British Nursing Index Database Guide

Table of Contents:
Scope | General Information | Database Fields | Advanced Searching
Stopwords | Limits | Tools | Changing to this Database from Another Database
Sample Documents | Copyright Information | Updated

Read about the changes to this database in the Reload News!

Scope

The British Nursing Index (BRNI) is a bibliographic database that indexes articles from the most popular English language nursing journals published primarily in the UK. BNI is a comprehensive index covering all aspects of nursing, midwifery and community healthcare from 1994 to the present, and is updated monthly.

In order to search the entire British Nursing Index (BRNI) and the British Nursing Index Archive (BNIB) at one time, select Ovid British Nursing Index and Archive (BNIA) from the Choose a Database page. For specific information on multifile searches, refer to the Ovid Gateway Help.

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General Information

Producer
      BNI Publications
Bournemouth University
Dorset House Library
Talbot Campus
Fern Barrow
Poole, Dorset, UK
BH12 5BB
Telephone: +44 (0) 1202 965454
Fax: +44 (0) 1202 965724
Website: http://www.bni.org.uk/
Contact: Janet Timms
Email: jtimms@bournemouth.ac.uk
Segments and Years of Coverage
  BRNI (1994 to present)

The limit of databases that you can select for a multifile search session is based upon database segments rather than actual databases. The Ovid multifile segment limit is set at 120 to avoid impacting your search sessions. This database includes 1 segment.
Online Update Frequency
  Monthly (online only)
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Database Fields

The following lists are sorted alphabetically by field alias. Click a field name to see the description and search information.

All Fields in this Database

  Abstract (AB) ISSN (IS) Subject Headings (SH)
  Accession Number (AN) Journal Name (JN) Title (TI)
  Author (AU) Journal Word (JX) Update Code (UP)
  Non-Thesaurus Subject Headings (DE) Locally Held (LH) Volume (VO)
  Date of Publication (DP) Local Messages (LM) Year of Publication (YR)
  Heading Words (HW) Page (PG)  
  Issue/Part (IP) Source (SO)  
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Default Fields for Unqualified Searches: Searching for a term without specifying a field searches the following fields.
  Abstract (AB) Heading Words (HW) Title (TI)
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Default Fields for Display, Print, Email, and Save: The following fields are included by default for each record.

  Accession Number (AN) Local Messages (LM) Subject Headings (SH)
  Author (AU) Source (SO) Title (TI)
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All Fields for Display, Print, Email, and Save: Use the Select Fields button in the Results Manager at the bottom of the Main Search Page to choose the fields for a record.

  Abstract (AB) Journal Name (JN) Title (TI)
  Accession Number (AN) Local Messages (LM) Update Code (UP)
  Author (AU) Source (SO) Year of Publication (YR)
  ISSN (IS) Subject Headings (SH)  
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Elements of Source (SO) Field: Ovid searches the following fields as part of the record source.

  Date of Publication (DP) Journal Name (JN) Volume (VO)
  Issue/Part (IP) Page (PG) Year of Publication (YR)
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The following list is sorted alphabetically by the two-letter label, and includes the relevant alias, at least one example for all searchable fields, and a description of the field.

Label Name / Example
AB

Abstract [Word Indexed]
work.ab
abandoned.ab
  The Abstract (AB) field contains a summary of the document.
Back 
AN

Accession Number [Phrase Indexed]
63529.an
259.an

 

 The Accession Number (AN) field contains the number assigned by BNI Publications to uniquely identify a particular record.
Back 
AU

Author [Phrase Indexed]
zerwekh j.au.
zerwekh$.au.
 

The Author (AU) field contains personal author names.

The format for authors is last name followed by one or more initials: Smith JC or Smith J. Enter the last name, or if it is a common name, enter the last name and first initial.

If you are unsure of the spelling of the last name (macdonald or mcdonald), enter one version and you will be able to scroll through the list of names to find the other.
Back 
DE

Non-Thesaurus Subject Headings [Display Only]

 

 The Non-Thesaurus Subject Headings (DE) field displays terms no longer used by the current BNI Thesaurus, but that were used some time in the past. However, if you search for a term in the Subject Headings (SH) or Heading Words (HW) fields, and that term has been discontinued, the results will appear in the DE field.
Back 
DP

Date of Publication [Display Only]

 

 The Date of Publication (DP) field contains the date of publication for an article. This field displays as part of the Source (SO) field.
Back 
HW

Heading Words [Word Indexed]
culture.hw.

 

 The Heading Words (HW) field contains a word indexed list of all current and discontinued subject headings.
Back 
IP

Issue/Part [Word Indexed]
"3".ip.

 

 The Issue/part field (IP) contains the Issue and/or part for a particular volume of a serial publication. This field displays as part of the Source (SO) field.
Back 
IS

ISSN [Phrase Indexed]
1462-138x.is.
  The ISSN (IS) field contains the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) for the journal in which an article was published. It appears as an 8-digit number, separated by a hyphen.
Back 
JN

Journal Name [Phrase Indexed]
nursing times.jn.

  The Journal Name (JN) field contains the abbreviated name of the journal in which an article was published. Journal names are indexed as phrases, enter enough letters of the journal name to locate the name in the index, for example, j soc (for Journal of Social Policy).
Back 
JX

Journal Word [Word Indexed]
obstetrics.jx.

  The Journal Word (JX) field contains individual words from every journal. This field is used to retrieve every occurrence of a journal which includes a particular word such as "nursing."
Back 
LH

Locally Held [Display Only]

 

The Locally Held (LH) field indicates (with a "Y" or an "N") if a journal is held locally.
Back 
LM

Local Messages [Display Only]

 

The Local Messages (LM) field contains messages created by the System Administrator to indicate information about journals held in your local library system.
Back 
PG

Page [Word Indexed]
"44".pg.

  The first page on which an article appears is indexed in the Page (PG) field. Often a journal title combined with the beginning page number and volume is enough to locate a citation. Pagination information displays in the Source (SO) field.
Back 
SH

Subject Headings [Phrase Indexed]
psychiatric disorders.sh.
  The Subject Headings (SH) field contains all current and discontinued terms used to describe an article.
Back 
SO

Source [Phrase Indexed]
stroke.so.
 

The Source (SO) field contains the citation information for the record.  It is created from the Journal Name (JN), Date of Publication (DP), Volume (VO), Issue/Part (IP), and Pagination (PG) information.
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TI

Title [Word Indexed]
bone marrow.ti.

  The Title (TI) field contains the title of the document. In some cases the title field will contain the number of references in the article.
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UP

Update Code [Phrase Indexed]
"200609".up.
"20064".up.
  The Update Code (UP) is in YYYY or YYYYMM format, where YYYY is the 4 digit year and MM is the month of the update.
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VO

Volume [Word Indexed] 
"7".vo.

  The Volume (VO) field consists of the volume number of a serial publication. This field displays as part of the Source (SO) field.
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YR

Year of Publication [Word Indexed]
"1996".yr.
  The Year (YR) field contains the four-digit year in which an article or monograph was published. This field displays as part of the Source (SO) field.
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Advanced Searching

You can use special words and symbols to combine search terms and refine a search. For efficient searching, use the most appropriate operator from the list below to combine search terms. For more information on these and other searching techniques, including command line syntax searching, refer to the Ovid Gateway Help.

Operator Syntax Search Example Sample Results
OR x or y vitamin c or ascorbic acid

"initial effects of iron and vitamin C"

 

 The OR operator retrieves records that contain any or all of the search terms. For example, the search heart attack or myocardial infarction retrieves results that contain the terms heart attack, myocardial infarction or both terms; results are all inclusive. You can use the OR operator in both unqualified searches and searches applied to a specific field.
AND x and y minerals and supplements

"Vitamins, minerals and supplements, part 3"

 

 The AND operator retrieves only those records that include all of the search terms. For example, the search blood pressure and stroke retrieves results that contain the term blood pressure and the term stroke together in the same record; results are exclusive of records that do not contain both of these terms. You can use the AND operator in both unqualified searches and searches applied to a specific field.
NOT x not y vitamin c not ascorbic acid

"Vitamin C: friend or foe?"

 

 The NOT operator retrieves records that contain the first search term and excludes the second search term. For example, the search health reform not health maintenance organizations retrieves only those records that contain the term health reform but excludes the term health maintenance organizations. In this way, you can use the NOT operator to restrict results to a specific topic.
You can use the NOT operator in both unqualified searches and searches applied to a specific field.
Adjacency (ADJ) x y therapy dog

"Using a therapy dog to alleviate the agitation and desocialization of people with Alzheimer's disease"

 

 The Adjacent operator (ADJ) retrieves records with search terms next to each other.You do not need to separate search terms manually by inserting ADJ between them, because when you separate terms with a space on the command line, Ovid automatically searches for the terms adjacent to one another. For example, the search blood pressure is identical to the search blood adj pressure.
Defined Adjacency (ADJn) x ADJn y therapy adj3 animal

"Animal-assisted therapy: a modality of treatment for the patient with spinal cord injury"

 

 The defined adjacency operator (ADJn) retrieves records that contain search terms within a specified number (n) of words from each other in any order. To use the adjacency operator, separate your search terms with ADJ and a number from 1 to 99. For example, the search physician adj5 relationship retrieves records that contain the words physician and relationship within five words of each other in either direction. This particular search retrieves records containing such phrases as physician patient relationship, patient physician relationship, or relationship of the physician to the patient.
Frequency (FREQ) x.ab./FREQ=n blood.ab. /freq=4

"An application of the Theory of Planned Behaviour to blood donation"

 

 The frequency operator (FREQ) lets you specify a threshold of occurrence of a term in the records retrieved from your search. Records containing your search term are retrieved only if the term occurs at least the specified (n) number of times. In general, records that contain many instances of your search term are more relevant than records that contain fewer instances. The frequency operator is particularly useful when searching a text field, such as Abstract or Full Text, for a common word or phrase.
Unlimited Truncation ($) x$ rat$

"team impact on repetition rates and discharge outcomes"

 

 Unlimited truncation retrieves all possible suffix variations of the root word indicated. To apply unlimited truncation to a term, type the root word or phrase followed by either of the truncation characters: $ (dollar sign) or : (colon). For example, in the truncated search disease$, Ovid retrieves the word disease as well as the words diseases, diseased, and more.
Limited Truncation ($) x$n dog$1

"The healing power of dogs: Cocoa's story"

 

 Limited truncation specifies a maximum number of characters that may follow the root word or phrase. For example, the truncated search dog$1 retrieves results with the words dog and dogs; but it does not retrieve results with the word dogma.
Mandated Wildcard (#) xx#y wom#n

"Yummy mummies: hijacking motherhood and undermining women?"

 

 Searching with a mandated wildcard retrieves all possible variations of a word in which the wildcard is present in the specified place. You can use it at the end of a term to limit results to only those that contain the word plus the mandated character. For example, the search dog# retrieves results that contain the word dogs, but not those that contain the word dog, effectively limiting results to only those that contain the plural form of the word. The mandated wild card character (#) is also useful for retrieving specialized plural forms of a word. For example, the search wom#n retrieves results that contain both woman and women. You can use multiple wild cards in a single query word.
Optional Wildcard (?) xx?y colo?r

"Using colour to improve care environments"

 

 The optional wild card character (?) can be used within or at the end of a search term to substitute for one or no characters. This wild card is useful for retrieving documents with British and American word variants since it specifies that you want retrieval whether or not the extra character is present. For example, the optional wild card search colo?r retrieves results that contain the words color or colour. You can use multiple wild cards in a single query word.
Literal String ("") "x / y" "Yes / No"

"Does public opinion matter? Yes, no, don't know."
  "n" "3".vo

"Br J Primary Care Nursing. 2006 Mar. 3(2). pp. 81-2."

 

Quotation marks can be used to retrieve records that contain literal strings, when the string includes special characters, such as a forward slash (/).

Quotation marks can also be used to retrieve records that contain numbers that may otherwise be confused for earlier searches. In the example, a search for 3.vo would limit the string from your third search in your search history to the volume field. By including the number in quotation marks, the search will retrieve documents with a 3 in the volume number.
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Stopwords

At customer request, StopWords have been eliminated from this database. You can now search for words or phrases like is there hope.tw.  Previously such searches would have returned an error because they included stopwords.
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Limits

The following limits are available from the Limit a Search Page. Access this page by clicking the More Limits icon on the Main Search Page.

Limit

 Syntax
Full Text Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to Full Text
  A limit to Full Text will restrict retrieval to those citations for which there is a full text link. Both Ovid full text and external full text are included in this limit.
Latest Update Sentence Syntax:
Command Syntax 		limit 1 to Latest Update
..l/1 up=y
  A limit to latest update will restrict retrieval to documents which were most recently added to the database.
Ovid Full Text Available Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to Ovid Full Text Available
  A limit to Ovid Full Text Available will restrict retrieval to those citations for which an Ovid full text link is available.

When viewing a citation with full text available use the LINK button to display the full text.
Publication Year Sentence Syntax: limit 1 to yr="2006"
  A limit to Publication Year will restrict retrieval to the year the article was published.

If you choose this option you will be prompted to enter the desired year; the format is 4 digits: "1989" or a range: "1998-2001".
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Tools

The following Search Tools are available for this database. For specific information on using these tools, refer to the Ovid Gateway Help.
  • Thesaurus
  • Permuted Index
  • Scope Notes
  • Explode
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Changing to this Database from Another Database

To change a search session to a segment of this database from another database or another segment, use the following syntax:

Command Syntax: ..c/brni
Sentence Syntax: use brni
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Sample Documents

<Sample 1>
Accession Number
  117571
Author
  Mirzaiinjmabadi, K; Anderson, D; Barnes, M.
Title
  The relationship between exercise, Body Mass Index and menopausal symptoms in
  midlife Australian women.
Source
  Int J Nursing Practice. 2006 Feb. 12(1). pp. 28-34.
Subject Headings
  menopause
  physical fitness
  Obesity
Abstract
  Research in Australia on the relationship between exercise, Body Mass Index
  and menopausal symptoms. Women completed questionnaires about their general
  health and sociodemographic background, use of HRT, smoking, exercise patterns,
  individual menopausal symptoms and weight. 28 refs.
ISSN
  1322-7114
Year of Publication
  2006
Update Code
  2006 
<Sample 2>
Accession Number
  118142
Author
  Cangelosi, P; Embrey, C.
Title
  The healing power of dogs: Cocoa's story.
Source
  J Psychosocial Nursing. 2006 Jan. 44(1). pp. 17-20.
Subject Headings
  Pet Therapy
Abstract
  Pet therapy, and the work of the Loudoun Volunteer Caregivers
  Pet Therapy Program in the USA. The benefits of pet therapy are
  described through the words of Cocoa the dog. 9 refs.
ISSN
  0279-3695
Year of Publication
  2006
Update Code
  200605
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Producer Copyright Information

The British Nursing Index in produced by BNI Publications and is a bibliographic database that indexes articles from allied health journals. Copyright, BNI Publications 1994 to Present. All rights reserved. Copyright search and retrieval software 1994 to present [Ovid]. All rights reserved.
Field Guide last updated March 16, 2007.
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