PubMed @ UMSL

 A   Term and scope notes

• The MeSH term
• Scope notes (a definition or description of how the term is used for indexing)
• The year the term was introduced in its present form (see  D  for earlier forms)

 B   Search builder options

• Subheadings that can be used with this heading; will vary depending on the term
  • Subheadings are qualifiers that provide context for a term and are useful for drilling down further into the topic. To learn when to use particular subheadings, read the MeSH Qualifier Scope Notes.
  • When you select a subhead and add it to the Search Builder, it will appear after a forward slash (e.g., “Pain/prevention and control”[Mesh], where “Pain” is the MeSH heading and “prevention and control” is the subheading).
• Restrict to MeSH Major Topic
  • Checking this box will force PubMed to only search for articles in which the term and any selected subheadings are indexed as a major topic.
  • When you choose this option and add to the Search Builder, you will see [Majr] after the heading (e.g., “Pain/prevention and control”[Majr]).
• Do not include MeSH terms found below this term in the MeSH hierarchy.
  • By default, PubMed automatically “explodes” the term when it searches, meaning it looks for the term and all terms below it in the hierarchy (i.e., more specific terms). The term’s hierarchy appears farther down on the database entry page (see  F  and   I   below). Clicking this exclusion option will prevent automatic explosion.
  • When you select this option and add to the Search Builder, you will see NoExp (i.e., no explosion) in brackets (e.g., “Pain/prevention and control”[Mesh:NoExp] or “Pain/prevention and control”[Majr:NoExp]).

 C   PubMed Search Builder

• Using this tool, you can run searches directly from the MeSH Database. (See the following box for instructions.)

 D   Entry terms, previous indexing, and similar terms

• Entry terms are synonyms, alternate forms, and other closely related terms that are generally used interchangeably with the preferred term for the purposes of indexing and retrieval.
• Previous indexing refers to the terms that were used to index the concept before the current MeSH term was introduced.
• Similar terms are synonyms and related terms that are not interchangeable with the preferred term but are suggested for potential exploration. You'll find these listed under “See Also.”

 E   Position in the MeSH hierarchy

• Each “tree” shows where your term falls in the topical hierarchy—from most general to most specific.
• Broad terms (such as Rehabilitation, shown in  E2  below) will have multiple branches, categories, and subcategories. (Plus signs indicate the presence of even more specific terms.)
• Some terms will appear in more than one branch (e.g., Cardiac Rehabilitation in  E2 )
• Remember that the goal is to find the most specific term to search. So if the main focus of your research is therapy for stroke victims, you would do better to search Cognitive Training or Stroke Rehabilitation than the broader term Rehabilitation. This visual hierarchy can be a powerful tool!

 F   Recent activity

• The most recent searches you have performed in the database, with the number of results in parentheses

 G   Current MeSH database search

• The search query created for the keywords you entered into the database

Using the Search Builder isn’t really difficult, but using it effectively can be a bit of a challenge. Here are the basics:

1. Use the MeSH Database’s scope notes and topical hierarchy to find the most specific term you can.
2. Select any subheadings you feel are appropriate to your search.
3. Decide whether you want to restrict your search to MeSH Major Topic or forego automatic explosion; if yes, check one or both boxes.
4. Click the Add to search builder button.
5. Review the search details and make any necessary adjustments. Remember to clear it if you want to change your selections for a particular MeSH heading.
6. If necessary, search for and add another term with subheadings and restrictions until your topic is covered. Combine the searches using AND (usually).
7. Click Search PubMed.

Below is an example of a two-part search built around infection risk after ankle fractures.

 H   I first ran a search for ankle fracture in the MeSH database.

  I    I chose the subheading complications and restricted my search to articles in which this is a major topic. (Because Ankle Fractures is the most specific term in its hierarchy, I didn't select the second restriction as it would have had no effect.)

 J   I then clicked the Add to search builder button. Since we’re only working with one term at the moment, the operator (AND or OR) is irrelevant.

 K   I reviewed the search builder for accuracy.

 L   With the ankle fracture concept still in the search builder, I next ran a search for infections and selected the MeSH term Infections from the list of 327 results.

 M   I chose not to select any subheadings or restrictions. Often, when you’re building a search in the MeSH database, you’ll want to stay as broad as you can or you’ll risk coming up with zero results. Remember, simply using MeSH terms already narrows your search.

 N   I verified that I wanted to connect the two terms with the operator AND, and then I clicked the Add to search builder button again. 

 O   I reviewed the search builder for accuracy.

 P   I clicked the Search PubMed button to view my results.

You can see each of my actions reflected in the final search details: (“Ankle Fractures/complications”[Majr]) AND “Infections”[Mesh]. At the time I performed this search, I got 13 highly relevant results.

Most concepts cannot be adequately described with a single MeSH term, so an effective search will require some advanced techniques. Here are a few examples of common search strategies. The terms in bold italics are ones you will search for in the MeSH Database. A forward slash (/) indicates that a subhead follows.  NOTES  It doesn't matter in what order concepts are ANDed together. And remember to use subheadings and search restrictions sparingly!

To find articles that discuss the use of a particular medication to treat a particular disease

Disease/drug therapy AND Drug/therapeutic use

 EXAMPLE  Multiple Sclerosis, Relapsing-Remitting/drug therapy AND Alemtuzumab/therapeutic use

To find articles that examine the use of a particular type of therapy in the rehabilitation of a particular condition

Condition/rehabilitation AND Type of Rehabilitation

 EXAMPLE  Hand injuries/rehabilitation AND Exercise Therapy

To find articles about a nurse’s role in treating a particular condition

Type of Nurse AND Condition/nursing

 EXAMPLE  Orthopedic Nursing AND Hip Fractures/nursing