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Developing optimal search strategies for detecting clinically relevant qualitative studies in MEDLINE
Sharon S-L Wong1, Nancy L Wilczynski, R Brian Haynes
1Health Information Research Unit, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|September 14, 2004
Summary
Developing effective search strategies is crucial for finding qualitative studies in evidence-based practice. This study found that specific combinations of search terms significantly improve the retrieval of qualitative research in MEDLINE.
Area of Science:
- Health Sciences
- Information Science
Background:
- Growing interest in qualitative research within evidence-based practice necessitates improved retrieval methods.
- Limited research exists on optimal search filters for qualitative studies.
- This study builds upon prior work to develop strategies for qualitative study retrieval.
Purpose of the Study:
- To develop optimal search strategies for identifying clinically relevant qualitative studies in MEDLINE.
- The focus was on studies published in the year 2000.
Main Methods:
- Compared retrieval performance of search strategies against a manual review (gold standard) of articles.
- Reviewed 161 core health care journals for the year 2000.
- Classified articles by format, interest, and purpose, including qualitative nature.
Main Results:
- 366 out of 49,028 articles (0.75%) were classified as qualitative.
- Combined search terms achieved peak sensitivities of 95%.
- A three-term strategy increased sensitivity by 23.6% compared to the best single term, with optimized sensitivity and specificity exceeding 90%.
Conclusions:
- Multiple search strategies demonstrate high performance for retrieving qualitative studies from MEDLINE.
- Optimized search strategies can effectively enhance the discovery of qualitative research in health sciences databases.