Target Audience

Healthcare Databases Advanced Search (HDAS) is the core NHS database for literature searching. Would you like to develop your knowledge of this resource? Would you like to improve your search skills and your confidence in searching?

HDAS: intermediate level is a half day course which builds on Finding health information online. It focuses on the more advanced features of HDAS. You will refresh your memory on the operators AND and OR, and how to use them most effectively. You will also learn how and when to use thesaurus mapping, proximity operators, and alerts.

To help you see how these techniques work in real search questions, the session will include plenty of worked examples and hands-on practice. The course is delivered in a friendly and relaxed environment. It will last for 3 hours and include a 15 minute break for refreshments.

Please note: if you regularly perform searches as part of your job role, you will probably find this course too basic and will not benefit from attending. 

Course prerequisites

-       Attendance at Finding health information online

OR

-       Experience of using the internet and knowledge of the Boolean operators AND and OR

Programme

1.00    Registration/outline

1.10    Recap of PICO, AND and OR

1.35    Phrase searching (“”) and truncation (*)

1.50    Proximity operators (ADJn, OADJn)

2.15    What is a thesaurus in a bibliographic database?

2.30    Break

2.45    Thesaurus mapping

3.15    Creating, modifying and deleting alerts

3.45    Evaluation and Close

Learning Objectives

Upon successful completion of this training, participants will be able to:

• Explain phrase searching, truncation, and proximity operators, and use these techniques in HDAS
• Describe the benefits of using thesaurus terms when searching
• Use the thesaurus mapping function in HDAS
• Use AND and OR to combine both free text and thesaurus search terms
• Create, modify and delete alerts inHDAS

PLEASE NOTE:

Refreshment will not be provided. Please see the list of restaurant and cafés in the programme where you can get refreshments before the course and during the break.

No food or drinks are allowed in the training room.