OpenAthens
An OpenAthens account gives all NHS staff and learners access to a wide range of online resources.
You are here: Find Evidence
We enable easy online access to key information and evidence resources, give you the tools to search for and appraise the literature that you need, and maintain a book collection which supports professional and personal development needs.
When you need support to search more widely for the best evidence to answer your question, we also offer an evidence searching service to save you time.
To find and access the full range of information and evidence that is available to you as NHS staff and learners (and find out how to avoid article paywalls!), start here:
Find an article
You will need an OpenAthens account to access most articles.
- If you know the details of the article that you want to access, you can search for it through the NHS Knowledge and Library Hub. Make sure you sign through OpenAthens before you search. When you find the article that you need, if your library service has access to the article then there will be a link to the full text.
- If you know the DOI or PubMed ID of the you want to access, use libkey.io. Simply search 'Leeds', select your organisation, and then enter the DOI or PMID of the article. If your library service has access to the article, there will be a link to the full text.
- To check instantly whether your library has access to articles that you find outside of the library systems (through Google, Wikipedia, PubMed etc), install LibKeyNomad (available for Edge, Chrome and Firefox - please note this cannot currently be installed on LTHT network computers). LibKey Nomad is a free, safe browser extension that automatically provides links to full-text content of articles courtesy of your NHS library as you come across relevant literature when searching for information online. Read more about LibKey Nomad for the NHS.
- If your library service does not have access to an article, accessing it through any of these tools will allow you to request a copy through an automatic form. Our library staff will then endeavour to obtain a pdf of the article and send to you within 5 working days.
If you need help with any of these tools, please contact us
Find a journal
- Browzine allows you to search, browse and access all of the online journals your library has access to, making it easy to find journals for your interests. Click 'Choose my library' and search 'Leeds' when you first access Browzine. To access full text of most journals, you will need to sign in with OpenAthens when prompted.
- To check whether your library service has access to a specific journal, you can use the Journals A-Z (Links for: LTHT, LCH, LYPFT). Sign in with OpenAthens and then search for the journal title you are looking for, then follow a link to access the range of issues available.
- A small number of older journals are only available in print. To search for print journals, use the library catalogue, and choose 'periodical title' as the search field.
- If you need to access articles in journals that your library does not have access to, see the information under 'Find an article' . Library staff may be able to obtain individual articles for you from other NHS library services.
If you need help with any of these ways of accessing journals, please contact us.
Find a book
- To borrow books, you need to join your library service.
- You can use the library catalogue to search all of the books and most of the ebooks across the libraries in the Leeds Libraries for Health partnership.
- If you have found a book that you want to borrow, visit the library from which the book is available during opening hours. Alternatively, contact us to request the book or place a hold through the catalogue, and arrange to collect the book from the library which is most convenient for you. If you can't make it to the library during opening hours, contact us to discuss options - we may be able to send the book to you.
- To access ebooks you will need an OpenAthens account. You can search for ebooks through the library catalogue, or through the e book providers Kortext, Ebook Central ,Clinical Key (LTHT only) and Oxford Academic.
- If the book that you need is not available in the Leeds Libraries for Health catalogue, we may be able to to borrow it for you from another NHS library service. To request a book that is not on our catalogue, please use the book request form for your organisation:
- If you would like to suggest that we add a book to our collection, please contact us
Search for information and evidence on a topic
- The NHS Knowledge and Library Hub is a great place to start your search for information and evidence on a topic. This tool allows you to search thousands of journals, articles, e-books and more, all in one place.
- When you are in the Hub, if a yellow banner displays at the top of the page, make sure you log into your OpenAthens account to view and access the full range of results available to you.
- To browse a list of online search tools and information sources, visit our A-Z of evidence.
- To explore collections of evidence resources relevant to specific job roles or topics, visit our topic guides.
- Alternatively, click on the relevant heading below to discover online sources of different types of information and evidence:
- Grey literature (information produced outside of traditional publishing and distribution channels-eg. reports, leaflets etc.)
- Clinical guidelines
- Clinical trials
- Decision support tools/ evidence summaries
- Statistics
- Apps
- Images
- Healthcare databases
- Our Information Skills Guide can help you to choose resources, plan your search strategies and appraise the information that you find.
- To save you time and ensure that you find the best evidence for your needs, you can request an evidence search from one of our experienced healthcare librarians.
Carry out an in-depth literature search
- The NHS Library and Knowledge Hub can be used for basic and advanced searches of a very wide range of healthcare literature. For help with advanced searching through the Hub, book onto one of our training sessions.
- To learn more about the principles of how to search for healthcare literature effectively, visit our Information Skills Guide or book onto a Searching Skills Course.
- Some staff and learners need to carry out complex, robust and reproducible searches for literature reviews or research projects. These advanced searches should be conducted in bibliographic databases such as Medline, Embase and CINAHL. Find out how to access and use these Healthcare Databases.
- To save you time and ensure that you find the best evidence for your needs, you can request an evidence search from one of our experienced healthcare librarians.
- If you have any queries around searching, please contact us.
Request an evidence search by a librarian
If you want to save time and be sure that you've found the best evidence to answer your question, you can request an evidence search from your librarians.
Searching: Health and Care Evidence
Provided for all NHS staff by NHS England, this tool allows you to search thousands of journals, multiple databases, e-books and more, all in one place.
After searching in the box above, if a yellow banner displays at the top of the page, make sure you log into your OpenAthens account to view and access the full range of results available to you.
Library Catalogue
Knowledge & Library Hub
Instant article access with DOI or PMID
Browse journals by subject
Browser extension for one-click access to articles
