Objective 2. Steps in a MeSH: Adding Filters

You should now be looking at PubMed search results. The PubMed.gov logo should be present to the left of your search box.  If you use the “Embolism and Thrombosis”[mesh], you should be looking at a list of over 50 results.  If you used the “Thrombosis“[mesh], you should  be looking at a list of more than 40 results.

The next step in a MeSH search is applying limits.

You want to find randomized controlled trials.

• Start by applying the “randomized controlled trial” filter.

• If you can’t see the filter column on the left-hand side of the page, click on the “Filters” button located beneath the search box to reveal the “filters” list.

• If one of your desired filters isn’t available,
  • click the “Additional Filters” button that is present at the bottom of the “Filters” column.  A pop-up will appear.
  • From the menu on the left-hand of the pop-up, choose the type of filter you need to add (e.g.  “Article type” or “Language”).
  • Choose the filters you want to have available, and click the “Show” button.  If you are  going through the work of displaying the “Randomized Controlled Trial” filter, select the “Clinical Trial” filter also.  It will  be good to have the “Clinical Trial” filter available if few randomized controlled trials have been published.
  • The filter you need will now be available, but you will still have to find and choose it.

Did you retrieve enough results to provide a good literature base for a formulary decision?

When this tutorial was last updated in August of 2024, no randomized controlled trials were retrieved.

• In cases like this or if you have been asked to consider all kinds of clinical trials for your group project, select the “Clinical Trial” filter.  This filter will retrieve all types of clinical trials.

The MeSH search for the tutorial topic ( eculizumab for treatment of thrombosis-prominent PNH)  retrieves 2 or 3 clinical trial records (depending on the thrombosis heading used).

• You can easily scan 3 results and see that they are English-language articles about humans.  If the MeSH search for your group project retrieves more results, you may wish to add “human” and “English” filters.

Document your search strategy

It’s a good idea to copy the search history when you have completed a search.  If you are then interrupted and have to leave the computer, you will have a record of the search strategy that you can copy and re-run easily.

• Click on the “Advanced” link under the search box.

• Find the row in your “History and Search Details” table that contains your “trial-filtered” MeSH search.
• To simplify re-running the search later:
  • Click the three-dot (ellipsis) icon in the “Actions” column.
  • Select the “Add query” option

• • Scroll up to the search box and copy the strategy from the search box.  This form of the search strategy already includes the filters in a search-box friendly format.

• • Paste the copied strategy under the “1.  MeSH” subheading in the template for the required search strategy figure (see template below with tutorial mesh search inserted in the appropriate spot).  You may want to note the number of search results.