A group of researchers from Erasmus University Medical Center in the Netherlands recently published a paper where they describe the development and validation of bibliographic database search filters/hedges useful for identifying scholarly literature in the field of palliative care.

Rietjens JA, Bramer WM, Geijteman EC, van der Heide A, Oldenmenger WH. Development and validation of search filters to find articles on palliative care in bibliographic databases. Palliat Med. 2019 Apr;33(4):470-474. doi:10.1177/0269216318824275. Epub 2019 Jan 28. PubMed PMID: 30688143; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC6439930.

Search filters can be used by anyone carrying out database searches, both professional librarians and non-librarians alike. They help you save time by allowing you to take advantage of the good work of others to more quickly and efficiently extract what you need from bibliographic databases.

To add a search filter to your search strategy, simply copy the appropriate search string provided by the authors and paste it into the database search form that you are using, being sure to note the database name and vendor interface (the syntax will vary depending on the particular interface being used). You can copy the palliative care filter directly from Table 1 or from the plain text version available in the Supplemental data file. After starting your research with the topic-specific core set of search results that the search filter/hedge returns, you can then add your favorite terms to further customize the search strategy toward your particular interests.

For more tips on identifying literature on a particular topic, be sure to Ask Us!