Objectives: The aim of this study is to determine the relative value and contribution of searching different sources to identify adverse effects data.

Methods: The process of updating a systematic review and meta-analysis of thiazolidinedione-related fractures in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus was used as a case study. For each source searched, a record was made for each relevant reference included in the review noting whether it was retrieved with the search strategy used and whether it was available but not retrieved. The sensitivity, precision, and number needed to read from searching each source and from different combinations of sources were also calculated.

Results: There were 58 relevant references which presented sufficient numerical data to be included in a meta-analysis of fractures and bone mineral density. The highest number of relevant references were retrieved from Science Citation Index (SCI) (35), followed by BIOSIS Previews (27) and EMBASE (24). The precision of the searches varied from 0.88% (Scirus) to 41.67% (CENTRAL). With the search strategies used, the minimum combination of sources required to retrieve all the relevant references was; the GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) website, Science Citation Index (SCI), EMBASE, BIOSIS Previews, British Library Direct, Medscape DrugInfo, handsearching and reference checking, AHFS First, and Thomson Reuters Integrity or Conference Papers Index (CPI).

Conclusions: In order to identify all the relevant references for this case study a number of different sources needed to be searched. The minimum combination of sources required to identify all the relevant references did not include MEDLINE

The Internet is an important resource for health information, among younger and older people alike. Unfortunately, there are limitations associated with online health information. Research is needed on the quality of information found online and on whether users are being critical consumers of the information they find. Also, there is a need for research investigating online use among adults aged 65 and over – a rapidly growing demographic of Internet users. The current study presents important descriptive data about the search patterns of older adults seeking online health information, the types of health topics they research, and whether they consider credibility issues when retrieving online health information. A comparison is also made between search strategies used in printed text and hypertext environments. The results, which have implications with respect to credibility issues, highlight the need to increase awareness about critical searching skills among older adult Internet users.

This paper builds on prior research into the application of particle swarm optimisation to autonomous vehicle control in search roles. It examines the use of naturally inspired search strategies to enhance the performance of groups of sensor-based vehicles in applications where there is no knowledge a priori regarding target presence, location, distribution or behaviour (movement). This paper first briefly reviews existing ethological research into search strategies in the natural world, identifying three types of random walk, two multi-phase strategies and two species-specific strategies for further investigation. Experiments are then performed within a simulation environment to compare the performance of naturally inspired strategies with deterministic patterns and random movement, when searching for both static and dynamic targets. Results indicate that performance improvements can be realised, provided that critical relationships within the application domain broadly match those existing in the underlying natural metaphor.