Indexing of diagnosis accuracy studies in MEDLINE and EMBASE.

TitleIndexing of diagnosis accuracy studies in MEDLINE and EMBASE.
Publication TypeJournal Article
Year of Publication2007
AuthorsWilczynski NL, Haynes BR
JournalAMIA ... Annual Symposium proceedings / AMIA Symposium. AMIA Symposium
Pagination801-5
Date Published2007
ISSN1942-597X
KeywordsAbstracting and Indexing as Topic; Analysis of Variance; Databases, Bibliographic; Diagnosis; Diagnostic Techniques and Procedures; Editorial Policies; Evidence-Based Medicine; Guidelines as Topic; Humans; Information Storage and Retrieval; MEDLINE; Periodicals as Topic
Abstract

BACKGROUND: STAndards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy (STARD) were published in 2003 and endorsed by some journals but not others.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the quality of indexing of diagnostic accuracy studies in MEDLINE and EMBASE has improved since the STARD statement was published.

DESIGN: Evaluate the change in the mean number of "accurate index terms" assigned to diagnostic accuracy studies, comparing STARD (endorsing) and non-STARD (non-endorsing) journals, for 2 years before and after STARD publication.

RESULTS: In MEDLINE, no differences in indexing quality were found for STARD and non-STARD journals before or after the STARD statement was published in 2003. In EMBASE, indexing in STARD journals improved compared with non-STARD journals (p = 0.02). However, articles in STARD journals had half the number of accurate indexing terms as articles in non-STARD journals, both before and after STARD statement publication (p < 0.001).
Alternate JournalAMIA Annu Symp Proc