Search filters include both terms to retrieve quality results for inquiry types, as well as search lines with study types to help sort results for critical appraisal. For some clinical questions it may be appropriate to combine portions of more than one filter.
Therapy Filter
1. Meta Analysis.pt. or (meta analy$ or metaanaly$).tw. or systematic review$.tw. or (published studies or medline or embase or data synthesis or data extraction).ab. or cochrane.jw.
(If appropriate, consider including the MeSH term: meta-analysis as topic)
2. Randomized Controlled Trial.pt. or random$.tw.
(If appropriate, consider including the MeSH term: randomized controlled trials as topic)
3. (Clinical Trial or Clinical Trial, Phase I or Clinical Trial, Phase II or Clinical Trial, Phase III or Clinical Trial, Phase IV or Controlled Clinical Trial or Multicenter Study).pt. or ((double adj2 blind$) or trial$ or multicenter or multicentre or multi center or multi centre).tw. or placebo.tw,hw.
(If appropriate, consider including the MeSH terms: clinical trials as topic/ or clinical trials, phase i as topic/ or clinical trials, phase ii as topic/ or clinical trials, phase iii as topic/ or clinical trials, phase iv as topic/ or controlled clinical trials as topic/ or multicenter studies as topic/)
4. (Guideline or Practice Guideline or Consensus Development Conference or Consensus Development Conference, NIH).pt. or (guideline$ or consensus).tw,hw. or recommend$.ti.
(If appropriate, consider including the MeSH terms: Guidelines as Topic; Practice Guidelines as Topic)
5. exp Treatment Outcome/ or (outcome$ or evidence based).tw. **
**limit to Ovid EBM reviews
Search Pearls:
> Consider using the Subject Subset limit, “Systematic Reviews”. This option is located within the Additional Limits option. This limit may also be entered directly in the search box as:
Limit [set #] to systematic reviews
> If no evidence-based material is found, consider limiting to reviews.pt.
Ovid MEDLINE filters were developed by librarians at the University of Missouri - Columbia. For more information about the FPIN search filters, please contact the FPIN Librarian Coordinator.