(Fwd) MEDLINE Suchbeispiele

Oliver Obst (obsto@uni-muenster.de)
Thu, 31 Oct 1996 10:40:12 +0100


Message-Id: <199610310938.KAA81072@mail.uni-muenster.de>
From: "Oliver Obst" <obsto@uni-muenster.de>
To: medibib-l@MEDSUN08.uni-muenster.de
Date: Thu, 31 Oct 1996 10:40:12 +0100
Subject: (Fwd) MEDLINE Suchbeispiele

Liebe Medibibler,

folgende Beispiele wollte ich ihnen nicht vorenthalten. Das erste,
weil Metaanalysen immer wichtiger werden. Das zweite (Happiness) fuer
die taegliche Spass-Ration.

Gruesse und ein schoenes verlaengertes Wochenende,

O.Obst
------- Forwarded Message Follows -------
From: rnyl200@s1.cxwms.ac.uk (Mr R Wentz)
Subject: MEDLINE
To: lis-medical@mailbase.ac.uk
Date: Wed, 30 Oct 1996 15:32:21 +0000 (GMT)
Reply-to: lis-medical@mailbase.ac.uk

Striking Examples, please
=========================

When giving MEDLINE demonstrations / tutorials to clinicians, one
frequently encounters the (understandable / justified) reservation

A. Using MEDLINE is too complicated and takes too much time, and

B. The results are rarely directly relevant to clinical practice -
after all, one just gets bibliographic references

To get people round I have a few standby examples which demonstrate
how easy and relevant a MEDLINE search can be. One, mentioned on
the Evidence-Based Medicine discussion list earlier this year is:

(Ovid) 1. Menorrhagia/
2. Meta analysis.pt
3. 1 and 2

(SilverPlatter) #1 Menorrhagia
#2 Meta analysis
#3 #1 and #2

- the resulting single 1995 reference with the conclusion at the bottom
of its abstract still causes GPs to react:

Wow! I have to change my prescribing habit tomorrow!

(I have also easy examples to demonstrate various other aspects of
MEDLINE, such as its alleged (!) American bias:

The MeSH term 'Happiness' is defined as

'Highly pleasant emotion characterized by -outward- manifestations
of gratification, joy',

whereas I suggest that in Europe (incl. UK) we can be happy
inwardly...)

Are there other examples of -striking AND easy- searches on
clinical subjects?

Reinhard Wentz
CXWMS
Chelsea & Westminster Hospital

Tel 0181 746 8109 e-mail r.wentz@cxwms.ac.uk