Glanville JM, Lefebvre C, Miles JNV, Camosso-Stefinovic J "How to identify randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE: ten years on " JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 94 (2): 130-136 APR 2006

[Eugene Garfield]

Julie M. Glanville: jmg1 at york.ac.uk
Carol Lefebvre:     clefebvre at cochrane.co.uk
Jeremy N. V. Miles: jnvm1 at york.ac.uk
Janette Camosso-Stefinovic: jcs20 at leicester.ac.uk


Title: How to identify randomized controlled trials in MEDLINE: ten years
on

Author(s): Glanville JM, Lefebvre C, Miles JNV, Camosso-Stefinovic J

Source: JOURNAL OF THE MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOCIATION 94 (2): 130-136 APR 2006

Document Type: Article
Language: English
Cited References: 28      Times Cited: 0

Abstract:
Objective: The researchers sought to assess whether the widely used 1994
Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy (HSSS) for randomized controlled
trials (RCTs) in MEDLINE could be improved in terms of sensitivity,
precision, or parsimony.

Methods: A gold standard of 1,347 RCT records and a comparison group of
2,400 non-trials were randomly selected from MEDLINE. Terms occurring in at
least 1% of RCT records were identified. Fifty percent of the RCT and
comparison group records were randomly selected, and the ability of the
terms to discriminate RCTs from non-trial records was determined using
logistic regression. The best performing combinations of terms were tested
on the remaining records and in MEDLINE.

Results: The best discriminating term was "Clinical Trial" (Publication
Type). In years where the Cochrane assessment of MEDLINE records had taken
place, the strategies identified few additional unindexed records of
trials. In years where Cochrane assessment has yet to take
place, "Randomized Controlled Trial" (Publication Type) proved highly
sensitive and precise. Adding six more search terms identified further,
unindexed trials at reasonable levels of precision and with sensitivity
almost equal to the Cochrane HSSS.

Conclusions: Most reports of RCTs in MEDLINE can now be identified easily
using "Randomized Controlled Trial" (Publication Type). More sensitive
searches can be achieved by a brief strategy, the Centre for Reviews and
Dissemination/Cochrane Highly Sensitive Search Strategy (2005 revision).


Addresses: Glanville JM (reprint author), York Univ, Ctr Reviews &
Dissminat, York, N Yorkshire YO10 5DD England
York Univ, Ctr Reviews & Dissminat, York, N Yorkshire YO10 5DD England
UK Cochrane Ctr, Oxford, OX2 7LG England
Univ York, Dept Hlth Sci, York, N Yorkshire YO10 5DD England
Univ Leicester, Leicester Gen Hosp, Dept Hlth Sci, Div Gen Pract & Primary
Hlth Care,Clin Govt Res &, Leicester, Leics LE5 4PW England

E-mail Addresses: jmg1 at york.ac.uk, clefebvre at cochrane.co.uk,
jnvm1 at york.ac.uk, jcs20 at leicester.ac.uk

Publisher: MEDICAL LIBRARY ASSOC, 65 EAST WACKER PLACE, STE 1900, CHICAGO,
IL 60601-7298 USA
Subject Category: INFORMATION SCIENCE & LIBRARY SCIENCE
IDS Number: 058BS

ISSN: 1536-5050


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