Ovid Tips

Searching with Subheadings

Subheadings are used with Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to narrow or refine the meaning of the Medical Subject Heading.

  • You can restrict your search to a specific aspect of your topic by attaching Subheadings to the MeSH Headings.
  • Subheadings tend to be general concepts such as "etiology" or "complications."
  • When they are linked to MeSH Headings, they can narrow and refine its scope.
  • For example, to search for references to articles about the medical complications of AIDS, you would use the Medical Subject Heading, "Acquired Immunodeficiency Disease" and attach the Subheading, "complications." This will produce a more focused retrieval.

A. From the Main Search Page on the Web:

  • Type your topic in the search box under the words, Enter keyword or phrase. Have the boxed checked for, Map Term to Subject Heading. Click on Perform Search. The next screen is a Mapping Display of Medical Subject Headings. Make your choice and click on Continue. You will be given a Subheading Display page. Read the hints at the bottom of the page.
  • You can also get to this Subheading Display directly from the Main Search Page by typing:
    shmyocardial infarction
    The above entry will bring up the Subheading Displaywith all the applicable Subheadings which have been assigned to the Medical Subject Heading, myocardial infarction.
  • Subheadings can also be entered from the Main Search Page by typing a Medical Subject Heading, followed by a slash (/), and then the Subheading label:
    • cystic fibrosis/th (for therapy)
    • asthma/dt,pc (for drug therapy or prevention and control)

B. From the Tools function located at the top of the Main Search Page

  • Click on Tools, select Subheadings..., and enter the correctly spelled Medical Subject Heading to which you want to attach Subheadings. Click on Perform Search and this will bring up the Subheading Display page.



Floating Subheadings

Floating Subheadings search for a general concept without designating any particular Medical Subject Heading that a Subheading needs to be attached to. Psychology articles usually will have "px" attached to a Medical Subject Heading. Articles discussing various issues that may have adverse effects will usually have "ae" attached to a Medical Subject Heading. The Floating Subheading label (.fs.) is "anded" with a Medical Subject Heading as in the following examples:

Asthma/ and px.fs.

This will retrieve articles that are about asthma and psychology. It will be in a more specific way if "px" has been attached to asthma; it will in a more general way if "px" has been attached to any other Medical Subject Heading.

Asthma/ and ae.fs.

The "adverse effect" Floating Subheading might be attached to any "drug" Medical Subject Heading referring to the treatment of asthma.

"Exploded" Subheadings

You can also search for references to articles using groups of Subheadings. In the list below, Subheadings are grouped into categories. The Subheadings and labels that are bolded and capitalized.xs. to a bolded/capitalized Subheading, you will be "exploding" it; all the terms below it will also be included. Attach an exploded Subheading to a Medical Subject Heading using the following format:

include other Subheadings below them. By adding
Bronchodilator Agents/ and tu.xs.

This will search for references to articles that are about the therapeutic use of bronchodilators. It will include five different Subheadings related to therapeutic use (see the five "therapeutic use" Subheadings listed below).

SUBHEADINGS AND THEIR LABELS
  • ANALYSIS (AN)
  • blood (bl))
  • cerebrospinal fluid (cf)
  • isolation & purification (ip)
  • urine (ur)
  • ANATOMY & HISTOLOGY (AH)
  • blood supply (bs)
  • CYTOLOGY (CY)
  • pathology (pa)
  • ultrastructure (ul)
  • EMBRYOLOGY (EM)
  • abnormalities (ab)
  • innervation (ir)
  • CHEMISTRY (CH)
  • agonists (ag)
  • analogs & derivatives (aa)
  • antagonists & inhibitors (ai)
  • chemical synthesis (cs)
  • DIAGNOSIS (DI)
  • pathology (pa)
  • radiography (ra)
  • radionuclide imaging (ri)
  • ultrasonography (us)
  • ETIOLOGY (ET)
  • chemically induced (ci)
  • COMPLICATIONS (CO)
  • secondary (sc)
  • congenital (cn)
  • embryology (em)
  • genetics (ge)
  • immunology (im)
  • MICROBIOLOGY (MI)
  • virology (vi)
  • parasitology (ps)
  • transmission (tm)
  • ORGANIZATION AND
    ADMINISTRATION (OG)
  • economics (ec)
  • legislation & jurisprudence (lj)
  • manpower (ma)
  • standards (st)
  • supply & distribution (sd)
  • trends (td)
  • utilization (ut)
  
  • PHARMACOLOGY (PD)
  • administration & dosage (ad)
  • ADVERSE EFFECTS (AE)
  • poisoning (po)
  • toxicity (to)
  • agonists (ag)
  • antagonists & inhibitors (ai)
  • contraindications (ct)
  • diagnostic use (du)
  • pharmacokinetics (pk)
  • PHYSIOLOGY (PH)
  • genetics (ge)
  • growth & development (gd)
  • immunology (im)
  • METABOLISM (ME)
  • biosynthesis (bi)
  • blood (bl)
  • cerebrospinal fluid (cf)
  • deficiency (df)
  • enzymology (dn)
  • pharmacokinetics (pk)
  • urine (ur)
  • physiopathology (pp)
  • secretion (se)
  • STATISTICS AND
    NUMERIC DATA (SN)
  • EPIDEMIOLOGY (EP)
  • ethnology (eh)
  • mortality (mo)
  • THERAPEUTIC USE (TU)
  • administration & dosage (ad)
  • adverse effects (ae)
  • contraindications (ct)
  • poisoning (po)
  • THERAPY (TH)
  • diet therapy (dh)
  • nursing (nu)
  • prevention & control (PC)
  • radiotherapy (rt)
  • rehabilitation (rh)
  • SURGERY (SU)
  • transplantation (tr)

ADDITIONAL SUBHEADINGS

  • classification (cl)
  • drug effects (de)
  • education (ed)
  • history (hi)
  • injuries (in)
  • instrumentation (is)
  • methods (mt)
  • pathogenicity (py)
  • psychology (px)
  • radiation effects (re)
  • veterinary (ve)

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