Age care search collection
The aged care search collection provides a variety of automated searches using PubMed database and Google Advanced Search. The collection also provides advice and guidance into modifying our searches and creating your own. Our collection also signposts to relevant additional organisations and research resources.
PubMed database
PubMed is a free resource for finding research in the medical and health sciences, with some content also covering social care. It contains over 34 million abstracts (short summaries of research) and offers links to full-text articles. Provided by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, PubMed is an American-based database, so it's important to consider American English when searching or using the resource.
Development of searches
The searches within this collection have been crafted by a Librarian to align with the specific goals of each topic or theme. While every effort has been made to ensure the searches are as relevant as possible, they may not cover all terms associated with the subject matter, so additional searches may be required.
Each search has been designed to meet specific criteria, such as the topic theme, size of data related to the topic, the number of results for filtering to Australia or free article access, and the overall relevance of the results from the perspective of the user.
The searches offer various options to select, including; all studies, systematic reviews, strongest evidence only (randomised controlled trials, systematic reviews, guidelines, best practice), freely accessible and Australian.
The baseline search for residential care and home settings (aged care) is available in the create your own section under the 'Aged Care' filter. The filter is designed to collect research relevant to providers and Australian Government subsidies. This filter was created by combining a validated home care filter developed by ELDAC for home care settings with a non-validated, in-house filter for residential settings (excluding retirement villages and day centres). We periodically update our filters to include new (PubMed) MESH headings and fully refresh the searches every two years.
Narrowing the search further
Some searches may yield an overwhelming number of results. To streamline your findings and hone in on a specific area of interest, you can refine your search. For instance, rather than sifting through all the results for 'dementia care,' you could narrow your focus to 'falls prevention' for people with dementia.
For more information into modifying our PubMed searches visit our create your own section or download the instructions below.
Google searches
Our Google search collection supports our priority and ITP-themed topics. These searches are designed to gather data from three main types of sources: academia, government, and organisations. For more information on how to create your own searches and use Google Advanced Search, visit our online searches page.
Contact
If you would like to know more or would like to suggest a new topic for which a search maybe useful, contact us: kih@ariia.org.au