Search PubMed⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search PubMed

Results for “ABSTRACTING AND INDEXING”

Search indexed PubMed citations on genomics, clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health. Explore titles, authors and supplied subject terms, then open the PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

[Online literature searches--a new dimension in mastering the information avalanche? A demonstration using examples].

Several examples of online literature searches in the Chemical Abstracts, Science Citation Index, and Biological Abstracts data bases are discussed to demonstrate that online searching is a powerful and very useful tool for retrieving information faster and more efficiently than before. This article attempts to stimulate scientists to familiarize themselves with this new technique and gain some personal experience, because online searching for information will probably become indispensable in scientific research and teaching in the near future.

Animals↗

Index-linked.

Explore the source record for details and available documents.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

Research methodology and applied statistics. Part 2: the literature search.

This paper presents a basic methodology for an effective and efficient retrieval and recording of written materials in a subject area. The purpose of the literature review is examined and the criteria for selection of materials for inclusion are outlined. The methodology then describes the role of the librarian, various types of information resources, how to choose appropriate indexing and abstracting services, and a simple efficient method of recording the items found. The importance and use of Medical Subject Headings for research in physiotherapy is emphasized. A survey of types of book materials and how to locate them is followed by a detailed description of the most useful indexing and abstracting services available, in particular, the publications of the National Library of Medicine, notably Index Medicus, as well as Excerpta Medica and the Science Citation Index. A discussion of on-line search services, their coverage and availability in Canada, concludes the review of information sources. Finally, guidelines for selecting and summarizing the materials located and comments on the literary style for a review are supplied.

Documentation↗

Population groups: indexing, coverage, and retrieval effectiveness of ethnically related health care issues in health sciences databases.

OBJECTIVES: This study examined methods of accessing (for indexing and retrieval purposes) medical research on population groups in the major abstracting and indexing services of the health sciences literature. DESIGN: The study of diseases in specific population groups is facilitated by the indexing of both diseases and populations in a database. The MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and Embase databases were selected for the study. The published thesauri for these databases were examined to establish the vocabulary in use. Indexing terms were identified and examined as to their representation in the current literature. Terms were clustered further into groups thought to reflect an end user's perspective and to facilitate subsequent analysis. The medical literature contained in the three online databases was searched with both controlled vocabulary and natural language terms. RESULTS: The three thesauri revealed shallow pre-coordinated hierarchical structures, rather difficult-to-use terms for post-coordination, and a blurring of cultural, genetic, and racial facets of populations. Post-coordination is difficult because of the system-oriented terminology, which is intended mostly for information professionals. The terminology unintentionally restricts access by the end users who lack the knowledge needed to use the thesauri effectively for information retrieval. CONCLUSIONS: Population groups are not represented adequately in the index languages of health sciences databases. Users of these databases need to be alerted to the difficulties that may be encountered in searching for information on population groups. Information and health professionals may not be able to access the literature if they are not familiar with the indexing policies on population groups. Consequently, the study points to a problem that needs to be addressed, through either the redesign of existing systems or the design of new ones to meet the goals of Healthy People 2000 and beyond.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

Survey of medical literature borrowed from the national lending library for science and technology.

This paper reports the results of a four-week questionnaire survey carried out at the National Lending Library (N.L.L.), Great Britian, to discover which types of organizations were the principal users of medical literature, what types of literature were used, and which were the main sources of references to medical publications. Industrial organizations and universities accounted for the majority (62 percent) of the loans, most of which were English-language periodicals published since 1960. For the whole sample, citation lists in periodical articles were the principal sources of references, although for literature published in the last fifteen months, abstracting and indexing journals were the main sources. Of the latter, Index Medicus proved to be the most fruitful source of references. By asking whether the item requested was really useful to their work, a measure of the reliability of the different sources of references was obtained. Appendixes include the questionnaire, a list of the most frequently borrowed journals, and a list of abstracting and indexing journals used as sources of references.

Interlibrary Loans↗

Independent living programmes for improving outcomes for young people leaving the care system.

BACKGROUND: Independent living programmes (ILPs) are designed to provide young people leaving care with skills that will limit their disadvantage and aid in their successful transition into adulthood. Programmes focus on personal development, independent living skills, education, and vocational support. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effectiveness of independent living programmes for young people leaving the care system. SEARCH STRATEGY: The following electronic databases were searched: Cochrane Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (Issue 3, 2005); MEDLINE (1966 to June 2005); EMBASE (1980 to June 2005); CINAHL (1982 to June 2005); PsycINFO (1887 to June 2005); Sociological Abstracts (1952 - June 2005); Applied Social Science Index and Abstracts (ASSIA) (1987- June 2005) and Dissertation Abstracts (to June 2005). All bibliographies were cross-referenced, and experts were contacted for unpublished or ongoing studies. SELECTION CRITERIA: Randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials comparing ILPs to standard care, another intervention, no intervention, or a wait-list control, for young people leaving care systems at their country's statutory age of discharge. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: 2196 citations were identified and screened independently by two reviewers. Full text versions were obtained for 54 papers. None met the review's inclusion criteria. MAIN RESULTS: No study was found that met the inclusion criteria of the review. Eighteen studies using nonrandomised or noncomparative designs were found, which generally reported favourable outcomes for ILP participants; however, reliable inferences cannot be drawn from these studies due to their use of weak methodology. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Results from randomised controlled trials show no evidence of the effectiveness of ILPs in improving or impairing outcomes for young people discharged from care. Further research into ILPs using randomised controlled designs is needed.

Activities of Daily Living↗

Library orientation methods: J. Hillis Miller Health Center Library program.

Two orientation devices are described which are currently in use at the J. Hillis Miller Health Center Library. One is a taped tour which requires a portable recorder with earphones attached. Tapes are now available for nursing students, physical therapy students, and Health Center staff. The tour includes location information and description of the card catalog and certain basic index and abstract services. The second orientation device is a short instruction tape on the use of Index Medicus which is attached to the Index Medicus table. This is heard through a telephone apparatus. It is anticipated that the tape technique will be expanded to apply to other students and other library tools. It is also believed that this technique may be used in other libraries. Information about the supplies and equipment used is given as an addendum.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

Antibiotic prophylaxis for surgery for proximal femoral and other closed long bone fractures.

BACKGROUND: Antibiotic prophylaxis has been established policy for major surgical operations for many years. In fracture fixation, the effectiveness, and the duration of administration, have been a matter of debate. OBJECTIVES: To assess the effects of the prophylactic administration of antibiotics in patients undergoing surgical management of hip or other long bone fractures. SEARCH STRATEGY: We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Current Contents, Dissertation Abstracts, and Index to UK Theses, and bibliographies of identified articles. Trials were also obtained from the Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group trials register. Date of the most recent search: end of 1997. SELECTION CRITERIA PARTICIPANTS: Any patients with a hip or other closed long bone fracture undergoing surgery for internal fixation or replacement arthroplasty. INTERVENTIONS: Any regimen of systemic antibiotic prophylaxis administered at the time of surgery. OUTCOME MEASURES: Wound infection (deep and superficial), urinary tract infection, respiratory tract infection, adverse effects of prophylaxis, economic evaluations. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Both reviewers independently selected trials for inclusion, and assessed methodological quality and extracted data. Where possible, data were pooled and Peto odds ratios and absolute risk reductions, each with 95% confidence intervals, calculated. MAIN RESULTS: Twenty one randomised trials of only poor or moderate quality were included. The comparisons tested fell within six comparison groups, principally multiple dose or a single dose of antibiotic versus a placebo or no treatment. Antibiotic prophylaxis reduces wound, urinary and respiratory tract infections in patients undergoing surgery for closed fracture fixation. Economic modelling has indicated that this is a cost-effective intervention. There are limited data for the incidence of adverse effects, but as expected they appear to be more common in those receiving antibiotics. REVIEWER'S CONCLUSIONS: Antibiotic prophylaxis should be offered to those undergoing surgery for closed fracture fixation. On ethical grounds, further placebo controlled randomised trials of the effectiveness of antibiotic prophylaxis in closed fracture surgery are unlikely to be justified. Trials addressing the cost-effectiveness of different effective antibiotic regimens would need to be very large and may not be feasible.

Antibiotic Prophylaxis↗

The comparative performance of for-profit and nonprofit home health care services in the US.

OBJECTIVE: To determine, by way of an exhaustive, systematic, and comprehensive review and summary of all scientific published studies, whether or not there are any performance differences between private for-profit and private nonprofit home health care providers. The second objective is to discover the proportion of all research on this topic that is devoted to home health care services compared to all other health services providers. DATA SOURCES: Computerized bibliographic searches of relevant databases and published indexes and abstracts were undertaken. They included Medline (Ovid and Pubmed versions), Web of Science (Social Sciences Citation Index and Science Citation Index), ABI/Inform, and Sociological Abstracts. Follow-up searches of reference lists in each article obtained from the computerized search were then completed. STUDY DESIGN: This systematic review retained for analysis all published studies that compared the performance of for-profit and nonprofit health care providers on access, quality, cost/efficiency, and/or amount of charity care, based on data collected after 1980. As a quality control measure only studies published in peer reviewed journals were included. Studies were coded according to the article's stated conclusions: for-profit superiority, nonprofit superiority, or no difference/mixed results. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: The comparative performance of for-profit and nonprofit home health service organizations is one of the most understudied areas of health care provider services in the US today. Only 6 of the over 1030 comparisons of the two concerned home health care. No data on this topic have been collected since 1991, and no articles about it have been published in a peer-reviewed journal since 1995. CONCLUSION: Research on the relative performance of for-profit and nonprofit home health care services is a research priority urgently in need of attention.

Efficiency, Organizational↗

Library use and information-seeking behavior of veterinary medical students revisited in the electronic environment.

Veterinary medical students at Iowa State University were surveyed in January of 1997 to determine their general use of the Veterinary Medical Library and how they sought information in an electronic environment. Comparisons were made between this study and one conducted a decade ago to determine the effect of the growth in electronic resources on student library use and information-seeking behavior. The basic patterns of student activities in the library, resources used to find current information, and resources anticipated for future education needs remained unchanged. The 1997 students used the library most frequently for photocopying, office supplies, and studying coursework; they preferred textbooks and handouts as sources of current information. However, when these students went beyond textbooks and handouts to seek current information, a major shift was seen from the use of print indexes and abstracts in 1987 towards the use of computerized indexes and other electronic resources in 1997. Almost 60% of the students reported using the Internet for locating current information. Overall use of electronic materials was highest among a group of students receiving the problem-based learning method of instruction. Most of the students surveyed in 1997 indicated that electronic resources would have some degree of importance to them for future education needs. The electronic environment has provided new opportunities for information professionals to help prepare future veterinarians, some of whom will be practicing in remote geographical locations, to access the wealth of information and services available on the Internet and Web.

Computer Literacy↗

Searching for articles in the medical literature.

Finding articles in the medical literature involves consulting indexes and abstracts either in print or on computer. Searching the literature involves: defining the information need, selecting the proper database or index, breaking the need into its component parts, identifying synonyms for each concept using a thesaurus and other search aids, prioritizing concepts, constructing logical relationships between concepts, and selecting the source. Searching in the correct database or index is also important. Knowledge of basic information search techniques and principles will benefit the searcher and increase the likelihood that the search results will be useful.

Abstracting and Indexing↗

Planning for effective use of on-line systems.

A perspective of developments in the field of computerized information retrieval is presented, and policies are suggested for the efficient use of on-line systems. Examples of MEDLINE, CHEMCON, AND TOXLINE searches are given with cost data and compared, where possible, with manual searches. The lowest costs were obtained with on-line searching by information scientists. MEDLINE is superior in quality to manual searching of Index Medicus, but on-line searching of Chemical Abstracts keywords is not an effective substitute for manual searching of Chemical Abstracts Substance Indexes.

Chemical Phenomena↗