Once you have general background information from an authoritative source (legitimate source) as opposed to Google, fill in the P-I-C-O-(T) chart with possible keyword terms. This is preliminary to using Medical Subject Headings in an online search.
The P-I-C-O-(T) Libguide will show you how to start the process. Ask your medical librarian or instructor if you need help getting started.
You can fill in the PICO(T) worksheet below, print a copy or save it as a PDF file under a new name.The worksheet is used to help you formulate a search strategy.
After the background search, you are ready to map your terms to MESH. MESH stands for Medical Subject Heading. The best place to investigate your keywords for proper medical terminology is the CINAHL Thesaurus or the PubMed MESH on Demand. Using the keywords from your P-I-C-O worksheet, find the proper MeSH term in the thesaurus OR MESH BROWSER to see if there is a preferred term or narrower term you might use. For instance, in addition to the word baby, you might use the term infant. MeSH on DEMAND shows us additional terms we may not have considered.
In the nursing, medical or allied health professions, terminology must be exact. It is essential that you use the correct term when searching a database..
For example, if you type in the search term Latino, you will be directed to use the term HISPANIC
The preferred term for Latino is Hispanic. You will get more relevant results if you use the proper term in your searching.
The computer will search the database and return results based on the criteria you selected.
It is almost impossible to do a perfect search; If more than half of your articles are relevant, you have searched correctly. It is not unusual to retrieve too many articles, too few, or not exactly what you need. When that happens, you will need to refine your search strategy. Search engines use algorithms. You must apply professional knowledge of the subject and relevancy.
Refine your search: Add filters (limiters)
Refine your results by using the advanced filters menu below the date slider bar. This is the only place you will see the Peer Reviewed box.
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