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4 - Choosing the right databases and search techniques
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- By Alison Bethel, Working as an Information Specialist with the Evidence Synthesis Team at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK since 2011., Morwenna Rogers, Information Specialist with the Evidence Synthesis Team at the University of Exeter Medical School in the UK.
- Edited by Paul Levay, Jenny Craven
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- Book:
- Systematic Searching
- Published by:
- Facet
- Published online:
- 08 June 2019
- Print publication:
- 30 November 2018, pp 73-94
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Summary
Introduction
In this chapter we will explore how to choose resources and techniques to provide the best results. Systematic searching is most often associated with systematic reviews in health care. However, systematic searching is also a key element of scoping reviews, systematic maps and realist reviews. The issues we describe here will certainly be useful when undertaking literature searching in any subject field including health, education and environment. By the end, you will have confidence in how to plan for your search, how to select the best sources to search and the best way to utilise those resources to maximise returns without increasing time pressures or workload.
The often cited rule for systematic review searching is that searches should be comprehensive and find all the available evidence relating to the research question. Chapters 2 and 3 have shown that a search may actually aim for representativeness rather than completeness. Focusing on the sensitivity of electronic database searches assumes that the best evidence is available on bibliographic databases. An important first step to take, therefore, is to ask which other techniques we might need to find the evidence, as well as deciding which databases we will search.
Advice on the most effective sources and best search techniques is readily available from librarians and other information specialists and it is particularly useful from those who have expertise in the relevant topic area. There are a number of studies comparing the content and functionality of different databases, comparing which method of searching finds the most relevant studies, or those examining different searches across databases. Despite this, the choice of resources to use in a search requires a combination of knowledge, intuition, availability and occasionally luck.
A rapidly changing world
Traditionally, systematic searching on health topics has focused on finding the best evidence, usually in the form of randomised controlled trials (RCTs), either published in journals or unpublished in registries of clinical trials. This model makes resource selection relatively straightforward. It is becoming increasingly common to see reviews take new approaches (see Chapter 2), include a variety of study types (for example, qualitative evidence) or synthesise reports and other documents often found in the grey literature (see Chapter 5).
A systematic review of effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of school-based identification of children and young people at risk of, or currently experiencing mental health difficulties
- Joanna K. Anderson, Tamsin Ford, Emma Soneson, Jo Thompson Coon, Ayla Humphrey, Morwenna Rogers, Darren Moore, Peter B. Jones, Emmet Clarke, Emma Howarth
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- Journal:
- Psychological Medicine / Volume 49 / Issue 1 / January 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 13 September 2018, pp. 9-19
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- Article
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Background
Although school-based programmes for the identification of children and young people (CYP) with mental health difficulties (MHD) have the potential to improve short- and long-term outcomes across a range of mental disorders, the evidence-base on the effectiveness of these programmes is underdeveloped. In this systematic review, we sought to identify and synthesise evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of school-based methods to identify students experiencing MHD, as measured by accurate identification, referral rates, and service uptake.
MethodElectronic bibliographic databases: MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, ERIC, British Education Index and ASSIA were searched. Comparative studies were included if they assessed the effectiveness or cost-effectiveness of strategies to identify students in formal education aged 3–18 years with MHD, presenting symptoms of mental ill health, or exposed to psychosocial risks that increase the likelihood of developing a MHD.
ResultsWe identified 27 studies describing 44 unique identification programmes. Only one study was a randomised controlled trial. Most studies evaluated the utility of universal screening programmes; where comparison of identification rates was made, the comparator test varied across studies. The heterogeneity of studies, the absence of randomised studies and poor outcome reporting make for a weak evidence-base that only generate tentative conclusions about the effectiveness of school-based identification programmes.
ConclusionsWell-designed pragmatic trials that include the evaluation of cost-effectiveness and detailed process evaluations are necessary to establish the accuracy of different identification models, as well as their effectiveness in connecting students to appropriate support in real-world settings.