Table 3 Relative recall of search strategies to identify trials included in previous systematic reviews
| Number (%) of trials retrieved | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publication | Setting | Review Period | Sources searched | # Trials | Simple strategy | Taljaard highest sensitivity | Taljaard highest precision |
| Donner et al. [5] | CRTs of non-therapeutic interventions | Jan 1979 -Aug 1989 | The Lancet, NEJM, AJE, International Journal of Epidemiology | 16 |
16 (100%) |
16 (100.0%) |
8 (50.0%) |
| Simpson et al. [6] | CRTs in primary care | 1990 - 1993 | AJPH, Preventive Medicine | 21 |
15 (71.4%) |
20 (95.2%) |
15 (71.4%) |
| Eldridge et al. [9] | CRTs in primary care | 1997, 2000 | CENTRAL | 145 |
140 (96.6%) |
142 (97.9%) |
121 (83.4%) |
| Isaakidis et al. [10] | CRTs in sub-Saharan Africa | Before Nov 2001 | MEDLINE, CENTRAL, African Published Trials Register | 51 |
45 (88.2%) |
48 (94.1%) |
33 (64.7%) |
| Puffer et al. [7] | CRTs | Jan 1997 -Oct 2002 | BMJ, Lancet, NEJM | 36 |
36 (100%) |
36 (100%) |
33 (91.7%) |
| Varnell et al. [8] | Group randomized trials | Jan 1998 -Dec 2002 | AJPH, Preventive Medicine | 60 |
54 (90.0%) |
59 (98.3%) |
51 (85.0%) |
| Eldridge et al. [11] | CRTs in primary care | 2004 - 2005 | BMJ, BJGP, Family Practice, Prev Med, Ann Intern Med, JGen Int Med, Pediatrics | 34 |
34 (100%) |
34 (100%) |
32 (94.1%) |
| Total | 363 |
340
(93.7%) |
355
(97.8%) | 293 (80.7%) | |||