Strategies to optimize MEDLINE and EMBASE search strategies for anesthesiology systematic reviews. An experimental study

doi:10.1590/1516-3180.2017.0277100917

Comparative Study

. 2018 Jan 15;136(2):103-108.

doi: 10.1590/1516-3180.2017.0277100917. Print 2018 Mar-Apr.

Strategies to optimize MEDLINE and EMBASE search strategies for anesthesiology systematic reviews. An experimental study

Affiliations

¹ PhD. Doctoral Student, Postgraduate Program on Anesthesiology, Health Sciences Library, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (FMB), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
² PhD. Coordinator, Coordenadoria da Rede de Bibliotecas da UNIFESP (CRBU), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
³ Undergraduate Medical Student, School of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ MD, PhD. Full Professor, Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁵ MSc, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Institute of Science and Technology, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José dos Campos (SP), Brazil.
⁶ MD. Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁷ MD. Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁸ MD. Doctoral Student, Postgraduate Program on Anesthesiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁹ MSc, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil; Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Institute of Science and Technology, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José dos Campos (SP), Brazil; and Research Collaborator, Institute of Urology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

PMID: 29340504
PMCID: PMC9879554
DOI: 10.1590/1516-3180.2017.0277100917

Comparative Study

Strategies to optimize MEDLINE and EMBASE search strategies for anesthesiology systematic reviews. An experimental study

Enilze de Souza Nogueira Volpato et al. Sao Paulo Med J. 2018.

. 2018 Jan 15;136(2):103-108.

doi: 10.1590/1516-3180.2017.0277100917. Print 2018 Mar-Apr.

Affiliations

¹ PhD. Doctoral Student, Postgraduate Program on Anesthesiology, Health Sciences Library, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu (FMB), Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
² PhD. Coordinator, Coordenadoria da Rede de Bibliotecas da UNIFESP (CRBU), Universidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP), São Paulo (SP), Brazil.
³ Undergraduate Medical Student, School of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
⁴ MD, PhD. Full Professor, Department of Surgery and Orthopedics, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁵ MSc, PhD. Associate Professor, Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Institute of Science and Technology, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José dos Campos (SP), Brazil.
⁶ MD. Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁷ MD. Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁸ MD. Doctoral Student, Postgraduate Program on Anesthesiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil.
⁹ MSc, PhD. Assistant Professor, Department of Anesthesiology, Faculdade de Medicina de Botucatu, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), Botucatu (SP), Brazil; Assistant Professor, Department of Biosciences and Oral Diagnosis, Institute of Science and Technology, Universidade Estadual Paulista (UNESP), São José dos Campos (SP), Brazil; and Research Collaborator, Institute of Urology, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.

PMID: 29340504
PMCID: PMC9879554
DOI: 10.1590/1516-3180.2017.0277100917

Erratum in

ERRATUM.
[No authors listed] [No authors listed] Sao Paulo Med J. 2018 Jan-Feb;136(1):98. doi: 10.1590/1516-3180.2017.0277100917erratum. Sao Paulo Med J. 2018. PMID: 29590248 Free PMC article.

Abstract

Background: A high-quality electronic search is essential for ensuring accuracy and comprehensiveness among the records retrieved when conducting systematic reviews. Therefore, we aimed to identify the most efficient method for searching in both MEDLINE (through PubMed) and EMBASE, covering search terms with variant spellings, direct and indirect orders, and associations with MeSH and EMTREE terms (or lack thereof).

Design and setting: Experimental study. UNESP, Brazil.

Methods: We selected and analyzed 37 search strategies that had specifically been developed for the field of anesthesiology. These search strategies were adapted in order to cover all potentially relevant search terms, with regard to variant spellings and direct and indirect orders, in the most efficient manner.

Results: When the strategies included variant spellings and direct and indirect orders, these adapted versions of the search strategies selected retrieved the same number of search results in MEDLINE (mean of 61.3%) and a higher number in EMBASE (mean of 63.9%) in the sample analyzed. The numbers of results retrieved through the searches analyzed here were not identical with and without associated use of MeSH and EMTREE terms. However, association of these terms from both controlled vocabularies retrieved a larger number of records than did the use of either one of them.

Conclusions: In view of these results, we recommend that the search terms used should include both preferred and non-preferred terms (i.e. variant spellings and direct/indirect order of the same term) and associated MeSH and EMTREE terms, in order to develop highly-sensitive search strategies for systematic reviews.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest: None

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References

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1. Lopes IL. Estratégia de busca na recuperação da informação: revisão da literatura [Search strategy in information retrieval: literature review] Ci Inf. 2002;31(2):60–71.
1. Aleixandre-Benavent R, González Alcaide G, González de Dios J, Alonso-Arroyo A. Fuentes de información bibliográfica (I). Fundamentos para la realización de búsquedas bibliográficas [Sources of bibliographic information. Rationale for conducting a literature search] Acta Pediátrica Española. 2011;69(3):131–136. Available from: http://www.actapediatrica.com/index.php/secciones/formacion-e-informacio... . Accessed in 2017 (Sep 27)
1. Woods D, Trewheelar K. Medline and Embase complement each other in literature searches. BMJ. 1998;316(7138):1166–1166. - PMC - PubMed
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[1] Brettle AJ, Long AF. Comparison of bibliographic databases for information on the rehabilitation of people with severe mental illness. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 2001;89(4):353–362. - PMC - PubMed

[2] Brettle AJ, Long AF. Comparison of bibliographic databases for information on the rehabilitation of people with severe mental illness. Bull Med Libr Assoc. 2001;89(4):353–362. - PMC - PubMed

[3] Lopes IL. Estratégia de busca na recuperação da informação: revisão da literatura [Search strategy in information retrieval: literature review] Ci Inf. 2002;31(2):60–71.

[4] Lopes IL. Estratégia de busca na recuperação da informação: revisão da literatura [Search strategy in information retrieval: literature review] Ci Inf. 2002;31(2):60–71.

[5] Aleixandre-Benavent R, González Alcaide G, González de Dios J, Alonso-Arroyo A. Fuentes de información bibliográfica (I). Fundamentos para la realización de búsquedas bibliográficas [Sources of bibliographic information. Rationale for conducting a literature search] Acta Pediátrica Española. 2011;69(3):131–136. Available from: http://www.actapediatrica.com/index.php/secciones/formacion-e-informacio... . Accessed in 2017 (Sep 27)

[6] Aleixandre-Benavent R, González Alcaide G, González de Dios J, Alonso-Arroyo A. Fuentes de información bibliográfica (I). Fundamentos para la realización de búsquedas bibliográficas [Sources of bibliographic information. Rationale for conducting a literature search] Acta Pediátrica Española. 2011;69(3):131–136. Available from: http://www.actapediatrica.com/index.php/secciones/formacion-e-informacio... . Accessed in 2017 (Sep 27)

[7] Woods D, Trewheelar K. Medline and Embase complement each other in literature searches. BMJ. 1998;316(7138):1166–1166. - PMC - PubMed

[8] Woods D, Trewheelar K. Medline and Embase complement each other in literature searches. BMJ. 1998;316(7138):1166–1166. - PMC - PubMed

[9] Wilkins T, Gillies RA, Davies K. EMBASE versus MEDLINE for family medicine searches: can MEDLINE searches find the forest or a tree? Can Fam Physician. 2005;51:848–849. - PMC - PubMed

[10] Wilkins T, Gillies RA, Davies K. EMBASE versus MEDLINE for family medicine searches: can MEDLINE searches find the forest or a tree? Can Fam Physician. 2005;51:848–849. - PMC - PubMed

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Strategies to optimize MEDLINE and EMBASE search strategies for anesthesiology systematic reviews. An experimental study

Affiliations

Strategies to optimize MEDLINE and EMBASE search strategies for anesthesiology systematic reviews. An experimental study

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Erratum in

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Conflict of interest statement

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