The Primary Health Care Search Filter: Making a world of difference to literature searching for primary care professionals

The problem

It is widely accepted that policy and practice should be based on evidence, but a challenge faced by time-poor researchers, policy makers and practitioners is how to access relevant evidence efficiently. Given the rapidly increasing volume of the primary health care (PHC) literature

evidence base, Flinders Filters and the Primary Health Care Research & Information Service collaborated on a project to develop a search filter. Search filters are evidence-based, literature search strategies which offer a standardised, systematic, subject-based search with a known level of performance. The PHC Search Filter is designed to enable efficient and effective retrieval of relevant literature, facilitating access to PHC resources.

The approach

The Filter was developed in Ovid Medline based on a validated methodology, comprising five phases: constructing a gold standard set of PHC-specific articles; identifying appropriate index terms and textwords; testing combinations of terms; assessing the most effective strategy; and translating the Filter for use in PubMed. The Filter retrieves citations from both unindexed and indexed sources, enabling searchers to attain the most up-to-date information. During development the Filter achieved a retrieval effectiveness of 88 per cent. In addition to a range of limits (e.g., free full text, specified time frame), it offers two search options: ‘one-click’ where searchers choose from 12 topics appropriate to their area of interest; and ‘build-your-own’, for customised searches.

In the 18 months post-launch an evaluation was conducted to assess uptake and impact of the Filter. This mixed-methods study combined web statistics on access and search preferences; findings from an online survey exploring reasons for use; and responses to open-ended survey questions around perceptions of the tool.

Findings

Google Analytics statistics suggest the Filter is a useful tool, with high numbers of individuals exploring its capabilities, and a frequent rate of return visitors. These statistics also illustrate the popularity of the ‘build-your-own’ option, and interest in ‘one-click’ topics around chronic disease management and mental illness. With 90 respondents, the survey provided details about the positive response to the tool in terms of ease of navigation, recommendations to others and usefulness; and informed future updates. Qualitative feedback was supportive with comments describing the breadth of the Filter and its ability to simplify PHC searches.

Consequences

Ready access to evidence of best practice to inform care, guide decisions and assess value remains one of the key challenges for primary care professionals. Use of a search filter can facilitate access, increase the value of the results retrieved and potentially reduce the burden associated with literature searching. It is believed that by promoting access to quality, relevant literature, the freely accessible PHC Search Filter may encourage uptake of evidence into research, practice and policy.