when searching a database, you’re not searching in articles, you’re searching _________?
you’re not searching for concepts, you’re searching for _____?
- in records that describe article
- searching for words that describe these concepts
- we are searching keywords compiled by others (someone else summarized the article using keywords which are searchable in the database
describe the relationship between question formation and search term develop
- question frameworks help you articulate your question & helps you identify concepts to search for
- you may or may not search for every concept
when searching a systematic review, you should not include???
- terms that indicate a positive or negative outcome (introduces bias)
ex. NO –> positive effects of cannabis on sleep, YES –> cannabis and sleep
after developing your PICOT question, what do you do?
- create search terms based off of the concepts.
ex. outcome = depression = concept –> search terms = depression, depressed, depressive disorder
what does truncation * mean?
- look for different endings
ex. mindful* = will search mindfulness, mindfully etc.
what do quotation marks (phrases) “ “ mean ?
- look for exact phases
- term will be searched exactly how you typed it
ex. “depressive disorder”
what do no quotation marks mean
- all of the words are searched separately
what are boolean operators
- used to link words together
what are examples of boolean operators (4)
- AND
- OR
- ()
- NOT (not encouraged to use this)`
what does the boolean operator “AND” mean (3)
- everything has to be present for the result to come back
- returns record for articles with ALL of the specific items present
- used for when you need very specific research which involves all factors
what does the boolean operator “OR” mean
- returns records for articles with any combination of the specified items present
- use for different terms for the same concept
describe how OR, AND, and () are used
- OR ties together related search terms for the same concept
- AND ties together concepts
ex. (“breast cancer” OR “breast neoplasm”) AND (depression OR depressed) AND (mindul* OR meditation)
describe the use of brackets when searching databases
- very important to cluster searchers and separate OR from AND
- culsters or OR terms should be organized into brackets, with AND between each bracket
what is an additional method to using brackets when searching a database
- can search of your OR concepts, then connect those using “search 1 AND search 2 AND search 3)
what are examples of primary evidence? where are they found (4)?
- individual studies
- found in databases like:
- -> CINAHL
- -> PubMed/Medline
- -> EMBASE
- -> Scopus
what is required w primary evidence?
- critically appraise quality
- more stuff = more effort
what are examples of secondary evidence (pre-appraised, synthesized)? (2)
- systematic reviews
- practice guidelines
where are systematic reviews found (3)
- JBI
- Trip Pro
- other databases
where are practice guidelines found? (3)
- organization websites
- Trip Pro
- other databases
what is required w secondary evidence
- also require critical thinking
ex. when was this published? is it still current?
where are decision support tools found? (2)
- UptoDate
- medical record tools
what is required w decision support tools? what do they offer (3)?
- less stuff = less effort
- for very straightforward questions
- offer stable info on issues which don’t change quickly
- good for well established concepts
how can we decide where to look (choosing a database)? (4)
consider:
- what can you access?
- what’s your question?
- what are you going to use that info for? (some have printable phamplets)
- what type of evidence do you need (ex. RCTs are usually reliable for intervention-based questions)
what type of articles are found on CINAHL?
- nursing & allied health focus
