MEDLINE Search Filters

About Search Filters

Apply a pre-made MEDLINE search strategy or "search filter" to your search to save you time. Filters are optimised search strategies designed by search experts. They aid effective searching by providing a more precise and relevant set of results.

There are two search filter types:

  1. Study design/methodology filters
  2. Topic filters

A search filter is used in combination with search terms that describe your topic of interest. Identify the main concepts and their keywords in your topic or research question before you apply a search filter.

Follow the steps in this guide to learn how to combine your chosen MEDLINE search filter with your identified search terms.

Source

Adapted from: Guidelines - Standard - CINAHL. In: CADTH Search Filters Database. Ottawa: CADTH; 2022: https://searchfilters.cadth.ca/link/76

Apply

Apply search filter in MEDLINE
  1. Highlight and copy the Search Filter on this page
  2. Open EPOCH database MEDLINE
  3. On Advanced Search page paste the Search Filter in first search box and click Search
Apply your research concept in database
  1. Enter search term or phrase to describe your main concept in first search box
  2. [Optional] Select a relevant field from Select a Field drop-down menu
  3. Click Search
  4. If combining more than one concept repeat steps 1-3
Combine filter and your research concept(s)
  1. Click Search History
  2. On Search History page tick relevant searches and click Search with AND

Search Filter

PT (practice guidelines or standards or protocol or critical path or care plan) or TI (guideline* or standards or consensus* or recommendat*) or AU (guideline* or standards or consensus* or recommendat*) or CA (guideline* or standards or consensus* or recommendat*) or TI ("practice parameter*" or "position statement*" or "policy statement*" or CPG or CPGs or "best practice*") or TI (care N2 path or care N2 paths or care N2 pathway or care N2 pathways or care N2 map or care N2 maps or care N2 plan or care N2 plans or care N2 standard*) or TI (critical N2 path or critical N2 paths or critical N2 pathway or critical N2 pathways or critical N2 protocol* or clinical N2 path or clinical N2 paths or clinical N2 pathway or clinical N2 pathways or clinical N2 protocol* or practice N2 path or practice N2 paths or practice N2 pathway or practice N2 pathways or practice N2 protocol*) or TI (algorithm* AND (pharmacotherap* or chemotherap* or chemotreatment* or therap* or treatment* or intervention*)) or (PT algorithm AND TI (pharmacotherap* or chemotherap* or chemotreatment* or therap* or treatment* or intervention*)) or TI (algorithm* AND (screening or examination or test or tested or testing or assessment* or diagnosis or diagnoses or diagnosed or diagnosing)) or (PT algorithm AND TI (screening or examination or test or tested or testing or assessment* or diagnosis or diagnoses or diagnosed or diagnosing))

Source

Adapted from: SR / MA / HTA / ITC - CINAHL. In: CADTH Search Filters Database. Ottawa: CADTH; 2022: https://searchfilters.cadth.ca/link/98

Apply

Apply search filter in MEDLINE
  1. Highlight and copy the Search Filter on this page
  2. Open EPOCH database MEDLINE
  3. On Advanced Search page paste the Search Filter in first search box and click Search
Apply your research concept in database
  1. Enter search term or phrase to describe your main concept in first search box
  2. [Optional] Select a relevant field from Select a Field drop-down menu
  3. Click Search
  4. If combining more than one concept repeat steps 1-3
Combine filter and your research concept(s)
  1. Click Search History
  2. On Search History page tick relevant searches and click Search with AND

Search Filter

(MH "meta-analysis as topic" OR MH “network meta-analysis” OR MH "systematic reviews as topic" OR PT "systematic review" OR PT "meta-analysis" OR (((TI systematic* OR AB systematic*) N3 ((TI review* OR AB review*) OR (TI overview* OR AB overview*))) OR ((TI methodologic* OR AB methodologic*) N3 ((TI review* OR AB review*) OR (TI overview* OR AB overview*)))) OR (((TI quantitative OR AB quantitative) N3 ((TI review* OR AB review*) OR (TI overview* OR AB overview*) OR (TI synthes* OR AB synthes*))) OR ((TI research OR AB research) N3 ((TI integrati* OR AB integrati*) OR (TI overview* OR AB overview*)))) OR (((TI integrative OR AB integrative) N3 ((TI review* OR AB review*) OR (TI overview* OR AB overview*))) OR ((TI collaborative OR AB collaborative) N3 ((TI review* OR AB review*) OR (TI overview* OR AB overview*))) OR ((TI pool* OR AB pool*) N3 (TI analy* OR AB analy*))) OR ((TI "data synthes*" OR AB "data synthes*") OR (TI "data extraction*" OR AB "data extraction*") OR (TI "data abstraction*" OR AB "data abstraction*")) OR ((TI handsearch* OR AB handsearch*) OR (TI "hand search*" OR AB "hand search*")) OR ((TI "mantel haenszel" OR AB "mantel haenszel") OR (TI peto OR AB peto) OR (TI "der simonian" OR AB "der simonian") OR (TI dersimonian OR AB dersimonian) OR (TI "fixed effect*" OR AB "fixed effect*") OR (TI "latin square*" OR AB "latin square*")) OR ((TI "met analy*" OR AB "met analy*") OR (TI metanaly* OR AB metanaly*)) OR ((TI "meta regression*" OR AB "meta regression*") OR (TI metaregression* OR AB metaregression*)) OR (MW meta-analy* OR MW metaanaly* OR MW "systematic review*") OR ((TI medline OR AB medline OR MW medline) OR (TI cochrane OR AB cochrane OR MW cochrane) OR (TI pubmed OR AB pubmed OR MW pubmed) OR (TI medlars OR AB medlars OR MW medlars) OR (TI embase OR AB embase OR MW embase) OR (TI cinahl OR AB cinahl OR MW cinahl)) OR (SO Cochrane OR SO evidence report) OR ((TI comparative OR AB comparative) N3 ((TI efficacy OR AB efficacy) OR (TI effectiveness OR AB effectiveness))) OR ((TI "outcomes research" OR AB "outcomes research") OR (TI "relative effectiveness" OR AB "relative effectiveness")) OR (((TI indirect OR AB indirect) OR (TI "indirect treatment" OR AB "indirect treatment") OR (TI mixed-treatment OR AB mixed-treatment) OR (TI bayesian OR AB bayesian)) N3 (TI comparison* OR AB comparison*)) OR ((TI multi* OR AB multi*) N3 (TI treatment OR AB treatment) N3 (TI comparison* OR AB comparison*)) OR ((TI mixed OR AB mixed) N3 (TI treatment OR AB treatment) N3 ((TI meta-analy* OR AB meta-analy*) OR (TI metaanaly* OR AB metaanaly*))) OR (TI "umbrella review*" OR AB "umbrella review*") OR ((TI multi* OR AB multi*) N2 (TI paramet* OR AB paramet*) N2 (TI evidence OR AB evidence) N2 (TI synthesis OR AB synthesis)) OR ((TI multiparamet* OR AB multiparamet*) N2 (TI evidence OR AB evidence) N2 (TI synthesis OR AB synthesis)) OR ((TI multi-paramet* OR AB multi-paramet*) N2 (TI evidence OR AB evidence) N2 (TI synthesis OR AB synthesis))