Transcript Document

Searching EMBASE
Alex Denby
Regional MI Manager
London Medicines Information Service
(Northwick Park Hospital)
Session aims

To understand the concepts of a basic
search strategy in Embase

To describe the EMTREE thesaurus in
detail so that you will be able to apply
EMTREE to use Embase efficiently

To carry out advanced Embase searches
Plan
What is Embase? (precourse material)
 Medline v Embase (precourse material)
 EMTREE
 NLH Software – searching tools
 Worked Examples

Searching EMBASE
Controlled vocabulary = EMTREE
 Uses natural language
 US spellings rather than British
 INNs used where possible
 Acronyms & abbreviations can be used
 Tree Structure – Hierarchy
 Indexing: Terms added/Drug names

NLH Software




Open Internet and type:
http://www.evidence.nhs.uk/default.aspx
Select ‘Specialist resources’ / ‘Search
Specialist Databases’
Enter Athens password
Click on “Healthcare Database Advanced
Search” and select Embase
NLH Software
Embase 1974 to date
 2 options to search for terms:

 Thesaurus
mapping
 Browse headings
Explode/Major descriptor

Explode
 Includes
everything below in the tree
structure.
 ‘exp’ is put before keyword in results

Major description (Focus)
 Only
includes articles where the MeSH
heading (descriptor) is the main focus of
the article
 ‘’ is put before keyword in results
Subheadings

Many more subheading options for
drugs compared with Medline
e.g. diclofenac

By choosing ‘Select’, all subheadings
for the term will be chosen without
either Exploding or Majoring on the
term.
CAS numbers
No real need to use them in EMBASE
 Most medicines have EMTREE terms –
even recently licensed ones
 If a drug hasn’t got an EMTREE term
assigned – use free text

Limits
Limit searches in similar way to Medline
 Differences compared with Medline

Publication types
Publication types have their own facet
/ tree top of EMTREE terms that are
searchable
 Facet J: types of article or study
 Build up your search and combine in
the usual way (using BOOLEAN) with
other search terms

Worked example 1

Are there any papers specifically
about the use of linezolid for the
treatment of MRSA?
(Workshop question 1)
Worked example 2

Are there any review articles about
inhaler use in asthmatic children
under 4?
(Workshop question 2)
Worked example 3

Is there any evidence that
minocycline is more effective than
any of the other tetracyclines that
are licensed for the treatment of
acne (tetracycline, lymecycline,
oxytetracycline, doxycycline)?
(Workshop question 5)
Any questions?