PubMed Clinical Queries

Using PubMed to find individual studies (RCTs, Clinical Trials, etc.)?

PubMed has a special section (Clinical Queries) designed specifically for answering the kind of clinical (PICO) questions that occur commonly on the wards or in the clinics. Searching using this Clinical Queries search filter will make searches easier and faster, since it will filter out basic science articles not relevant for the clinician. If you are linking to PubMed from this site, you will be sent directly to the Clinical Queries search tool. If not, the Clinical Queries link on PubMed’s home page is on the left hand side of the screen (see right).

Once in Clinical Queries, enter your search term or terms (using AND between separate concepts and OR between synonyms) into the search box.

You must then specify the category of your scenario and select a "scope" for your search:

Narrow, specific search: Essentially retrieves the trial types that are atop the evidence hierarchy (e.g. RCT for therapy category). You end up with fewer items retrieved but all will be at a high level of evidence.

Broad, sensitive search: Essentially retrieves clinical trials on the topic(s) you entered in the search box. You end up with more items retrieved, but some trial types may not be atop the evidence hierarchy.

In either case, this search tool invokes a behind-the-scenes search strategy that is appended to the terms you entered in the search box.