Guideline Search Strategy: Guideline Update and Living Guideline

The search strategy developed for the initial guidelines included six bibliometric databases, MEDLINE, Embase, PsycInfo, CINAHL, SportDiscus and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL). As well, TripDatabase was searched for existing guidelines. This search covered the period from the inception of each database to the end of April 2013. An update was performed in December 2017. At that time the search was refined after examining the contribution of unique material provided by each source.  MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and CINAHL were updated. In preparation for a final update and to transition to the living guideline, each included study from the 2013- 2017 update was tested to determine if it was indexed in MEDLINE and found by the MEDLINE search.1  Source databases for the remaining records were determined.  Based on these results, the living guideline scoping review searches include MEDLINE and PsycINFO databases.

For the 2013-2017 update, The following databases were covered in this search: : MEDLINE including In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations 1946- updated to June 14, 2019), Embase (1947 to updated to Week 51 2017), PsycINFO (1806 to June Week 2 2019) and  Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL, Issue 1, March 2013) using the Ovid interface,  CINAHL  was updated to Dec 22, 2017 and SPORTDiscus was searched May 5, 2013 , using the EbscoHost interface (database dates not given).

The MEDLINE search strategy was developed by a librarian experienced in systematic review searching, and peer-reviewed by another librarian, using the PRESS standard.2 The MEDLINE search was then adapted for the other database. Searches were limited to English, no study design limits were applied. The search strategies for each database are presented in Appendix 1.

Acknowledgments

We thank Margaret Sampson, MLIS, PhD, AHIP (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario) for developing the electronic search strategies, and Ruth Foxlee, Information Specialist, Cochrane Editorial Unit, for peer review of the MEDLINE search strategy.

Search Strategy References

  1. Sampson M, Mcgowan J. Inquisitio validus Index Medicus : A simple method of validating MEDLINE systematic review searches. Res Synth Methods. 2011 Jun 16;2(2):103–9.
  2. Mcgowan, J., Sampson, M. & Lefebvre, C., 2010. An Evidence Based Checklist for the Peer Review of Electronic Search Strategies (PRESS EBC). Evidence Based Library and Information Practice, 5(1), pp.149–154.

Medline

  1. exp Brain Concussion/
  2. Post-Concussion Syndrome/
  3. (concuss$ or postconcuss$).tw.
  4. (commotio cerebri or post traumatic encephalopathy).tw.
  5. ((post commotion or post contusion or post head injury) adj2 syndrome*).tw.
  6. ((mild or minor or minimal) adj (traumatic brain or tbi)).tw.
  7. tw.
  8. exp Brain Injuries/
  9. ((post or persistent or unresolved or delayed) adj4 (brain or skull or head or injury)).mp.
  10. 8 and 9
  11. or/1-7,10
  12. (((severe or moderate) adj2 (head or brain or traumatic or tbi)) not (mild or minor)).ti.
  13. 11 not 12
  14. 13 and (child* or adolescent or infan*).mp.
  15. 14 not (animal/ not human/)
  16. limit 15 to english
  17. limit 27 to yr=”1985 -Current”

Embase

  1. Brain Concussion/ or Concussion/
  2. Post-Concussion Syndrome/
  3. (concuss$ or postconcuss$).tw.
  4. (commotio cerebri or post traumatic encephalopathy).tw.
  5. ((Post commotion or post contusion or post head injury) adj2 syndrome$).tw.
  6. ((mild or minor or minimal) adj (traumatic brain or tbi)).tw.
  7. tw.
  8. exp Brain Injury/
  9. ((post or persistent or unresolved or delayed) adj4 (brain or skull or head or injury)).mp.
  10. (((severe or moderate) adj2 (head or brain or traumatic or tbi)) not (mild or minor)).ti.
  11. (8 and 9) not 10
  12. or/1-7,11
  13. 12 and (child* or adolescent or infan*).mp.
  14. exp animals/ or exp invertebrate/ or animal experiment/ or animal model/ or animal tissue/ or animal cell/ or nonhuman/
  15. 14 not exp human/
  16. 13 not 15
  17. limit 16 to english
  18. limit 17 to yr=”1985 -Current”

CINAHL

(MH “Brain Concussion+” OR TX concuss* or postconcuss* OR TX commotio cerebri OR TX post traumatic encephalopathy OR post head injury N3 syndrome* or post contusion N3 syndrome* or post commotion N3 syndrome* OR TX Mild traumatic brain or TX minor traumatic brain or TX minimal traumatic brain or TX mild tbi or TX minor tbi or TX minimal tbi OR TX mtbi) AND ( child* or adolescent or infan* )

Limiters – Published Date from: 19850101-20141231; English Language

PsycInfo

  1. brain concussion/
  2. (concuss* or postconcuss*).tw.
  3. (commotio cerebri or post traumatic encephalopathy).tw.
  4. ((post commotion or post contusion or post head injury) adj2 syndrome*).tw.
  5. ((mild or minor or minimal) adj (traumatic brain or tbi)).tw.
  6. tw.
  7. traumatic brain injury/
  8. ((post or persistent or unresolved or delayed) adj4 (brain or skull or head or injury)).mp.
  9. 7 and 8
  10. or/1-6,9
  11. limit 10 to (childhood or adolescence <13 to 17 years>)
  12. (Infan* or newborn* or new-born* or perinat* or neonat* or baby or baby* or babies or toddler* or minors or minors* or boy or boys or boyfriend or boyhood or girl* or kid or kids or child or child* or children* or schoolchild* or schoolchild).mp. or school child.ti,ab. or school child*.ti,ab. or (adolescen* or juvenil* or youth* or teen* or under*age* or pubescen*).mp. or exp pediatrics/ or (pediatric* or paediatric* or peadiatric*).mp. or school.ti,ab. or school*.ti,ab. or (prematur* or preterm*).mp.
  13. 10 and 12
  14. 11 or 13
  15. limit 14 to english language
  16. limit 15 to yr=”1985 -Current”

SportDiscus

(DE “BRAIN — Concussion” OR DE “POSTCONCUSSION syndrome” )

Limiters – Published Date: 19850101-20141231; Language: English; Publication Type: Journal Article, Serial publication

TRIP

#1 (“m* traumatic brain injury”)

#2 (concussion)

#3 (pediatric* or paediatric* or child* or adolesc*) from:1985

search in full document

Guidelines selected

CENTRAL

  1. (concuss$ or postconcuss$).tw.
  2. (commotio cerebri or post traumatic encephalopathy).tw.
  3. ((post commotion or post contusion or post head injury) adj2 syndrome*).tw.
  4. tw.
  5. or/1-4
  6. (Infan* or newborn* or new-born* or perinat* or neonat* or baby or baby* or babies or toddler* or minors or minors* or boy or boys or boyfriend or boyhood or girl* or kid or kids or child or child* or children* or schoolchild* or schoolchild).mp. or school child.ti,ab. or school child*.ti,ab. or (adolescen* or juvenil* or youth* or teen* or under*age* or pubescen*).mp. or exp pediatrics/ or (pediatric* or paediatric* or peadiatric*).mp. or school.ti,ab. or school*.ti,ab. or (prematur* or preterm*).mp.
  7. 5 and 6
  8. limit 7 to yr=”1985 -Current”
  9. (3 non-English records were removed in Reference Manager)