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Supplement:
Additional EBM Strategies for searching MEDLINE

Diagnosis

The best single term to retrieve the most relevant citations in MEDLINE is sensitivity as a textword.

The strategy retrieving the most relevant with the least irrelevant citations is

  • explode sensitivity and specificity (MeSH)

  • OR all sensitivity (textword)

  • OR diagnosis (pre-exploded subheading)

  • OR diagnostic use (subheading)

  • OR specificity (textword)

The strategy retrieving the most relevant citations is

  • explode sensitivity and specificity (MeSH)

  • OR predictive value: (textword)

 

Therapy

The best single term strategy that retrieves the least irrelevant articles in MEDLINE:

  • clinical trial (publication type)

The best strategy that retrieves the smallest number of irrelevant articles in MEDLINE:  

  • randomized controlled trial (publication type)

  • OR drug therapy (subheading)

  • OR therapeutic use (subheading)

  • Or all random: (textword)

The best possible strategy that retrieves the most relevant and high quality articles in MEDLINE is:

  • double blind: (textword)

  • OR placebo: (textword)

Prognosis

The best single term to retrieve the most relevant citations in MEDLINE is explode cohort studies as a MeSH.

A comprehensive strategy retrieving the most citations is

  • incidence (MeSH)

  • OR explode mortality (MeSH)

  • OR follow-up studies (MeSH)

  • OR mortality (subheading)

  • OR prognos: (textword)

  • Or predict: (textword)

  • OR course (textword)

A strategy retrieving the most relevant citations is

  • prognosis (MeSH)

  • OR survival analysis (MeSH)

Etiology/Harm

The best single term to retrieve the most relevant citations in MEDLINE is risk as a textword.

The strategy retrieving the most relevant with the least irrelevant citations is

  • explode cohort studies (MeSH)

  • OR exp risk (MeSH)

  • OR odds ratio: (textword)

  • OR relative risk (textword)

  • OR case control (textword)

The strategy retrieving the most relevant citations is

  • case-control studies (MeSH)

  • OR cohort (textword)

This information is used with permission from McKibbon, A. PDQ: Evidence-based Principles and Practice. B.C. Decker, Inc, 1999.

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