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. 2005 Jan 8;330(7482):68.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.38336.804167.47. Epub 2004 Dec 24.

Optimal search strategies for retrieving systematic reviews from Medline: analytical survey

Victor M Montori  1 , Nancy L Wilczynski, Douglas Morgan, R Brian Haynes; Hedges Team
Affiliations

Optimal search strategies for retrieving systematic reviews from Medline: analytical survey

Victor M Montori et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To develop optimal search strategies in Medline for retrieving systematic reviews.

Design: Analytical survey.

Data sources: 161 journals published in 2000 indexed in Medline.

Main outcome measures: The sensitivity, specificity, and precision of retrieval of systematic reviews of 4862 unique terms in 782,485 combinations of one to five terms were determined by comparison with a hand search of all articles (the criterion standard) in 161 journals published during 2000 (49,028 articles).

Results: Only 753 (1.5%) of the 49,028 articles were systematic reviews. The most sensitive strategy included five terms and had a sensitivity of 99.9% (95% confidence interval 99.6% to 100%) and a specificity of 52% (51.6% to 52.5%). The strategy that best minimised the difference between sensitivity and specificity had a sensitivity of 98% (97% to 99%) and specificity of 90.8% (90.5% to 91.1%). Highest precision for multiterm strategies, 57% (54% to 60%), was achieved at a sensitivity of 71% (68% to 74%). The term "cochrane database of systematic reviews.jn." was the most precise single term search strategy (sensitivity of 56% (52% to 60%) and precision of 96% (94% to 98%)). These strategies are available through the "limit" screen of Ovid's search interface for Medline.

Conclusions: Systematic reviews can be retrieved from Medline with close to perfect sensitivity or specificity, or with high precision, by using empirical search strategies.

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Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1
Manual review to build criterion standard dataset
Fig 2
Fig 2
Retrieval on PubMed by combining each of the strategies (see table on bmj.com, using boolean AND, with topic terms to identify systematic reviews about β blockers for congestive heart failure
Fig 3
Fig 3
Retrieval on Ovid by entering topic terms (see table on bmj.com) about β blockers for congestive heart failure, then choosing Ovid strategies by clicking on the Limit button on the top of the screen and selecting a strategy for retrieving systematic reviews from the list under Clinical Queries
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Comment in

  • Clever searching for evidence.
    Sanders S, Del Mar C. Sanders S, et al. BMJ. 2005 May 21;330(7501):1162-3. doi: 10.1136/bmj.330.7501.1162. BMJ. 2005. PMID: 15905232 Free PMC article. No abstract available.

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