Article type
Year
Abstract
Background:
Handsearching for controlled clinical trials is a core function in the linguistic area of all Cochane Centres. However this activity requires extensive searching in different databases, such as national repositories of theses and local journals that are not indexed in international electronic databases, as well as knowledge about study designs.
Objectives:
To share the Brazilian Cochrane Centre's (BCC) team experience in the implementation of handsearching.
Description:
Our Trials Search Co-ordinator (TSC) developed a handsearch plan to identify controlled clinical trials available at SciELO (an online repository of free full texts from Brazilian journals) that are not indexed in the MEDLINE (via PubMed) or LILACS databases. Though SciELO journals are usually indexed by both MEDLINE and LILACS, for several reasons some issues were not, and these were the focus for our handsearch. Four volunteer research assistants of the BCC were trained to review these selected journal issues and identify all randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials or diagnostic test accuracy studies according to the 2002 US Cochrane Center Training Manual for Handsearchers. Figure 1 presents the steps followed by the volunteers. Selected trial references were imported into the reference manager software EndNote (version X6.0.1) and then exported to the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS) software that is currently used to upload study references into CENTRAL.
Barriers and facilitators:
We overcame several obstacles and identified some facilitators in the process of implementing the handsearch activity at the BCC (see Table 1).
Results:
Since July 2013 when the handsearch activity was implemented, the volunteers from the BCC have read 219 journal issues in several healthcare areas, such as pharmacy, coloproctology, physiotherapy, orthopedics and public health. Up to March 2014, a total of 79 relevant trials were identified and uploaded to CENTRAL.
Conclusions:
Handsearching is a challenging and time-consuming activity. Training, organisation and support from more experienced individuals are important facilitators in this process.
Handsearching for controlled clinical trials is a core function in the linguistic area of all Cochane Centres. However this activity requires extensive searching in different databases, such as national repositories of theses and local journals that are not indexed in international electronic databases, as well as knowledge about study designs.
Objectives:
To share the Brazilian Cochrane Centre's (BCC) team experience in the implementation of handsearching.
Description:
Our Trials Search Co-ordinator (TSC) developed a handsearch plan to identify controlled clinical trials available at SciELO (an online repository of free full texts from Brazilian journals) that are not indexed in the MEDLINE (via PubMed) or LILACS databases. Though SciELO journals are usually indexed by both MEDLINE and LILACS, for several reasons some issues were not, and these were the focus for our handsearch. Four volunteer research assistants of the BCC were trained to review these selected journal issues and identify all randomised or quasi-randomised controlled trials or diagnostic test accuracy studies according to the 2002 US Cochrane Center Training Manual for Handsearchers. Figure 1 presents the steps followed by the volunteers. Selected trial references were imported into the reference manager software EndNote (version X6.0.1) and then exported to the Cochrane Register of Studies (CRS) software that is currently used to upload study references into CENTRAL.
Barriers and facilitators:
We overcame several obstacles and identified some facilitators in the process of implementing the handsearch activity at the BCC (see Table 1).
Results:
Since July 2013 when the handsearch activity was implemented, the volunteers from the BCC have read 219 journal issues in several healthcare areas, such as pharmacy, coloproctology, physiotherapy, orthopedics and public health. Up to March 2014, a total of 79 relevant trials were identified and uploaded to CENTRAL.
Conclusions:
Handsearching is a challenging and time-consuming activity. Training, organisation and support from more experienced individuals are important facilitators in this process.