Basic Searches & PubMed

1. Basic Searches & PubMed

2. Using the ATSU link-out to PubMed (requires access to the ATSU Portal) Brief lesson on general use of PubMed Try it Yourself: Using PubMed to find a systematic review Table of Contents

3. ATSU link-out to PubMed • From within the Portal, access the Library >> KCOM Library tab (in the left frame). • From the Online Medical Resources page, click PubMed Tabbed Linkout - ATSU Kirksville. • View movie as • QuickTime (.mov) • Flash (.swf)

4. Using PubMed in General • View movie as: • QuickTime (.mov) • Flash (.swf) • Double-click on video for full-screen mode.

5. Useful Search Tools: • Try using Boolean operators† like: • AND (include both words) • OR (include one word or the other) • NOT (do not include the word) • Must be capitalized • If you want search for a phrase or force one word to follow another, use quotation marks: “” † Not PubMed-specific. Can be used with most search engines.

6. AND • Searches for items containing both what precedes it and what follows it. • Narrows search • Example: dyspnea AND “cardiac failure” • (Actually this example does not produce better results than a search for dyspnea “cardiac failure” because PubMed automatically uses an AND operation between words in the absence of other Boolean operators. So the two are the same.)

7. OR • Searches for items containing either what precedes it or what follows it (but it could include both). • Broadens search • Often used with synonyms and related terms • Example: chickenpox OR varicella

8. NOT • Searches for items that do not contain what follows it. • Narrows search • Never precede it with AND. • When 2 operators follow each other, only the first is applied. • So metathesis AND NOT “double decomposition” is equivalent to metathesis AND “double decomposition” . • Problematic when trying to exclude chemistry articles.

9. Parentheses • () • Control the order of operations • Without parentheses: • AND’s applied before OR’s and NOT’s • Applied left to right

10. Useful Search Tips: • chemotherapy AND "eye cancer" OR retinoblastoma • retrieves entries containing the keyword “retinoblastoma” without the word “chemotherapy.” Any retrieved entries with “chemotherapy” also contain “eye cancer.” • In contrast: • chemotherapy AND ("eye cancer" OR retinoblastoma) • retrieves entries with the keyword “chemotherapy” that additionally contain either "eye cancer" or “retinoblastoma.”

11. Wild Card * • * • Retrieve all words with a common string of letters. Wild cards (*) replace any combination of letters or lack thereof. • Broadens search • Commonly used for related word roots. • So pyelotom* will retrieve pyelotomy and pyelotomies, as well as pyelotomia, pyelotomized, and pyelotomography. Using NOT can eliminate these common but unwanted terms.

12. Try it Yourself: • You have a 72-year-old female patient with dyspnea. You need to employ the best available evidence to accurately determine if cardiac failure is the cause or not. • Form a relevant question according to the procedures in Step 1. • Now it’s time to do a literature search.

13. Try it Yourself: Using Clinical Queries • Log into PubMed. • Click on Clinical Querieson the left (below the PubMed Services heading). • First try to find systematic reviews since these combine and filter the information from multiple studies, giving a more comprehensive view than any single study. • Write your search down.

14. Try it Yourself: Assess Your Search • Did you find anything useful? • Did you use Boolean operators and wild cards? • How many relevant articles did you find? • What other information would you like to have before making a clinical decision?

15. Try it Yourself: Fixing a Narrow Search • Search too narrow? • Try using wild cards. Try dyspn* instead of dyspnea. This will retrieve dyspneic, dyspneics, and other related terms. • Try including synonyms, separated by OR’s. How about “cardiac failure” OR “heart failure”?

16. Try it Yourself: Fixing a Broad Search • Search too broad? • Try including more relevant terms or clusters of relevant terms, surrounded by parentheses and separated by OR’s • Use NOT’s to eliminate unwanted material (taking caution not to overlook useful ones).

17. Try it Yourself: An Example • Try this out: • (dyspn* OR "shortness of breath") AND (cardi* failure OR "heart failure") † • Did it provide relevant resources? Why or why not? What can you do to improve this example? † Requires AND systematic[sb] if not typed in the Systematic Reviews box.

18. Try it Yourself: Expanding Your Abilities • Try out some new searches. Be creative. Also, click on the Details tab near the top to see the expanded search. • Could any of these be helpful for diagnosis? † Requires AND systematic[sb] if not typed in the Systematic Reviews box.

19. MeSH • PubMed uses a controlled vocabulary (MeSH) • This allows you to search by different topics. • Learn more about this using the tutorials. † Requires AND systematic[sb] if not typed in the Systematic Reviews box.

20. Try it Yourself: MeSH • Try to find articles using this feature. • You can also type these into the Systematic Review bar followed by [MeSH], like in the following example: • Heart Failure, Congestive[MeSH] AND Dyspnea[MeSH] † † Requires AND systematic[sb] if not typed in the Systematic Reviews box.

21. Try it Yourself: Using MeSH • You can also combine these MeSH terms with those from your previous searches, as seen below: • (dyspn* OR "shortness of breath“ OR Dyspnea[MeSH]) AND (cardi* failure OR "heart failure“ OR Heart Failure, Congestive[MeSH]) † • After you are comfortable with the earlier material in this lesson, try these out. What advantages do MeSH terms provide? † Requires AND systematic[sb] if not typed in the Systematic Reviews box.

22. Links to Other Websitesand Hands-On Activities • From the A.T. Still University Arizona School of Health Sciences • Guide to PubMed • From Suny Downstate Medical Center • Applying EBM to Online Searches

23. Congratulations!You have successfully completed PubMed.The End