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Searching for evidence in pediatric occupational therapy using free versus subscription databases: a comparison of
Meryl Lovarini1, Margaret Wallen, Christine Imms
1lovarini@bigpond.net.au
Objective:
This study compared the results of searching free versus subscription databases and using brief versus comprehensive search strategies to locate evidence for three pediatric occupational therapy clinical questions.
Method:
Three clinical questions were nominated by practicing pediatric occupational therapists. Brief and comprehensive search strategies were then developed. Searches were conducted in three free-to-access databases and four subscription databases.
Results:
Based on descriptive data, more relevant citations were retrieved using the subscription databases compared with the free databases and when using a comprehensive search strategy. Citations that were present in some databases were not always retrieved by the searches. This was mainly due to the inclusion of an insufficient number of search terms in the brief search strategies used in this study and a mismatch between terms used in the search strategies and the databases.
Conclusion:
Clinicians may need to use both subscription and free databases and use comprehensive search strategies to maximize retrieval of relevant articles to answer pediatric clinical questions.
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