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MAKING PROCESSES RELIABLE: A VALIDATED PUBMED SEARCH STRATEGY FOR IDENTIFYING NEW OR EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 September 2012

Leonora Varela-Lema ,
Jeanette Punal-Riobóo ,
Beatriz Casal Acción ,
Alberto Ruano-Ravina  and
Marisa López García
Leonora Varela-Lema
Affiliation:
Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (avalia-t), Galician Department of Health, Santiago de Compostela email: [email protected]
Jeanette Punal-Riobóo
Affiliation:
Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (avalia-t), Galician Department of Health, Santiago de Compostela
Beatriz Casal Acción
Affiliation:
Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (avalia-t), Galician Department of Health, Santiago de Compostela
Alberto Ruano-Ravina
Affiliation:
Department of Preventive Medicine and Public Health, University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de Compostela; CIBER de Epidemiología y Salud Pública, CIBERESP
Marisa López García
Affiliation:
Galician Agency for Health Technology Assessment (avalia-t), Galician Department of Health, Santiago de Compostela
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Abstract

Background and Objectives: Horizon scanning systems need to handle a wide range of sources to identify new or emerging health technologies. The objective of this study is to develop a validated Medline bibliographic search strategy (PubMed search engine) to systematically identify new or emerging health technologies.

Methods: The proposed Medline search strategy combines free text terms commonly used in article titles to denote innovation within index terms that make reference to the specific fields of interest. Efficacy was assessed by running the search over a period of 1 year (2009) and analyzing its retrieval performance (number and characteristics). For comparison purposes, all article abstracts published during 2009 in six preselected key research journals and eight high impact surgery journals were scanned. Sensitivity was defined as the proportion of relevant new or emerging technologies published in key journals that would be identified in the search strategy within the first 2 years of publication.

Results: The search yielded 6,228 abstracts of potentially new or emerging technologies. Of these, 459 were classified as new or emerging (383 truly new or emerging and 76 new indications). The scanning of 12,061 journal abstracts identified 35 relevant new or emerging technologies. Of these, twenty-nine were located within the Medline search strategy during the first 2 years of publication (sensitivity = 83 percent).

Conclusions: The current search strategy, validated against key journals, has demonstrated to be effective for horizon scanning. Even though it can require adaptations depending on the scope of the horizon scanning system, it could serve to simplify and standardize scanning processes.

Keywords

Horizon scanningEarly warning systemsHealth Technology AssessmentBibliographic databasesSearch engine
Type
METHODS
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 28 , Issue 4 , October 2012 , pp. 452 - 459
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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