PURPOSE: To develop and validate search filters for MEDLINE via PubMed according to two categories of the NLINKS-EBN matrix. METHODS: The search results of the search filters were compared to a gold standard. FINDINGS: The usage of nursing classification terms for the literature search in evidence-based nursing (EBN) is still limited because taxonomies are neither widely used in nursing literature nor applied for indexing by MEDLINE. The proposed filters achieved a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 94% for "secondary data" and a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 73% for "diagnostic tests." CONCLUSIONS: The usage of database-specific search filters are a reliable and valid method to search for nursing classification terms in medical databases.
PURPOSE: To develop and validate search filters for MEDLINE via PubMed according to two categories of the NLINKS-EBN matrix. METHODS: The search results of the search filters were compared to a gold standard. FINDINGS: The usage of nursing classification terms for the literature search in evidence-based nursing (EBN) is still limited because taxonomies are neither widely used in nursing literature nor applied for indexing by MEDLINE. The proposed filters achieved a sensitivity of 96% and a specificity of 94% for "secondary data" and a sensitivity of 87% and a specificity of 73% for "diagnostic tests." CONCLUSIONS: The usage of database-specific search filters are a reliable and valid method to search for nursing classification terms in medical databases.
Authors: Rebecca Beynon; Mariska M G Leeflang; Steve McDonald; Anne Eisinga; Ruth L Mitchell; Penny Whiting; Julie M Glanville Journal: Cochrane Database Syst Rev Date: 2013-09-11