Table 2

Precision of each strategy across databases

Actually relevant records retrieved ("diagnosed positive") by each strategy

Precision: Actually relevant records ("diagnosed positive") as a percentage (number) of potentially relevant records for that strategy

1)Thesaurus

191

5.4% (191/3537)

2)Free-text

172

4.9% (172/3451)

3)Broad-based

187

4.7% (187/3912)

Total actually relevant records (duplicates eliminated)

262

-

Shaw et al. BMC Medical Research Methodology 2004 4:5   doi:10.1186/1471-2288-4-5