Literature Search Filters for Neonatal Reviews

CORRECTED Embase RCT Filter May 18, 2022

Updated:

March 6, 2023: Added Random* to RCT filter based on discovery of trials using only that term. 

August 20, 2022: Line 5 Cochrane CENTRAL Filter August 20, 2022

Below find filters to restrict retrieval to: neonatal population; randomized controlled and quasi-randomized controlled trials; and systematic reviews. In cases of extremely high retrieval, you may want to consult and use the https://handbook-5-1.cochrane.org/chapter_6/box_6.4.d_cochrane_hsss_2008_sensprec_ovid.htm; you may also want to remove the drug fs term when searching non-drug topics. 

While we recommend the use of the population filter, feel free to choose different filters for RCTs and SRs; we ask only that you provide a verifiable source for the filter. If you have run a strategy using an older version of the Population filter, please do not redo your work; but check this page before developing a new or update search strategy. 

Neonatal Population

Ovid MEDLINE      

1     exp infant, newborn/ or Intensive Care, Neonatal/ or Intensive Care Units, Neonatal/ or Gestational Age/

2     (babe or babes or baby* or babies or  gestational age? or infant? or infantile or infancy or low birth weight or low birthweight or neonat* or neo-nat* or newborn* or new born? or newly born or premature or pre-mature or pre-matures or prematures or prematurity or pre-maturity or preterm or preterms or pre term? or preemie or preemies or premies or premie or VLBW or VLBWI or VLBW-I or VLBWs or LBW or LBWI or LBWs or ELBW or ELBWI or ELBWs or NICU or NICUs).ti,ab,kw,kf. 

3     or/1-2 [Filter: Neonatal Population 04-2022-OVID MEDLINE] 

OVID Embase             

1     newborn/ or prematurity/ or newborn intensive care/ or newborn care/ or gestational age/

2     (babe or babes or baby* or babies or gestational age? or infant? or infantile or infancy or low birth weight or low birthweight or neonat* or neo-nat* or newborn* or new born? or newly born or premature or pre-mature or pre-matures or prematures or prematurity or pre-maturity or preterm or preterms or pre term? or preemie or preemies or premies or premie or VLBW or VLBWI or VLBW-I or VLBWs or LBW or LBWI or LBWs or ELBW or ELBWI or ELBWs or NICU or NICUs).ti,ab,kw,kf.

3     or/1-2 [Filter: Neonatal Population 04-2022-OVID EMBASE]

Embase.com

Converted by Matthias Bank, Lund University, Faculty of Medicine, Library & ICT

2022-05-18

#1.  'newborn'/de OR 'prematurity'/de OR 'newborn intensive care'/de OR 'newborn care'/de OR gestational age/de                                                      

#2. (babe or babes or baby* or babies or ‘gestational age$’ or infant$ or infantile or infancy or ‘low birth weight’ or ‘low birthweight’ or neonat* or ‘neo-nat*’ or newborn* or ‘new born$’ or ‘newly born’ or premature or pre-mature or pre-matures or prematures or prematurity or pre-maturity or preterm or preterms or ‘pre term$’ or preemie or preemies or premies or premie or VLBW or VLBWI or VLBW-I or VLBWs or LBW or LBWI or LBWs or ELBW or ELBWI or ELBWs or NICU or NICUs):ti,ab,kw                                                                     

#3 #1 OR #2     

Cochrane Library (CENTRAL or CDSR) Wiley

Updated August 21, 2023 (to correct syntax error, e.g. truncation within quoted phrases)

ID Search

#1 MeSH descriptor: [Infant, Newborn] explode all trees

#2 MeSH descriptor: [Intensive Care, Neonatal] this term only

#3 MeSH descriptor: [Intensive Care Units, Neonatal] this term only

#4 MeSH descriptor: [Gestational Age] this term only

#5 ("babe" or "babes" or baby* or "babies" or "gestational age" or "gestational ages" or infant? or "infantile" or infancy or "low birth weight" OR "low birth weights" or "low birthweight" or "low birthweights" or neonat* or "neo-nate" or “neo-nates” or newborn* or "new born" or “new borns” or “newly born” or "premature" or "pre-mature" or "pre-matures" or prematures or prematurity or "pre-maturity" or "preterm" or "preterms" or "pre term" or “pre terms” or "preemie" or "preemies" or "premies" or "premie" or "VLBW" or "VLBWI" or "VLBW-I" or "VLBWs" or "LBW" or "LBWI" or "LBWs" or "ELBW" or "ELBWI" or "ELBWs" or "NICU" or "NICUs"):ti,ab,kw

#6 #1 OR #2 OR #3 OR #4 OR #5

RCT Filters

Ovid MEDLINE 

1     randomized controlled trial.pt.

2     controlled clinical trial.pt.

3     randomized.ti,ab.

4     placebo.ti,ab.

5     drug therapy.fs.

6     randomly.ti,ab.

7     trial.ti,ab.

8     groups.ti,ab.

9     or/1-8 [Cochrane HSSS-SM Filter; Box 6.4.a Cochrane Handbook]

10     (quasirandom* or quasi-random* or random*).ti,ab,kw,kf.

11     (control* adj2 (group? or trial? or study)).ti,ab,kw,kf.

12     or/10-11 [Additional terms to increase sensitivity] 

13     exp animals/ not humans/ 

14    or/9,12 not 13 [RCT Filter: MEDLINE]

OVID Embase

1 Randomized controlled trial/ or Controlled clinical study/

2 random$.ti,ab,kw.

3 Randomization/

4 placebo.ti,ab,kw.

5 ((double or single or doubly or singly) adj (blind or blinded or blindly)).ti,ab,kw.

6 double blind procedure/

7 (controlled adj7 (study or design or trial)).ti,ab,kw.

8 parallel group$1.ti,ab.

9 (crossover or cross over).ti,ab.

10 ((assign$ or match or matched or allocation) adj5 (alternate or group$1 or intervention$1 or patient$1 or subject$1 or participant$1)).ti,ab.

11 (open adj label).ti,ab.

12 (quasirandom* or quasi-random* or random*).ti,ab,kw,kf.

13 (control* adj2 group?).ti,ab,kw,kf.

14 or/1-13 [ Terms based on Cochrane Central strategy-https://www-cochranelibrary-com/central/central-creation]

15 (exp animals/ or exp invertebrate/ or animal experiment/ or animal model/ or animal tissue/ or animal cell/ or nonhuman/) and (human/ or normal human/ or human cell/)

16 exp animals/ or exp invertebrate/ or animal experiment/ or animal model/ or animal tissue/ or animal cell/ or nonhuman/

17 16 not 15 [Animal Exclusion-https://community-cochrane-org/sites/default/files/uploads/inline-files/Embase%20animal%20filter.pdf]

18 14 not 17 [Filter: RCT-EMBASE]: https://www.cochranelibrary.com/central/central-creation ]

Systematic Reviews

OVID Medline

1            meta-analysis/ or "systematic review"/ or network meta-analysis/ [/ finds same as .pt. syntax]

2            ((systematic* adj3 (review* or overview*)) or (methodologic* adj3 (review* or overview*))).ti,ab,kf,kw.

3            ((integrative adj3 (review* or overview*)) or (collaborative adj3 (review* or overview*)) or (pool* adj3 analy*)).ti,ab,kf,kw.

4            (data synthes* or data extraction* or data abstraction*).ti,ab,kf,kw.

5            (hand search* or handsearch*).ti,ab,kf,kw.

6            (mantel haenszel or peto or der simonian or dersimonian or fixed effect* or latin square*).ti,ab,kf,kw.

7            meta-analysis as topic/ or network meta-analysis/

8            (meta analy* or metanaly* or meta regression* or metaregression*).ti,ab,kf,kw.

9            (medline or cochrane or pubmed or medlars or embase or cinahl).ab.

10          (cochrane or systematic review?).jw.

11          or/1-10 [SR filter-Medline; based on CADTH https://www.cadth.ca/strings-attached-cadths-database-search-filters ]

OVID Embase

1            meta-analysis/ or "systematic review"/ or "meta analysis (topic)"/ [EMTREE]

2            ((systematic* adj3 (review* or overview*)) or (methodologic* adj3 (review* or overview*))).ti,ab,kw.

3            ((integrative adj3 (review* or overview*)) or (collaborative adj3 (review* or overview*)) or (pool* adj3 analy*)).ti,ab,kw.

4            (data synthes* or data extraction* or data abstraction*).ti,ab,kw.

5            (hand search* or handsearch*).ti,ab,kw.

6            (mantel haenszel or peto or der simonian or dersimonian or fixed effect* or latin square*).ti,ab,kw.

7            (meta analy* or metanaly* or meta regression* or metaregression*).ti,ab,kw.

8            (medline or cochrane or pubmed or medlars or embase or cinahl).ab.

9            (cochrane or systematic review?).jn,jx.

10          (overview adj2 reviews).ti.

11          or/1-10 [SR Filter: EMBASE based on CADTH filter: https://www.cadth.ca/strings-attached-cadths-database-search-filters ]