Essential Evidence Plus: A Vital Decision Support Tool

Posted by Javier Crespo on August 1st, 2025 Posted in: Blog

---

 

Clinical providers in public health play a central role in preventing disease, and improving outcomes for populations across a wide variety of settings. To make informed, evidence-based decisions in the field or clinic, nurses and other providers need reliable, quick-to-access resources tailored to their diverse responsibilities. Essential Evidence Plus (EE+), part of the STAT!Ref collection and clinical reference tools, meets this need with precision.

What is Essential Evidence Plus?

Essential Evidence Plus is a comprehensive, evidence-based clinical decision support system developed to guide healthcare professionals through patient evaluation, diagnosis, and management. Its intuitive interface and breadth of tools make it especially valuable for providing community-based care, managing chronic disease, or coordinating with other public health entities.

Key Features Beneficial to Public Health

Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters (POEMs): These daily research summaries are curated to reflect clinically relevant, evidence-based findings.

Summaries are organized into

• • Clinical Question
  • Bottom line
  • Reference with citation linking to PubMed
  • Synopsis

You can subscribe to receive updates directly via email, ensuring they stay informed of new practices and guidelines.

Evidence-Graded Guidelines: More than 900 clinical guidelines and 4,400 summaries help apply best practices in real time, including for vaccination schedules, infectious disease management, and maternal-child health interventions.

Cochrane Systematic Reviews & Anatomy Illustrations: Access to high-quality systematic reviews and visual aids enhances both practitioner understanding and patient education.  Each entry include the DOI link to the full Cochrane entry you have available through the PHDL.

Decision Support Tools: With over 500 tools available, public health nurses and other providers can assess risk, calculate disease probabilities, and determine safe drug dosages. These are especially useful when triaging in community health settings or advising on preventive measures.

Integrated Drug Reference:  With AHFS DI® Essentials integrated as part of EE+, you have instant access to evidence-based drug therapies, including key OTC medications and patient safety considerations—vital for medication counseling and management in public clinics.

Diagnostic and Physical Exam Calculators: EE+ offers over 2,000 diagnostic test calculators and 2,300 history and physical exam tools to aid in decision-making—supporting home visits and mobile health units.

Mobile Access: Available via the STAT!Ref app, EE+ is accessible on smartphones and tablets, ensuring nurses can retrieve information wherever they are working.

KEY TIP:  With the STAT!Ref platform you can use the ‘Current Title’ search option to find information across all EE+ clinical summaries and tools…

 

 

 

 

Applying EE+ in Practice

• Health Promotion & Disease Prevention: Use POEMs and decision tools to support screening recommendations and lifestyle interventions tailored to specific populations.
• Chronic Disease Management: Apply evidence-based guidelines and calculators to support patients managing hypertension, diabetes, or asthma in underserved communities.
• Emergency Preparedness & Response: Reference EE+ content to ensure alignment with the latest public health guidance during outbreaks or environmental health crises.
• Continuing Education & Training: Enhance clinical reasoning skills by integrating EE+ tools into practice-based learning and performance improvement activities.
• Patient Education: Use integrated tools and summaries to communicate effectively about conditions and treatments, especially for health literacy or multilingual needs.

Accessing EE+ Through the PHDL

To start using Essential Evidence Plus:

• Type ‘essential’, select Essential Evidence Plus and be taken to the eBook in STAT!Ref; OR

 

 

• Use the Books A to Z list to select E for essential and find the link to Essential Evidence Plus; OR

 

• Use the STAT!Ref E-Books Platform link and…
  • Navigate to the Titles menu and select Essential Evidence Plus & AHFS DI® Essentials™ under the ‘E’ resources.

 

For mobile access, download the STAT!Ref app you can log in with your Personal Profile. This ensures seamless integration whether you’re at work, in the field, or working remotely.

We Want to Hear From You!
What other tools or features would support your public health nursing practice? Share your feedback through our Suggestion Box.

Stat!Ref content provided in cooperation with Jennifer Henson, Teton Data Systems.