Evaluating search approaches for a network meta-analysis: a case study of Epistemonikos Database of Trials, CENTRAL, and other sources
Irma Klerings, Andreea Dobrescu, Barbara Nussbaumer-Streit, Amin Sharifan, Camilla Neubauer-Bruckner, Gerald Gartlehner · 2026
Read Evaluating search approaches for a network meta-analysis: a case study of Epistemonikos Database of Trials, CENTRAL, and other sources by Irma Klerings, Andreea Dobrescu, Barbara Nussbaumer-Streit, Amin Sharifan, Camilla Neubauer-Bruckner, Gerald Gartlehner (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13317208.txt.
Description
Irma Klerings and co-authors test how best to search trial databases for a combined drug analysis, in work from twenty twenty-six. Reviews that pool trials must first find all the trials that count. The usual sources are large medical databases and lists from past reviews. A new trial database, run by Epistemonikos, has just launched in pilot form. The case study uses migraine drug trials to compare the options.
Each single source found almost all trials when no date limit was set. Blends of sources did even better, while list checking alone found a bit less. The real gap was workload, since some routes forced far more reading per find. One new database alone needed the least reading for each trial found. Missed trials did not change the pooled results or the trust ratings. The new tool was less polished but still fit for full, repeatable searches.
Catalog record
| CREATOR | Irma Klerings, Andreea Dobrescu, Barbara Nussbaumer-Streit, Amin Sharifan, Camilla Neubauer-Bruckner, Gerald Gartlehner |
|---|---|
| YEAR | 2026 |
| COLLECTION | PAPERS |
| FORMAT | TXT |
| FILE SIZE | 46 KB |
| VERSION | 1.0 |
| LICENSE | CC BY 4.0 |
| RIGHTS | CC BY |
| SOURCE | Europe PMC |