Limitations of the MEDLINE Database in Constructing Meta-analyses
Authors: Edith Leclercq, Bianca Kramer, Winnie Schats
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2011)

Letters1 March 2011Limitations of the MEDLINE Database in Constructing Meta-analysesEdith Leclercq, PhD, Bianca Kramer, PhD, and Winnie SchatsEdith Leclercq, PhDFrom Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Utrecht University Library, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Slotervaart Hospital, 1066 EC Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Search for more papers by this author, Bianca Kramer, PhDFrom Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Utrecht University Library, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Slotervaart Hospital, 1066 EC Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Search for more papers by this author, and Winnie SchatsFrom Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Utrecht University Library, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Slotervaart Hospital, 1066 EC Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Search for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-154-5-201103010-00016 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail TO THE EDITOR:Focusing on the search limits “clinical trial” and “human,” Winchester and Bavry (1) discuss the limitations of the search limit function in MEDLINE with respect to constructing meta-analyses. We agree with the authors that a thorough literature search is of the utmost importance in constructing meta-analyses. This process requires a detailed description of the search strategy and a thorough understanding of the limitations of Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) and the search limit function of PubMed.The exact way in which the authors searched MEDLINE via the PubMed interface is unclear because they provided few details about their ...References1. Winchester DE, Bavry AA. Limitations of the MEDLINE database in constructing meta-analyses [Letter]. Ann Intern Med. 2010;153:347-8. [PMID: 20820050] LinkGoogle Scholar2. Leclercq E, Leeflang MM, van Dalen EC, Kremer LC. Validation of a PubMed search filter for identifying studies including children [Abstract]. Presented at the 2010 Joint Colloquium of the Cochrane & Campbell Collaborations, Keystone, Colorado, 18–22 October 2010. Google Scholar3. National Center for Biotechnology Research. PubMed Clinical Queries. Accessed at www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sites/pubmedutils/clinical on 7 January 2011. Google Scholar4. National Center for Biotechnology Research. PubMed Help: NCBI Help Manual. Bethesda, MD: National Center for Biotechnology Information; 2005. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAuthors: Edith Leclercq, PhD; Bianca Kramer, PhD; Winnie SchatsAffiliations: From Cochrane Childhood Cancer Group, 1105 AZ Amsterdam, the Netherlands; Utrecht University Library, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands; and Slotervaart Hospital, 1066 EC Amsterdam, the Netherlands.Disclosures: None disclosed. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoLimitations of the MEDLINE Database in Constructing Meta-analyses David E. Winchester and Anthony A. Bavry Limitations of the MEDLINE Database in Constructing Meta-analyses David E. Winchester and Anthony A. Bavry Metrics 1 March 2011Volume 154, Issue 5Page: 371-372KeywordsClinical trial reportingClinical trialsConflicts of interestDatabasesGlycoproteinsLibrariesPlatelets ePublished: 1 March 2011 Issue Published: 1 March 2011 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2011 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...