Objective 2. Steps in a MeSH Search: Adding the Drug Heading

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MeSH Search Step 4  –Looking up the actual MeSH

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Access the MeSH Database

• Return to the PubMed homepage by clicking on the “PubMed.gov” logo in the upper left-hand corner of your PubMed results page.
• Find the “Globe/Explore” list on the right-hand side of the page.

• Click on the “MeSH Database” link.

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Search MeSH Database for drug concept

• enter — eculizumab — in the MeSH search box and
• click the “search” button

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Select the MeSH Database search result

A search of the MeSH database for a drug name will retrieve either a “Supplementary concept” heading (“Supplementary Concepts” are terms that are in the ‘waiting room’ for assignment of official MeSH status.), a MeSH heading for the drug of interest, or no relevant result.

• If you see a list of headings and/or supplementary concepts rather than a single heading/supplementary concept, click on the most appropriate term in the list.
• If your search identifies a relevant Supplementary Concept for your drug:
  • Select the Supplementary Concept if it’s just one of several search results on the page.  If you are seeing the detailed view for a single search result, no selection step is necessary.
  • Click the “Add to search builder” button.

• • Supplementary Concepts aren’t in trees and don’t have subheadings, but, otherwise, work just like MeSH headings.

• If your search identifies a relevant MeSH heading for your drug:
  • Scroll down to see the MeSH tree
    • Do you want to use a narrower or broader heading rather than the heading you initially identified.
    • Should you stop the default explosion of the heading identified (PubMed’s default eplosion results in inclusion of the narrower irrelevant headings?)
  • Scroll up to the area beneath the subheadings.  Do you want to check either of the boxes available there:
    • Restrict to MeSH Major Topic
    • Do not include MeSH terms found below this term in the MeSH hierarchy. 

(Choose this option if you want to stop the default ‘explosion’ that causes inclusion of the narrower headings)

• • Select any desired subheadings.
  • Click the “Add to search builder” button.

• If your search identified neither a  relevant MeSH heading nor a relevant Supplementary Concept, you will need to use a keyword search for the drug concept.

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Note the introduction date for the drug’s MeSH or Supplementary Concept

In your Word document, make a note of the “Date Introduced” associated with your drug’s heading or supplementary concept.

The eculizumab[supplementary concept] entries introduction date is underlined in the screenshot below: