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PubMed had a higher sensitivity than Ovid-MEDLINE in the search for systematic reviews

  • University of Toronto Faculty of Medicine
  • University Health Network University of Toronto
  • Hospital for Sick Children University of Toronto
  • University of Toronto
  • University Health Network

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

24 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

Objective: To compare the performance of Ovid-MEDLINE vs. PubMed for identifying randomized controlled trials of methotrexate (MTX) in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). Study Design and Setting: We created search strategies for Ovid-MEDLINE and PubMed for a systematic review of MTX in RA. Their performance was evaluated using sensitivity, precision, and number needed to read (NNR). Results: Comparing searches in Ovid-MEDLINE vs. PubMed, PubMed retrieved more citations overall than Ovid-MEDLINE; however, of the 20 citations that met eligibility criteria for the review, Ovid-MEDLINE retrieved 17 and PubMed 18. The sensitivity was 85% for Ovid-MEDLINE vs. 90% for PubMed, whereas the precision and NNR were comparable (precision: 0.881% for Ovid-MEDLINE vs. 0.884% for PubMed and NNR: 114 for Ovid-MEDLINE vs. 113 for PubMed). Conclusion: In systematic reviews of RA, PubMed has higher sensitivity than Ovid-MEDLINE with comparable precision and NNR. This study highlights the importance of well-designed database-specific search strategies.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)805-807
Number of pages3
JournalJournal of Clinical Epidemiology
Volume64
Issue number7
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jul 2011

Keywords

  • Database
  • MEDLINE
  • Performance
  • PubMed
  • Search strategy
  • Systematic review

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