LibGuides: International Physicians' Information: PubMed

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How to get to PubMed -- (look right)

PubMed's Clinical Tools

PubMed has several tools to help you target the information you need. Sometimes, it is with a special limit (e.g., Meta Analysis) in other cases, it is a specially developed search strategy rolled into a special subset (e.g., AIDS). Check out some of the following options:

PubMed - Clinical Queries
Search for several EBM-themed resources (Therapy, Diagnosis, Etiology, etc.), Systematic Reviews, or Medical Genetics resources.

PubMed Specific-Topic Queries
Use pre-configured search boxes to find very pertinent resources in PubMed.
My NCBI
Customize PubMed and save searches or individual citations. Use MyNCBI for the basic saved searches and alerts or customize it for your most frequently used filters, including HINARI journals.

How to Get to PubMed

PubMed is available for everyone to use and with the growing archive of articles in PubMed Central, more and more articles are available for free. However, not everything is available for free especially the most recent articles. If you are affiliated with a library, most likely there is a special way to access their licensed journals.

At UCSD, we have a special link to PubMed that displays a UC-eLinks button to help you get to the full text.
In developing countries, physicians may be able to use the HINARI project to increase access to full -text articles. For more details, see the HINARI page

PubMed with UC-eLinks
Use this link while here at UCSD. The UC-eLinks button - viewable when seeing the articles abstract in PubMed - will help you get to the full-text of an article if UCSD subscribes to that journal.
PubMed with HINARI Full-text Information
Use this link if your home institution is a member of HINARI. The HINARI full-text options will be viewable when looking at the article abstract.

Learn More About PubMed

Did you know that in PubMed you can:

Use Filters to: (link to tutorial)

* Specify the type(s) of articles retrieved (e.g., Clinical Trials, Case Studies, Reviews)
* Specify age groups (e.g., 6-12 year olds, 19-44 year olds, 80 & over, and more)
* Specify human or animal studies
* Specify the language of the article
* Limit resources to specific topics, like Bioethics
Set up a MyNCBI account to: (link to tutorial)

* Save a search for easy access later or to turn it into an email alert
* Save a collection of citations that you have found
* Customize PubMed with pre-set filters in order to easily limit your results
Use Clinical Queries to: (link to tutorial)

* Find systematic reviews
* Use preformatted filters for evidence-based searching
* Target articles on medical genetics
An Example of PuMed's Clinical Queries -- Prognosis (video)
MeSH Tutorial from the National Library of Medicine - all you need to know about MeSH

AIDS/HIV MeSH Terms

Many MeSH terms regarding AIDS or HIV are used in the Medline database. The following is a select list of key MeSH terms.

Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

An acquired defect of cellular immunity associated with infection by the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), a CD4-positive T-lymphocyte count under 200 cells/microliter or less than 14% of total lymphocytes, and increased susceptibility to opportunistic infections and malignant neoplasms. Clinical manifestations also include emaciation (wasting) and dementia. These elements reflect criteria for AIDS as defined by the CDC in 1993.

HIV Infections -- a broader topic than AIDS

Includes the spectrum of human immunodeficiency virus infections that range from asymptomatic seropositivity, thru AIDS-related complex (ARC), to acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS).

Infectious Disease Transmission, Vertical -- a related term that can be combined with either the HIV or AIDS mesh terms

The transmission of infectious disease or pathogens from one generation to another. It includes transmission in utero or intrapartum by exposure to blood and secretions, and postpartum exposure via breastfeeding.

Treatment or drug terms

Specific MeSH Term	More General MeSH Term	How to use these in PubMed:
Anti-HIV agents	Antiretrovial agents
Agents used to treat AIDS and/or stop the spread of the HIV infection. These do not include drugs used to treat symptoms or opportunistic infections associated with AIDS.	Agents used to treat RETROVIRIDAE INFECTIONS.	Add the term to your PubMed search, followed by [mesh] or [major]. For example: anti-hiv agents[mesh]
Antiretrovial therapy, highly active	Drug Therapy, Combination	[major] is used to designate main topics in an article.
Drug regimens, for patients with HIV INFECTIONS, that aggressively suppress HIV replication. The regimens usually involve administration of three or more different drugs including a protease inhibitor.	Therapy with two or more separate preparations given for a combined effect.	Add the term to your search followed by [mesh] or [major]. For example, search for anti-hiv agents [major]
Medication Adherence	Patient Compliance	Search the MeSH Database to find more MeSH terms:
Voluntary cooperation of the patient in taking drugs or medicine as prescribed. This includes timing, dosage, and frequency.	Voluntary cooperation of the patient in following a prescribed regimen.	http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/mesh