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Review

Effective Search Strategies for Systematic Reviews of Medical Tests

Rose Relevo  1
Stephanie M Chang  1 , David B Matchar  2 , Gerald W Smetana  3 , Craig A Umscheid  4
, editors.
In: Methods Guide for Medical Test Reviews [Internet]. Rockville (MD): Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US); 2012 Jun. Chapter 4.
AHRQ Methods for Effective Health Care.
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Review

Effective Search Strategies for Systematic Reviews of Medical Tests

Rose Relevo.
Free Books & Documents

Excerpt

This chapter discusses appropriate techniques for developing search strategies for systematic reviews of medical tests. It offers general advice for searching for systematic reviews and also addresses issues specific to systematic reviews of medical tests. Diagnostic search filters are currently not sufficiently developed for use when searching for systematic reviews. Instead, authors should construct a highly sensitive search strategy that uses both controlled vocabulary and text words. A comprehensive search should include multiple databases and sources of grey literature. A list of subject-specific databases is provided.

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