Articlegold2006

Identifying observational studies of surgical interventions in MEDLINE and EMBASE

58 citations0/0 files storedBMC Medical Research Methodology

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Meta-analysis and systematic reviews scientometrics and bibliometrics research Information Retrieval and Search Behavior

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Health technology assessments of surgical interventions frequently require the inclusion of non-randomised evidence. Literature search strategies employed to identify this evidence often exclude a methodological component because of uncertainty surrounding the use of appropriate search terms. This can result in the retrieval of a large number of irrelevant records. Methodological filters would help to minimise this, making literature searching more efficient. METHODS: An objective approach was employed to develop MEDLINE and EMBASE filters, using a reference standard derived from screening the results of an electronic literature search that contained only subject-related terms. Candidate terms for MEDLINE (N = 37) and EMBASE (N = 35) were derived from examination of the records of the reference standard. The filters were validated on two sets of studies that had been included in previous health technology assessments. RESULTS: The final filters were highly sensitive (MEDLINE 99.5%, EMBASE 100%, MEDLINE/EMBASE combined 100%) with precision ranging between 16.7%-21.1%, specificity 35.3%-43.5%, and a reduction in retrievals of over 30%. Against the validation standards, the individual filters retrieved 85.2%-100% of records. In combination, however, the MEDLINE and EMBASE filters retrieved 100% against both validation standards with a reduction in retrieved records of 28.4% and 30.1% CONCLUSION: The MEDLINE and EMBASE filters were highly sensitive and substantially reduced the number of records retrieved, indicating that they are useful tools for efficient literature searching.

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References

2002Development of a highly sensitive search strategy for the retrieval of reports of controlled trials using PubMed 2006How to identify randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE: ten years on.1994Developing Optimal Search Strategies for Detecting Clinically Sound Studies in MEDLINE 2004Optimal search strategies for retrieving scientifically strong studies of diagnosis from Medline: analytical survey 2005Optimal search strategies for retrieving scientifically strong studies of treatment from Medline: analytical survey 2004Evaluation of methodological search filters—a review 2005Do the findings of case series studies vary significantly according to methodological characteristics?

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2011Finding evidence for comparing medical interventions: AHRQ and the Effective Health Care Program 2011Comprehensive evaluations of the adverse effects of drugs: importance of appropriate study selection and data sources 2020Development and validation of study filters for identifying controlled non‐randomized studies in PubMed and Ovid MEDLINE 2021Translation and validation of PubMed and Embase search filters for identification of systematic reviews, intervention studies, and observational studies in the field of first aid

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