web sources. Scopus offers researchers a quick, easy and comprehensive resource to support their research needs in the fields of science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts and humanities.
TRIP Database - Trip is a clinical search engine designed to allow users to quickly and easily find and use high-quality research evidence to support their practice and/or care.
Web of Science - like Scopus, this is an interdisciplinary database. It can be particularly useful for in-depth literature reviews or for topics which cross boundaries between different disciplines.
Professional websites include:
The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy - we particularly recommend the clinical briefings, which summarise the evidence for many important areas of physiotherapy work.
There are also some relevant databases available free online:
PEDro, the Physiotherapy Evidence Database - allows you to search for clinical trials, systematic reviews and guidelines in physiotherapy fields.
REHABDATA - for research on disability and rehabilitation.