Search

Objectives Health professionals must be able to search competently for evidence to support practice. We sought to understand how palliative care clinicians construct searches for palliative care literature in PubMed, to quantify search efficacy in retrieving a set of relevant articles and to compare performance against a Palliative CareSearch Filter ( PCSF). Methods Included studies from palliative care systematic reviews formed a test set. Palliative care clinicians ( n = 37) completed a search task using PubMed. Individual clinician searches were reconstructed in PubMed and combined with the test set to calculate retrieval sensitivity. PCSF performance in the test set was also determined. Results Many clinicians struggled to create useful searches. Twelve used a single search term, 17 narrowed the search inappropriately and 8 confused Boolean operators. The mean number of test set citations ( n = 663) retrieved was 166 ( SD = 188), or 25% although 76% of clinicians believed they would find more than 50% of the articles. Only 8 participants (22%) achieved this. Correlations between retrieval and PubMed confidence (r = 0.13) or frequency of use ( r = −0.18) were weak. Conclusions Many palliative care clinicians search PubMed ineffectively. Targeted skills training and PCSF promotion may improve evidence retrieval. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: PubMed translations of OvidSP Medline search filters offer searchers improved ease of access. They may also facilitate access to PubMed's unique content, including citations for the most recently published biomedical evidence. Retrieving this content requires a search strategy comprising natural language terms ('textwords'), rather than Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). We describe a reproducible methodology that uses a validated PubMed search filter translation to create a textword-only strategy to extend retrieval to PubMed's unique heart failure literature. Methods: We translated an OvidSP Medline heart failure search filter for PubMed and established version equivalence in terms of indexed literature retrieval. The PubMed version was then run within PubMed to identify citations retrieved by the filter's MeSH terms (Heart failure, Left ventricular dysfunction, and Cardiomyopathy). It was then rerun with the same MeSH terms restricted to searching on title and abstract fields (i.e. as 'textwords'). Citations retrieved by the MeSH search but not the textword search were isolated. Frequency analysis of their titles/ abstracts identified natural language alternatives for those MeSH terms that performed less effectively as textwords. These terms were tested in combination to determine the best performing search string for reclaiming this 'lost set'. This string, restricted to searching on PubMed's unique content, was then combined with the validated PubMed translation to extend the filter's performance in this database. Results: The PubMed heart failure filter retrieved 6829 citations. Of these, 834 (12%) failed to be retrieved when MeSH terms were converted to textwords. Frequency analysis of the 834 citations identified five high frequency natural language alternatives that could improve retrieval of this set (cardiac failure, cardiac resynchronization, left ventricular systolic dysfunction, left ventricular diastolic dysfunction, and LV dysfunction). Together these terms reclaimed 157/834 (18.8%) of lost citations. Conclusions: MeSH terms facilitate precise searching in PubMed's indexed subset. They may, however, work less effectively as search terms prior to subject indexing. A validated PubMed search filter can be used to develop a supplementary textword-only search strategy to extend retrieval to PubMed's unique content. A PubMed heart failure search filter is available on the CareSearch website (www.caresearch.com.au) providing access to both indexed and non-indexed heart failure evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Integrated care IC is a multifaceted concept, with a vast range of overlapping terminologies. Bibliometric analyses have demonstrated the evidence base for IC is diffuse. Peer-reviewed research is published in a range of journals which are indexed in bibliographic databases with subject coverage extending beyond health. A significant amount of relevant IC literature is found outside conventional publishing channels in the grey literature. Thus, practitioners and researchers face significant challenges to finding relevant IC literature. To address the issues associated with retrieving integrated care literature, an IC search filter, badged as Integrated Care Search ICS, was developed. A search filter is an evidence-based search strategy with a known level of retrieval effectiveness. Various "value adding" products were also developed to enhance the effectiveness and usability of the search filter. Methods: Following a well-established experimental methodology [1], and informed by bibliometric analyses and consultation with an established Expert Advisory Group EAG, ICS was developed and validated for use in PubMed. Additionally, a research librarian translated the validated search filter for use in other databases, and developed a guide for searching the grey literature for content relevant to IC. Finally, input from the EAG was solicited via survey to guide the development of relevant topic searches to be combined with the search filter to further refine results. Results: Given the challenges associated with IC literature retrieval, two versions of the validated search filter were developed. ICS Narrow enables more precise searching, whereas ICS Broad enables more sensitive searching. Supplementary topic searches covering care settings, populations, geographic regions and facets of IC are provided, to enable more focused searching by end-users. Both search filters were translated for use in other databases including: Medline Ovid, Embase Ovid, PsycINFO Ovid, CINAHL EBSCOhost, Cochrane Library Wiley, Scopus, Web of Science, and ProQuest. Finally, step-by-step instructions for searching for relevant IC grey literature were developed. These products are available on an interim site https://www.caresearch.com.au/caresearch/tabid/4757/Default.aspx, and it is planned that they will be moved to the IFIC website in time for launch at ICIC18. Discussion: ICS and its associated value-adding products provide end users with the ability to locate difficult-to-retrieve published and unpublished IC literature. Conclusions: A flexible approach to database searching using a combination of keyword and subject headings is required for optimal retrieval of the published IC literature across a range of databases. Lessons learned: The polymophous nature of IC necessitated the development of not one but two validated search filters, and an additional suite of products, including guidance for IC grey literature retrieval. Limitations: The envisioned functionality of the search filters has not been fully achieved, as they are currently hosted on an interim site. Suggestions for future research: Further research studies could include an evaluation of the impact of Integrated Care Search on end-user satisfaction with retrievals and search confidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: This workshop is an interactive demonstration of a validated search filter which has been developed to assist clinicians and managers in locating published research on integrated care. The presenters will give a brief overview of the project and the methodology used. They will demonstrate the beta version of the search filter and invite comment and feedback from the audience. Attendees are encouraged to share their experiences in locating the peer-reviewed literature on IC, including specific questions on aspects of IC for which evidence is sought. Integrated care (IC) is a prime driver of healthcare policy and practice reform internationally as governments and healthcare organisations endeavour to enhance efficiencies and patientcentred care. It is, however, a multifaceted concept, with a vast range of overlapping terminologies, and arguably lacks a unifying definition [1]. Search filters represent one innovative solution to this problem, by enabling brokered access to the underlying evidence base for rapid utilisation. Methods: The International Foundation for Integrated Care (IFIC), Central Coast Local Health District (NSW), The University of Newcastle (NSW), and Flinders Filters, Flinders University (SA)[2] collaborated to create an IC search filter (or "search strategy") with known retrieval effectiveness in the PubMed Database, using a well-established experimental methodology[3]. Results: An IC search filter with a known level of sensitivity has been developed and validated for PubMed. This filter will be combined with a range of topics of interest to the IC community for more focused retrieval. These topics will include patient-centred care; health and social care integration; and chronic disease management. The search filter, badged as Integrated Care Search, will be made available on the IFIC website at https://integratedcarefoundation.org/. Discussions: IC is a polymorphous topic with contextually different meanings. Despite inherent complexities, under the guidance of international experts, it was possible to develop and validate a search filter which is capable of retrieving PubMed indexed IC literature at multiple levels of granularity through simple, one-click links. In tegrated Care Search will improve the ease, speed, and accuracy by which IC evidence is found. End-users can rely on the fact that it comprises a range of core IC concept terms, comprehensively identified and tested in a set of literature deemed of importance by IC experts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]