Inclusion of a search filter on this site is not an endorsement of its validity or a recommendation for its use by the editors of this site, by the InterTASC Information Specialists SubGroup or by the (UK) National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). For suggestions on the appraisal of filters see the ISSG Search Filter Appraisal Checklist.
The ISSG SFR team have created an overview of the perfomance of search filters for prognosis.
Prognosis studies fall into four main types:
overall prognosis
prognostic factors
prediction models/prediction rules
treatment effect modifiers
The filters here may focus on one or more of these study types, so please read the filter definitions carefully.
Please note that other filter sites/filter collections may have relevant filters for this topic.
ISSG SFR overview of the perfomance of search filters for prognosis.
Boulos L, Ogilvie R, Hayden J A. Search methods for prognostic factor systematic reviews: a methodologic investigation. J Med Lib Assoc [Online]. 2021; 109(1): 23–32.
Kavanagh PL, Frater F, Navarro T, LaVita P, Parrish R, Iorio A, Optimizing a literature surveillance strategy to retrieve sound overall prognosis and risk assessment model papers, J Am Medl Inform Assoc 2021; ocaa232.
Corp N.,Jordan J.L., Hayden J.A., Irvin E., Parker R., S mith A., van der Windt, D.A. Protocol: A systematic review of studies developing and/or evaluating search strategies to identify prognosis studies. Systematic Reviews. 2017;6 (1): Article Number: 88.
Frazier JJ, Stein CD, Tseytlin E, and Bekhuis T. Building a gold standard to construct search filters: a case study with biomarkers for oral cancer. J Med Libr Assoc. 2015; 103(1): 22–30.
This tests the PubMed sensitive prognosis filter in the context of oral cancer biomarkers [PubMed]
Kok R, Verbeek JAHM, Faber B, van Dijk, Frank JH, Hoving, Jan L A search strategy to identify studies on the prognosis of work disability: a diagnostic test framework. BMJ Open. 2015;5:e006315. doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2014-006315
Geersing GJ, Bouwmeester W, Zuithoff P, Spijker R, Leeflang M, Moons K. Search filters for finding prognostic and diagnostic prediction studies in Medline to enhance systematic reviews. PLoS One. 2012;7(2):e32844
Chatterley T, Dennett L. Utilisation of search filters in systematic reviews of prognosis questions. Health Info Libr J. 2012;29(4):309-22
Database indexing changes over time and new vocabulary may be introduced. With older filters, please check the subject indexing to ensure that the subject indexing is still current and, if not, consider whether new vocabulary may need to be added to the filter. Please note that if filters are amended, the performance may change from that published in the original articles and the filter should be reported as amended from the original filter.
Walker-Dilks C, Wilczynski NL, Haynes RB. Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature search strategies for identifying methodologically sound causation and prognosis studies. Appl Nurs Res. 2008;21(2):98-103.
Holland JL, Wilczynski NL, Haynes RB. Optimal search strategies for identifying sound clinical prediction studies in EMBASE. BMC Med Inform Dec Mak. 2005;5:11.
also at http://hiru.mcmaster.ca/hiru/HIRU_Hedges_EMBASE_Strategies.aspx
Sperr, E V. Mind the gap: identifying what is missed when searching only the broad scope with clinical queries. J Med Libr Assoc 2019;107(3):333–340.
Wilczynski NL, Haynes RB. Optimal search strategies for detecting clinically sound prognostic studies in EMBASE: an analytic survey. J Am Med Inform Assoc 2005;12(4):481-5.
Stallings, E., Gaetano-Gil, A., Alvarez-Diaz, N. et al. Development and evaluation of a search filter to identify prognostic factor studies in Ovid MEDLINE. BMC Med Res Methodol 2022;22:107. [Ovid]
Kavanagh PL, Frater F, Navarro T, LaVita P, Parrish R, Iorio A, Optimizing a literature surveillance strategy to retrieve sound overall prognosis and risk assessment model papers, J Am Med Inform Assoc 2021; ocaa232, [PubMed]
Launch filter for PubMed (prognosis or CPGs)
Ebell MH, Fahey T, Murphy ME, Barry A, Barry H, Hickner J. An updated and more efficient search strategy to identify primary care relevant clinical prediction rules. J Clin Epidemiol. 2020; 125: 26-29 doi:10.1016/j.jclinepi.2020.05.013
Keogh C, Wallace E, O'Brien KK, Murphy PJ, Teljeur C, McGrath B, Smith SM, Doherty N, Dimitrov BD, Fahey T. Optimized retrieval of primary care clinical prediction rules from MEDLINE to establish a Web-based register. J Clin Epi. 2011;64(8):848-60. [PubMed, EBSCOHost]
Wilczynski NL, Haynes RB. Developing optimal search strategies for detecting clinically sound prognostic studies in MEDLINE: an analytic survey. BMC Med. 2004;2:23. [PubMed].
Also at http://hiru.mcmaster.ca/hiru/HIRU_Hedges_MEDLINE_Strategies.aspx
Sperr, E V. Mind the gap: identifying what is missed when searching only the broad scope with clinical queries. J Med Libr Assoc 2019;107(3):333–340.
The performance of the strategies have been reassessed in 2012/2013 in MEDLINE clinical queries are robust when searching in recent publishing years.
Wong SS, Wilczynski NL, Haynes RB, Ramkissoonsingh R, Hedges Team. Developing optimal search strategies for detecting sound clinical prediction studies in MEDLINE. AMIA Annual Symposium Proceedings 2003;728-32. [PubMed].
also at http://hiru.mcmaster.ca/hiru/HIRU_Hedges_MEDLINE_Strategies.aspx
Sperr, E V. Mind the gap: identifying what is missed when searching only the broad scope with clinical queries. J Med Libr Assoc 2019;107(3):333–340.
The performance of the strategies have been reassessed in 2012/2013 in MEDLINE clinical queries are robust when searching in recent publishing years.
Ingui BJ, Rogers MA. Searching for clinical prediction rules in MEDLINE. J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2001;8(4):391-7. [PubMed]
The following presentations were not published in journals and no filters are provided:
Parker R, Tougas M, Hayden JA. When the RCT filter is not enough: best practices for finding prognosis studies. J Can Health Libr Assoc.2014.
Also presented as: Parker R, Tougas M, Hayden JA. Validating prognosis search filters using relative recall based on prognosis systematic reviews. 21st Cochrane Colloquium, Quebec 19th - 23rd September 2013