Combination of Terms with the Best Sensitivity (Keeping Specificity ≥50%), Best Specificity (Keeping Sensitivity ≥50%), and Best Optimization of Sensitivity and Specificity (Based on abs[sensitivity – specificity] <1%) for Detecting Studies of Prognosis in EMBASE in 2000
| Search Strategy Ovid Search* | Sensitivity (%) (95% CI) (n = 148) | Specificity (%) (95% CI) (n = 27,621) | Precision (%) (95% CI)† | Accuracy (%) (95% CI) (n = 27,769) |
| Best sensitivity | ||||
| exp disease course | 98.7 (96.8–100.0) | 50.6 (50.0–51.2) | 1.1 (0.9–1.2) | 50.9 (50.3–51.4) |
| OR risk:.mp. | ||||
| OR diagnos:.mp. | ||||
| OR follow-up.mp. | ||||
| OR ep.fs. | ||||
| OR outcome.tw. | ||||
| Best specificity | ||||
| prognos:.tw. | 50.7 (42.6–58.7) | 93.4 (93.1–93.7) | 3.9 (3.1–4.8) | 93.2 (92.9–93.5) |
| OR survival.tw. | ||||
| Small drop in specificity with a substantive gain in sensitivity | ||||
| prognos:.tw. | 58.1 (50.2–66.1) | 92.5 (92.2–92.8) | 4.0 (3.2–4.8) | 92.4 (92.0–92.7) |
| OR surviv:.tw. | ||||
| Best optimization of sensitivity and specificity | ||||
| follow-up.mp. | 80.4 (74.0–86.8) | 79.9 (79.4–80.4) | 2.1 (1.7–2.5) | 79.9 (79.4–80.4) |
| OR prognos:.tw. | ||||
| OR ep.fs. |
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CI = confidence interval; exp = exploded subject heading; : = truncation; mp = multiple posting—term appears in title, abstract, or subject heading; ep = epidemiology; fs = floating subheading; tw = textword (word or phrase appears in title or abstract).
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↵* Search strategies are reported using Ovid's search engine syntax for EMBASE.
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↵† Denominator varies by row.
