Reflections on medical literature searches

摘要

Literature searches remain essential and important activities in medicine.1 With the ever-increasing ease of the Internet-based search process, numerous searches are conducted per day in various health care settings. These are revolutionizing the way health care workers work and even, possibly, think.2 In this context, Drs Aoki and colleagues are to be complimented on their illuminating article that very objectively highlights the necessary stages to conducting a reproducible and comprehensive literature search.3 Clear documentation of steps of an activity otherwise learned and performed instinctively should improve performance and produce refinements in technique over time. To the authors' analysis, I would like to add the following thoughts.