WMS: Systematic Review

Exercises and examples

Exercise 1: Components of review questions

  1. Use the PICO framework to identify the key components of each review topic

Review Topics / P / I / C / O
Effectiveness of homeopathy
Stage-based interventions for smoking cessation
Psychosocial interventions for prevention and treatment of childhood obesity
Atypical antipsychotics for treatment of mania in bipolar disorder
Your review / dissertation topic

P (Population/ participants / patients), I (Intervention, or exposure), C (Comparison group), O (Outcomes)

  1. Write your review / dissertation topic in the space below:

______

  1. In the space provided in the table above, use the PICO framework to identify the key components of your review question.
  1. How well does your question fit the PICO framework – how many components?

WMS: Systematic Review

Example 1: Recording Your Search History

The following form is an example of one way to record searches as they are carried out. It helps the searcher to keep track of what has been searched, and will also be useful when searches need to be updated.

Review:______

Searcher:______

Date: ______

Database / Dates covered / Date of search / Hits / Full record/ Titles only / Notes / Results in: Filename
MEDLINE / 1966-2003/12 / 20/01/04 / 237 / Full Records / search strategy name: medline1.txt / medres1.txt
EMBASE
PsychInfo
CINAHL

WMS: Systematic Review

Example 2: Turning a review question into a search strategy

Review: Interventions to reduce swimming pool accidents among children

Keywords and Synonyms (note this is an example for illustration and not exhaustive)

Column terms combined with / Patient / condition / AND / AND / AND / AND
Intervention / Swimming pool accidents / Study designs / ?
OR / Child* / Fence / Swimming pool* / Study
OR / baby / Fencing / Pool* / Studies
OR / Babies / Covers / Drowning / Trial*
OR / toddlers / Life guards
OR / Infant / Barriers
OR / infants / Life vests
OR / Under fives
OR

Translated into a search:

  1. child* or baby or babies or toddlers
  2. infant or infants or under adj fives
  3. 1 or 2
  4. fence or fences or fencing
  5. cover or covers or covering*
  6. life adj guard* or lifeguard* or lifebelt* or life adj belt*
  7. barrier* or lifevest* or life adj vest*
  8. 4 or 5 or 6 or 7
  9. pool or pools or drowning or poolside
  10. 3 AND 8 AND 9
  11. study or studies or trial*
  12. reduc* or decreas* or improve*
  13. 11 or 12
  14. 10 and 13

Exercise 2: Developing a search strategy

  1. Generate a brief list of keywords and synonyms from the review question.

Component / Keywords and Synonyms
Population
Intervention
Comparison
Outcome
Any limits?
  1. Enter keywords and synonyms into appropriate column.

Column terms combined with / Population / AND Intervention / AND / AND / AND
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
OR
  1. Convert into a search strategy

1______8______

2______9______

3______10______

4______11______

5______12______

6______13______

7______14______