Do published search filters to identify diagnostic test accuracy studies perform adequately?
Open Access
- 15 August 2007
- journal article
- Published by Wiley in Health Information and Libraries Journal
- Vol. 24 (3), 188-192
- https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-1842.2007.00735.x
Abstract
Objectives: To assess the performance of published search filters in finding diagnostic test accuracy studies. Methods: Diagnostic test accuracy search filters were identified by searching medline, our own files and by requesting unpublished filters from colleagues. We applied the filters to a case study review of diagnostic test accuracy studies for urinary tract infections (UTI) in young children. The included studies with records in medline formed the gold standard. The performance of the filters in finding those gold standard records was assessed. Results: We identified twenty-three diagnostic test accuracy search filters for use with medline. The case study systematic review of UTI included 179 studies of diagnostic test accuracy, of which 160 were available in medline. The filters showed a wide range of sensitivities (range: 20.6% to 86.9%) and precision (range: 1% to 9.4%). Conclusions: Our results broadly support those reported in two other studies. The search filters tested do not offer an adequate trade-off between sensitivity and precision to be used to identify studies for systematic reviews. However, there are methods available to explore whether search filters are viable based on an objective statistical analysis of the text and indexing used in records.Keywords
This publication has 12 references indexed in Scilit:
- Clinical effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of tests for the diagnosis and investigation of urinary tract infection in children: a systematic review and economic modelHealth Technology Assessment, 2006
- Systematic reviews of diagnostic tests in cancer: review of methods and reportingBMJ, 2006
- Use of methodological search filters to identify diagnostic accuracy studies can lead to the omission of relevant studiesJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2006
- Optimal search strategies for retrieving scientifically strong studies of diagnosis from Medline: analytical surveyBMJ, 2004
- Clinical Evidence diagnosis: developing a sensitive search strategy to retrieve diagnostic studies on deep vein thrombosis: a pragmatic approachHealth Information and Libraries Journal, 2003
- Identifying Diagnostic Studies in MEDLINE: Reducing the Number Needed to ReadJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 2002
- A statistical approach to designing search filters to find systematic reviews: objectivity enhances accuracyJournal of Information Science, 2001
- A statistical approach to designing search filters to find systematic reviews: objectivity enhances accuracyJournal of Information Science, 2001
- Publications on diagnostic test evaluation in family medicine journals: an optimal search strategyJournal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2000
- Developing Optimal Search Strategies for Detecting Clinically Sound Studies in MEDLINEJournal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 1994