Studies on measurement properties are sometimes difficult to find in Pubmed or other databases due to poor indexing, large variation in terminology, and poor reporting of measurement properties. Therefore we recently developed two search filters for finding studies on measurement properties in Pubmed:
- One highly sensitive search filter for finding studies on measurement properties. This filter has a sensitivity of 97.4% and a precision of 4.4%.
- One more precise search filter which needs less abstracts to be screened, but at a higher risk of missing relevant studies. This filter has a sensitivity of 93.1% and a precision of 9.4%.
The search filters were published in Quality of Life Research
Terwee et al. Terwee CB, Jansma EP, Riphagen II, de Vet HCW. Development of a methodological PubMed search filter for finding studies on measurement properties of measurement instruments. Qual Life Res 2009:18:115-1123. (open access)
The PROMs group from the University of Oxford has developed a set of search filters for finding studies on Patient-Reported Outcomes (for Pubmed and OVID). This filter works very well in combination with the filter for finding studies on measurement properties. For information on the PROM filters, contact Elizabeth Gibbons.
Search filters for many other kind of studies can be found at the website of the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination from the University of York and the website of the Health Information Research Unit from McMaster University.