Exercise 1

Searching trials registers requires us to be flexible and adapt our approaches.

1. Go to the AustralianNew Zealand Clinical Trials Registry and explore how you would best search this resource.

   1. Try to identify what is the default operator when two terms are used in the search

   2. How can you do a phrase search?

   3. Can you nest search terms using parentheses?

   4. Can you use truncation?

   5. Can you search in individual fields?

   6. Can you save searches?

   7. Can you export tagged output that could be loaded into bibliographic software such as EndNote?

2. Go to the UK trial register Be Part of Research

   1. Try to identify what is the default operator when two terms are used in the search

   2. How can you do a phrase search?

   3. Can you nest search terms using parentheses?

   4. Can you use truncation?

   5. Can you search in individual fields?

   6. Can you save searches?

   7. Can you export tagged output that could be loaded into bibliographic software such as EndNote?

3. Go to the Pfizer trial results website

   1. Search for Lyrica - how many results do you find?

   2. What types of documents does it provide?

   3. Compare the information in documents to consider whether each document has unique value.

Exercise 2

This exercise is designed to give you some hands-on experience of searching ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO Portal (ICTRP).

Here are some example Ovid MEDLINE searches.

• Consider which concepts you will use to search for trials within ClinicalTrials.gov, ICTRP and the Cochrane Library

• Test out the search terms that you might use in each resource

Search 1: Pregabalin for chronic nerve pain associated with lower back problems or back pain

1 Pregabalin/

2 (pregabalin or lyrica).ti,ab.

3 1 or 2

4 Neuralgia/

5 (neuralgia or nerve pain$ or neuropathic pain$).ti,ab.

6 4 or 5

7 back pain/ or low back pain/

8 (back pain$ or back problem$).ti,ab.

9 7 or 8

10 3 and 6 and 9

Search 2: Physiotherapy for lymphoedema in breast cancer

1 Physical Therapy Modalities/

2 Massage/

3 (physical therap$ or physiotherap$ or massag$).ti,ab.

4 1 or 2 or 3

5 Lymphedema/

6 (lymphedem$ or lymphoedem$ or lymphatic edema$).ti,ab.

7 5 or 6

8 Breast Neoplasms/

9 (breast cancer$ or breast carcinoma$ or breast neoplas$).ti,ab.

10 8 or 9

11 4 and 7 and 10

Search 3: Pirfenidone for the treatment of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

1 Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis/

2 Idiopathic Interstitial Pneumonias/

3 Lung Diseases, Interstitial/

4 (idiopathic pulmonary adj (fibros$ or pneumon$)).ti,ab.

5 ipf.ti,ab.

6 (idiopathic lung adj (fibros$ or pneumon$)).ti,ab.

7 (idiopathic interstitial adj (fibros$ or pneumon$)).ti,ab.

8 idiopathic fibros$.ti,ab.

9 fibrosing alveolit$.ti,ab.

10 interstitial lung disease$.ti,ab.

11 ((chronic or usual or fibrosing) adj interstitial pneumon$).ti,ab.

12 UIP.ti,ab.

13 ((interstitial fibros$ or alveolar fibros$) adj5 (lung or lungs or pulmonary)).ti,ab.

14 (diffuse adj5 (lung or lungs or pulmonary) adj5 fibros$).ti,ab.

15 ((parenchymal or fibrotic or restrictive) adj lung disease$).ti,ab.

16 or/1-15

17 pirfenidone.ti,ab.

18 (esbriet or pirespa or pirfenex or amr69 or deskar).ti,ab

19 17 or 18

20 16 and 19