Biren B Kamdar1, Pooja A Shah2, Sruthi Sakamuri3, Bharat S Kamdar4, Jiwon Oh5. 1. Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine,David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLAbkamdar@mednet.ucla.edu. 2. School of Medicine,University of California,San Francisco. 3. University of Vermont College of Medicine. 4. Independent Technology Consultant. 5. Department of Neurology,Johns Hopkins University.
Abstract
OBJECTIVES: Developing a search strategy for use in a systematic review is a time-consuming process requiring construction of detailed search strings using complicated syntax, followed by iterative fine-tuning and trial-and-error testing of these strings in online biomedical search engines. METHODS: Building upon limitations of existing online-only search builders, a user-friendly computer-based tool was created to expedite search strategy development as part of production of a systematic review. RESULTS: Search Builder 1.0 is a Microsoft Excel®-based tool that automatically assembles search strategy text strings for PubMed (www.pubmed.com) and Embase (www.embase.com), based on a list of user-defined search terms and preferences. With the click of a button, Search Builder 1.0 automatically populates the syntax needed for functional search strings, and copies the string to the clipboard for pasting into Pubmed or Embase. The offline file-based interface of Search Builder 1.0 also allows for searches to be easily shared and saved for future reference. CONCLUSIONS: This novel, user-friendly tool can save considerable time and streamline a cumbersome step in the systematic review process.
OBJECTIVES: Developing a search strategy for use in a systematic review is a time-consuming process requiring construction of detailed search strings using complicated syntax, followed by iterative fine-tuning and trial-and-error testing of these strings in online biomedical search engines. METHODS: Building upon limitations of existing online-only search builders, a user-friendly computer-based tool was created to expedite search strategy development as part of production of a systematic review. RESULTS: Search Builder 1.0 is a Microsoft Excel®-based tool that automatically assembles search strategy text strings for PubMed (www.pubmed.com) and Embase (www.embase.com), based on a list of user-defined search terms and preferences. With the click of a button, Search Builder 1.0 automatically populates the syntax needed for functional search strings, and copies the string to the clipboard for pasting into Pubmed or Embase. The offline file-based interface of Search Builder 1.0 also allows for searches to be easily shared and saved for future reference. CONCLUSIONS: This novel, user-friendly tool can save considerable time and streamline a cumbersome step in the systematic review process.
Entities:
Keywords:
Microsoft Excel; Search builder; Software tool; Systematic review
Authors: Kristin E Schwab; An Q To; Jennifer Chang; Bonnie Ronish; Dale M Needham; Jennifer L Martin; Biren B Kamdar Journal: J Intensive Care Med Date: 2019-07-22 Impact factor: 2.889