Cies 2010 literature searching embase

Tips to search the literatureExample with Embase

Patrice CHALON, MscKnowledge manager, Centre fédéral d'expertise des soins de santé (KCE)

2010-09-10 1Patrice X. Chalon

Approach

1. Identify your problem

2. Define a structured question

3. Find the best evidence

4. How valid is the study?

5. What are the results?

6. How should I apply the results to patient care?

Source: Guyatt G, Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group. Users' guides to the medical literature : a manual for evidence-based clinical practice. 2nd ed. New York: McGraw-Hill Medical; 2008.


1. IDENTIFY YOUR PROBLEM

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Example


2. DEFINE A STRUCTURED QUESTION

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Example

Source : Horsmans Y, Thiry N, le Polain M, Adler M, Colle I, Delwaide J, Michielsen P, Orlent H, Van Damme P, Hulstaert F. Rapport coût-efficacité du traitement antiviral de l’hépatite B chronique en Belgique. Partie 1: Examen de la littérature et résultats d’une étude nationale. Health Technology

Assessment (HTA). Bruxelles: Centre fédéral d’expertise des soins de santé (KCE). 2010. KCE Reports 127B. D/2010/10.2738/23.


Example (cont.)

(CHB OR (Hepatitis B ADJ2 Chronic*))

AND

(NA OR (Nuclo?ide ADJ2 analogue) OR (Interferon ADJ3 therap*))


3. FIND THE BEST EVIDENCE

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Databases for economic evaluations

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EMBASE (EMBASE.COM)http://www.embase.com


Embase fact sheetProducer Elsevier (NL)Time coverage 1974 (Embase classic : 1947 – 1973)

Source 7000 peer reviewed journals from over 80 countries

Topics Drug research, pharmacology, pharmacy, pharmacoeconomics, pharmaceutics and Toxicology ; Human medicine (clinical and experimental) ; Basic biological research ; Health policy and management ; Public, occupational and environmental health ; Substance dependence and abuse ; Psychiatry ; Forensic science ; Biomedical engineering and instrumentation

Content Journal articles

Indexation Emtree, updated annuallyManual indexation based on full text reading

Abstracts Author-written English abstracts (80% of records)Source : Embase Indexing Explained : An explanatory guide to the indexing policy for Embase. Version 2.4, 2009. Available from :

http://embase.com/info/UserFiles/Files/Embase%20Classic%20Indexing%20Guide.pdf


Example




Search 1st concept (patient / pathology)


Map term


Check term


Check term (cont.)


Major focus? Explosion?

Major/Minor descriptors Descriptors can be given

more weight by assigning them as major terms when they are the particular focus of the article or as minor when the concept is merely mentioned. Obviously concepts that occur in the title or the abstract are a good indicator of the main focus of an article.

Explosion Explosion retains all narrower

terms

Embase.com explodes by default

Source : Embase Indexing Explained : An explanatory guide to the indexing policy for Embase. Version 2.4, 2009. Available from :

http://embase.com/info/UserFiles/Files/Embase%20Classic%20Indexing%20Guide.pdf


Disease search


Disease search (cont.)


Results


Search : 2nd concept (therapy)


Search : 2nd concept (therapy) (cont.)


Drug search


Combine searches



Search 3rd concept (design)




Alternatives


Thank you!

Copyrights: This work is released under Creative Commons License

2010-09-10 Patrice X. Chalon 28

Health & Medicine

Cies 2010 literature searching embase