Selecting the Best Search
Terms
When you search a database like PubMed,
you need to choose the best (most appropriate) search terms. This choice is best
made from the in-built thesaurus called the MeSH (Medical Subject Headings). These
terms are used by indexers in the National Library of Medicine, to "describe"
the references that are included in the MEDLINE database.
Why is it important
to use the best terms? Consider this - you want to do a search on diabetes and
pregnancy. Most people would (logically) try a combination of "diabetes mellitus
AND pregnancy".
Search
"Diabetes
mellitus" AND "pregnancy"
In
a strategy like this you get articles where the disease diabetes, and the condition
- pregnancy occur together. The two may not be directly related. Look at the title
of one such reference:
Title: Oral
contraceptives, pregnancy and the risk of cerebral thromboembolism: the influence
of diabetes, hypertension, migraine and previous thrombotic disease.
The
focus of the article is on oral contraceptives. The resulting risk factors of
pregnancy are considered, along with other conditions.
Other options
1. Diabetes, gestational
2. Pregnancy in diabetes
Yes. These are
terms that are used from the MeSH, to index articles that deal with very specific
conditions. Let us explain all options that we just listed.
Option
1
Diabetes,
gestational
The scope of this term is - Either symptomatic diabetes
or impaired glucose tolerance induced by pregnancy but resolved at the end of
pregnancy. It does not include previously diagnosed diabetics who become pregnant.
A
title retrieved by searching this term is:
Title: Congenital
malformations in offspring of women with hyperglycemia first detected during pregnancy.
Option 2
Pregnancy
in diabetes
This term includes diabetics who become pregnant.
An
example of a reference retrieved is:
Title: Should
the same glucose values be targeted for type 1 as for type 2 diabetics in pregnancy?
So, do choose the most appropriate term, depending on what kind of
information you need to retrieve.
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