METHODS
We have identified recent or ongoing systematic reviews that focused on
deprescribing research-related questions using PROSPERO and active
monitoring of MEDLINE via PubMed. A call for additional candidate
reviews was sent out via Twitter. Eligible systematic review had to use
the deprescribing definition developed by Reeve et
al. 6, and must have developed a search
strategy for MEDLINE via PubMed and Embase via Embase.com independently
from the tested deprescribing search filters, i.e. authors were
not aware of the maximized sensitivity, or USDeN search filters when
they developed their search strategies.
First, authors were contacted and gave their consent to the use of their
original search strategies. Information provided by systematic review
authors included original search strategies for MEDLINE and Embase, a
flowchart of the selection process, and data on excluded and included
studies.
Then, we studied the deprescribing maximized sensitive filters for
MEDLINE and Embase4 and the USDeN deprescribing filter
for MEDLINE5 (table S1). One author (TM) implemented
the deprescribing filters in each search strategy. For that purpose, all
terms originally used by systematic review authors that referred to
deprescribing were removed and replaced by the tested deprescribing
filter. We thus obtained two implemented search strategies for MEDLINE,
and one implemented search strategy for Embase, for each systematic
review. MEDLINE and Embase were then searched using both the original
and implemented search strategies on the same date. Articles retrieved
from each strategy were included for performance calculation. Systematic
review authors were then asked to complete the same selection process
described in their original methods and to provide the list of excluded
articles after title/abstract screening, after full-text screening and
the list of included articles.
Performances of implemented search strategies were calculated and
compared to performances of original search strategies. Performances
calculated were sensitivity, i.e. proportion of articles included
among relevant articles indexed in the database, precision, i.e.proportion of articles included among all articles retrieved by the
search strategy, and the number needed to read (NNR) in title, abstract
or full text to include one relevant article, i.e. the number of
articles that need to be read to include one
articles7.