Disadvantages Of Grey Literature

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Grey literature can be useful in providing information and new ideas in research. As health care providers when seeking information related to best practice, we cannot overlook the substantial information that can be provided through reviewing grey literature. The resource article “State-of-Evidence Reviews: Advantages and Challenges of Including Grey Literature” advised Grey literature is defined as “publicly available, foreign or domestic, open source information that is usually available only through special channels and may not enter normal channels or systems of publication, distribution, bibliographic control, or acquisition by book sellers or subscription agents” (Benzies, Premji, Hayden, & Serrett, 2006) However, one must critique …show more content…

If we limit our search for EBP through published research we lose exploring all options of initiating better outcomes. “Simply because a topic has a high profile does not mean that there is sufficient high quality evidence” supporting EBP interventions (Benzies, Premji, Hayden, & Serrett, 2006). Although grey literature can be informative and useful, one must critique the information being provided. “Grey literature should not be thought of as strictly 'literature', but rather as grey 'resources' as it can encompass many different formats depending on the discipline” (Primary Health Care Research & Information Service, 2017) Criticism to research-based reviews have been noted for their “inability to provide meaningful conclusions about complex interventions” (Benzies, Premji, Hayden, & Serrett, …show more content…

(2013). Smoking Cessation Strategies for Women Before, During, and After Pregnancy: Recommendations for State and Territorial Health Agencies. Arlington: Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Retrieved from http://www.astho.org/prevention/tobacco/smoking-cessation-pregnancy/ Benzies, K. M., Premji, S., Hayden, A., & Serrett, K. (2006). State-of-the-Evidence Reviews: Advantages and Challenges of Including Grey Literature. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing(2nd Quarter), 55-61. Retrieved from https://sakai.lampschools.org/access/content/group/KC-NUR-608-01-17SU/Module%204%20Resources/Benzies%2C%20et%20al%2C%202006.pdf Fineout-Overholt, E., Melnyk, B. M., Stillwell, S. B., & Williamson, K. M. (2010, July). Evidence-Based Practice Step by Step: Critical Appraisal of the Evidence Part 1. The American Journal of Nursing, 110(7), 47-52. Retrieved from