CINAHL stands for Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature and is an index for journal articles about nursing, allied health, biomedicine and healthcare. The index was first published as Cumulative Index to Nursing Literature (CINL) in 1961. The title changed to Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature in 1977 when its scope was expanded to include allied health journals. It first went online in 1984 and was acquired by EBSCO Publishing in 2003.

CINAHL Ultimate is the definitive full-text database for nursing and allied health research. It offers full-text access to a substantial portion of the most frequently cited journals in the CINAHL index, surpassing other databases. Providing 1,815 active full-text journals valued at $478,475.88, this database covers over 50 nursing specialties. Additionally, it features full-text quick lessons, evidence-based care sheets, continuing education modules, nursing instructional videos, and more.