Searching the MEDLARS file for information on the elderly.

As the elderly population in the United States increases, the consequences for the health care system are significant. The Veterans Administration (VA) has created a Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Centers program to provide care, support research, and train practitioners in geriatric medicine. Through the participation of the Wadsworth VA Medical Center library in this program, methodologies have been developed for searching National Library of Medicine (NLM) data bases for information on the elderly. These methodologies are described; terms and definitions in geriatrics are explicated; sample search requests are explored; and on-line strategies are indicated. Review and comparison of NLM data bases, as they relate to geriatrics, are offered.