Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 25, 2026

Advancing Dyslexia Assessment in Children Through Computerized Testing
Published on: August 16, 2024
Diagnostic test systematic reviews: bibliographic search filters ("Clinical Queries") for diagnostic accuracy studies
Monika Kastner1, Nancy L Wilczynski, Ann K McKibbon
1Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Health Information Research Unit, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada.
Background:
Systematic reviews of health care topics are valuable summaries of all pertinent studies on focused questions. However, finding all relevant primary studies for systematic reviews remains challenging.
Objectives:
To determine the performance of the Clinical Queries sensitive search filter for diagnostic accuracy studies for retrieving studies for systematic reviews.
Methods:
We compared the yield of the sensitive Clinical Queries diagnosis search filter for MEDLINE and EMBASE to retrieve studies in diagnostic accuracy systematic reviews reported in ACP Journal Club in 2006.
Results:
Twelve of 22 diagnostic accuracy reviews (452 included studies) met the inclusion criteria. After excluding 11 studies not in MEDLINE or EMBASE, 95% of articles (417 of 441) were captured by the sensitive Clinical Queries diagnosis search filter (MEDLINE and EMBASE combined). Of 24 studies not retrieved by the filter, 22 were not diagnostic accuracy studies. Reanalysis of the Clinical Queries filter without these 22 nondiagnosis articles increased its performance to 99% (417 of 419). We found no substantive impact of the two articles missed by the Clinical Queries filter on the conclusions of the systematic reviews in which they were cited.
Conclusion:
The sensitive Clinical Queries diagnostic search filter captured 99% of articles and 100% of substantive articles indexed in MEDLINE and EMBASE in diagnostic accuracy systematic reviews.
Related Concept Videos
Sensitivity, Specificity, and Predicted Value
Sensitivity is the...
Clinical Trials
There are four phases in a clinical trial. A phase one...
Automated Microbial Diagnostics
Receiver Operating Characteristic Plot
Documentation of Nursing Diagnosis
In some settings, data-driven computerized decision support systems are in place, allowing for more accurate nursing diagnoses. The database within one of these systems includes diagnostic labels defining characteristics, activities, and indicators for nursing. A nurse enters assessment...
Serum Laboratory Studies, Stool Test, Breath Test
