Facilitating access to evidence: Primary Health Care Search Filter

Area of Science:

• Information Science
• Health Sciences
• Evidence-Based Practice

Background:

• The volume of literature relevant to Primary Health Care (PHC) is growing exponentially.
• Searchers face challenges in efficiently identifying relevant PHC citations amidst this expanding evidence base.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and evaluate a specialized search filter for Primary Health Care (PHC) literature.
• To enable efficient and effective retrieval of relevant PHC research and information.

Main Methods:

• A PHC Search Filter was developed using rigorous experimental methodology on the OvidSP Medline platform.
• The filter was adapted for PubMed for web-based 'one-click searching'.
• A mixed-methods evaluation was conducted, including an online survey with 90 respondents.

Main Results:

• The PHC Search Filter demonstrated a sensitivity of 77.0% and a post hoc relevance of 78.3%.
• Evaluation data indicated overarching benefits and a positive user response to the tool.
• Feedback provided directions for further refinement of the PHC Search Filter.

Conclusions:

• The PHC Search Filter is a validated tool designed using an established methodology, offering a user-friendly and effective search strategy.
• The filter successfully reduces the burden of literature searching and increases the value of retrieved evidence.
• The tool supports the incorporation of relevant evidence into policy and practice, despite challenges with full-text access and sample size in the evaluation.