Searching Clinical Trials
- Using keywords in a search
- How to limit a search
- Understanding "keyword suggestions"
- Alternatives to keyword searching
- Database update schedule
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Using keywords in a search
Use of keywords in a search, queries the following database fields:
- clinical trial title
- clinical trial description
- clinical trial disease classification (trials are grouped by medical condition)
- clinical trial sponsor (the department sponsoring the study)
How can you limit or narrow a search?
Searches can be limited by using more than one keyword. The boolean operator "and" is assumed when you use more than one keyword in a search string. Type in keywords using a single space between.
Searches can also be limited by choosing a predefined filter such as:
- child
- adult
- trials by doctor
Click on the associated radio button at the top of the page, enter a keyword(s), and select "go" to filter a search.
What are "keyword suggestions?"
To better support end-user searching of the Clinical Trials site, we've developed a "keyword suggestion" list generated from words commonly used by clinical trial investigators to describe their trials. To choose a suggested keyword or words, click on the "suggest a word" link, then click on the desired keyword in the keyword pop-up list. Add as many suggested keywords as needed.
Alternatives to keyword searching
In addition to keyword searching, the Clinical Trials site can also be searched by medical condition, or with predefined filters such as adult, child, doctor. These search alternatives are available from each page of the site under the "listings" link.
To assure the latest information, the Clinical Trials database is updated each night.