How do search systems impact systematic searching? A qualitative study.

Objective: Systematic reviews and other evidence synthesis projects require systematic search methods. Search systems require several essential attributes to support systematic searching; however, many systems used in evidence synthesis fail to meet one or more of these requirements. I undertook a qualitative study to examine the effects of these limitations on systematic searching and how searchers select information sources for evidence synthesis projects. Methods: Qualitative data were collected from interviews with twelve systematic searchers. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. Results: I used thematic analysis to identify two key themes relating to search systems: systems shape search processes, and systematic searching occurs within the information market. Many systems required for systematic reviews, in particular sources of unpublished studies, are not designed for systematic searching. Participants described various workarounds for the limitations they encounter in these systems. Economic factors influence searchers' selection of sources to search, as well as the degree to which vendors prioritize these users. Conclusion: Interviews with systematic searchers suggest priorities for improving search systems, and barriers to improvement that must be overcome. Vendors must understand the unique requirements of systematic searching and recognize systematic searchers as a distinct group of users. Better interfaces and improved functionality will result in more efficient evidence synthesis.

Information technology and changing role models in German libraries: The example of OPEN-CAM.

Germany has a long tradition of health libraries. From their origin in monasteries, they became centres of knowledge and education. In modern times, this tradition has been continued by the Central Library of Medicine. In addition, as a specialty in Germany, special collection areas and special libraries that focus on one topic were established. Those services were transformed to specialized information services and portals as part of the digital transformation process. One of such projects is OPEN-CAM, which provides literature on integrative medicine in a specialist library and hosts the literature database CAMbase. Based on this example, we show how digital transformation has influenced the library landscape and its structures in Germany.

Research skills for university students' thesis in E-learning: Scale development and validation in Peru.

Background: The aims of the study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and to characteristics of a scale on research skills as well as to characterize the experience of university thesis students using information databases (i.e., Scopus or Web of Science) and bibliographic reference managers. Methods: A sample of 1598 university students from five departments, acroos the different campuses of one Peruvian university. The psychometric properties of the instrument were evaluated using factor analysis and measurement invariance according to sex and age groups. In addition, an internal consistency analysis was conducted for scale reliability using Cronbach's alpha, ordinal alpha, and the omega index. Results: Our study identified that the unidimensional model with correlated errors showed adequate indicators of reliability and goodness of fit, with the exception of the RMSEA, which shows values higher than 0.08. Measurement invariance by sex and age group was present. The majority of university students in E-learning showed use of the bibliographic manager Mendeley (52.13%), low ability to use information databases such as Scopus (22.24%) or Web of Science (17.26%), and the least skilled research skills were in formulating the problem, objectives, and hypotheses (51.63%) and carrying out data analysis and processing using statistical techniques (49.37%). Conclusions: The conclusions of the study were that the 8-item research skills instrument presents acceptable psychometric indicators in Peruvian university students in thesis courses. Likewise, a scarce use of global databases, the approach to the research topic, and carrying out its statistical processing.

Bibliometric Analysis: Bridging Informatics With Science.

Bibliometric analysis represents a new tool for classifying and quantitatively assessing bibliographic material (publications, citations, authors, institutions, etc) of a scientific discipline. Is a computer-assisted review and, therefore, it should follow the methodology of a systematic review. These analyses download bibliographic data from electronic databases analyzing them and extracting several indicators (such as the h-index). Analysis can be enhanced by adding scientific maps using specific software. These analyses are increasingly accepted in the medical literature to identify the most influential papers/authors/institutions on a given topic. During the last decade, there is a remarkable increase in the number of published bibliometric analysis articles.

Global Scientific Research Landscape on Aluminum Toxicology.

This study aimed to identify the landscape of current aluminum toxicity based on knowledge mapping of the 100 most-cited articles on toxicological aspects of aluminum in biological organisms. The research was searched in the Web of Science Core Collection (WoS-CC) with publications between 1945 and 2022. Data regarding authorship, title, journal, year of publication, citation count, country, keywords, study design, and research hotspots were extracted and all elected articles were analyzed. Our results showed that among the articles selected, literature review and in vivo studies were the most common study designs. The USA and England were found as the countries with most publications. Alzheimer's disease (AD), aluminum, and neurotoxicity were found as the most frequent keywords. The articles most cited in world literature suggested that aluminum exposure is associated with Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease (PD), dialysis encephalopathy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, neurodegeneration changes, cognitive impairment, such as bone damage, oxidative alterations, and cytotoxicity.

Application of text mining to the development and validation of a geographic search filter to facilitate evidence retrieval in Ovid MEDLINE: An example from the United States.

BACKGROUND: Given the increasing volume of published research in bibliographic databases, efficient retrieval of evidence is crucial and represents an opportunity to integrate novel techniques such as text mining. OBJECTIVES: To develop and validate a geographic search filter for identifying research from the United States (US) in Ovid MEDLINE. METHODS: US and non-US citations were collected from bibliographies of evidence-based reviews. Citations were partitioned by US/non-US status and randomly divided to a training and testing set. Using text mining, common one- and two-word terms in title/abstract fields were identified, and frequencies compared between US/non-US citations. RESULTS: Common US-related terms included (as ratio of frequency in US/non-US citations) US populations and geographic terms [e.g., 'Americans' (15.5), 'Baltimore' (20.0)]. Common non-US terms were non-US geographic terms [e.g., 'Japan' (0.04), 'French' (0.05)]. A search filter was developed with 98.3% sensitivity and 82.7% specificity. DISCUSSION: This search filter will streamline the identification of evidence from the US. Periodic updates may be necessary to reflect changes in MEDLINE's controlled vocabulary. CONCLUSION: Text mining was instrumental to the development of this search filter. A novel technique generated a gold standard set comprising >20,000 citations. This method may be adapted to develop subsequent geographic search filters.

Machine learning algorithms to identify cluster randomized trials from MEDLINE and EMBASE.

BACKGROUND: Cluster randomized trials (CRTs) are becoming an increasingly important design. However, authors of CRTs do not always adhere to requirements to explicitly identify the design as cluster randomized in titles and abstracts, making retrieval from bibliographic databases difficult. Machine learning algorithms may improve their identification and retrieval. Therefore, we aimed to develop machine learning algorithms that accurately determine whether a bibliographic citation is a CRT report. METHODS: We trained, internally validated, and externally validated two convolutional neural networks and one support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to predict whether a citation is a CRT report or not. We exclusively used the information in an article citation, including the title, abstract, keywords, and subject headings. The algorithms' output was a probability from 0 to 1. We assessed algorithm performance using the area under the receiver operating characteristic (AUC) curves. Each algorithm's performance was evaluated individually and together as an ensemble. We randomly selected 5000 from 87,633 citations to train and internally validate our algorithms. Of the 5000 selected citations, 589 (12%) were confirmed CRT reports. We then externally validated our algorithms on an independent set of 1916 randomized trial citations, with 665 (35%) confirmed CRT reports. RESULTS: In internal validation, the ensemble algorithm discriminated best for identifying CRT reports with an AUC of 98.6% (95% confidence interval: 97.8%, 99.4%), sensitivity of 97.7% (94.3%, 100%), and specificity of 85.0% (81.8%, 88.1%). In external validation, the ensemble algorithm had an AUC of 97.8% (97.0%, 98.5%), sensitivity of 97.6% (96.4%, 98.6%), and specificity of 78.2% (75.9%, 80.4%)). All three individual algorithms performed well, but less so than the ensemble. CONCLUSIONS: We successfully developed high-performance algorithms that identified whether a citation was a CRT report with high sensitivity and moderately high specificity. We provide open-source software to facilitate the use of our algorithms in practice.

Transforming health science libraries around the globe: The impact of technology.

Health science libraries have been using information technology since the late 1960s, shaping both the profession and the mission of these libraries. To explore the impact of technology, a series of articles has been commissioned for the HILJ Regular Feature, International Perspectives and Initiatives. This editorial sets the scene for this series of articles, which starts in this issue. These articles, written by health science librarians from around the globe, will explore the impact of technology on the way health science libraries provide information in the digital age. Some articles will look at national trends and others will focus on a particular library. A key theme is how technology is being used to support the mission of health science libraries and whether technology has altered that mission. This editorial provides a brief overview of the technologies libraries have adopted, from the 1970s to the present day. From this, it is clear that information technology has transformed the way health information is collected, catalogued, and disseminated to users. And it is certain that in the coming decade new technologies will be incorporated into health science libraries, which will pose challenges for both users and librarians. However, librarians will continue to find ways to adapt and use these tools to meet the needs of their users.

Reducing systematic review burden using Deduklick: a novel, automated, reliable, and explainable deduplication algorithm to foster medical research.

BACKGROUND: Identifying and removing reference duplicates when conducting systematic reviews (SRs) remain a major, time-consuming issue for authors who manually check for duplicates using built-in features in citation managers. To address issues related to manual deduplication, we developed an automated, efficient, and rapid artificial intelligence-based algorithm named Deduklick. Deduklick combines natural language processing algorithms with a set of rules created by expert information specialists. METHODS: Deduklick's deduplication uses a multistep algorithm of data normalization, calculates a similarity score, and identifies unique and duplicate references based on metadata fields, such as title, authors, journal, DOI, year, issue, volume, and page number range. We measured and compared Deduklick's capacity to accurately detect duplicates with the information specialists' standard, manual duplicate removal process using EndNote on eight existing heterogeneous datasets. Using a sensitivity analysis, we manually cross-compared the efficiency and noise of both methods. DISCUSSION: Deduklick achieved average recall of 99.51%, average precision of 100.00%, and average F1 score of 99.75%. In contrast, the manual deduplication process achieved average recall of 88.65%, average precision of 99.95%, and average F1 score of 91.98%. Deduklick achieved equal to higher expert-level performance on duplicate removal. It also preserved high metadata quality and drastically reduced time spent on analysis. Deduklick represents an efficient, transparent, ergonomic, and time-saving solution for identifying and removing duplicates in SRs searches. Deduklick could therefore simplify SRs production and represent important advantages for scientists, including saving time, increasing accuracy, reducing costs, and contributing to quality SRs.

Web of Science como herramienta de investigación y apoyo a la actividad científica: luces y sombras de sus colecciones, productos e indicadores / Web of Science as a research tool and support for scientific activity: lights and shadows of their collections, products and indicators

Resumen Se realiza una descripción de las colecciones, productos e indicadores bibliométricos de Web of Science, con especial énfasis en su utilidad e importancia en actividades de evaluación científica. Se exponen además sus principales limitaciones de cobertura y de indicadores, que impactan en el análisis de la producción científica en países y/o regiones periféricas y en áreas del conocimiento con menor representación en la fuente. También se comentan los aportes específicos de la base de datos en las distintas actividades y fases de la investigación científica como investigadores, revistas, grupos editoriales y bibliotecas. En concreto, se muestra el volumen de datos, se detallan sus colecciones, productos e indicadores, junto a la valoración de algunos aspectos en lo positivo y negativo. Se realizan comparativos con otras fuentes de información existentes en el mercado de la investigación científica y que igualmente permiten la realización de investigación bibliométrica, brindando al lector una importante caracterización de la herramienta y sus competidores, que ayude a conocer sus perspectivas de uso dentro del escenario de investigación. Las ideas desarrolladas y sistematizadas en el texto, permiten concluir que, a pesar de la relevancia de la misma para la actividad científica en distintos niveles y agregados, los sesgos de sus indicadores, la imposibilidad de acceso a la fuente en muchas instituciones y la existencia de otras herramientas con similares prestaciones y facilidades de uso, son aspectos que se deben tener en cuenta porque inciden en su aplicación, uso futuro y permanencia en el ecosistema de investigación.

Abstract A description of the collections, products and bibliometric indicators of Web of Science is made, with special emphasis on its usefulness and importance in scientific evaluation activities. The main limitations of coverage and indicators, which have an impact on the analysis of scientific production in peripheral countries and/or regions and in areas of knowledge with less representation in the source, are also discussed. The specific contributions of the database to the different activities and phases of scientific research, such as researchers, journals, publishing groups and libraries, are also discussed. Specifically, the volume of data is shown, its collections, products and indicators are detailed, together with the evaluation of some positive and negative aspects. Comparisons are made with other sources of information existing in the scientific research market, which also allow bibliometric research to be carried out, providing the reader with an important characterization of the tool and its competitors, which helps to know its perspectives of use within the research scenario. The ideas developed and systematized in the text lead to the conclusion that despite its relevance for scientific activity at different levels and aggregates, the biases of its indicators, the impossibility of accessing the source in many institutions and the existence of other tools with similar features and ease of use, are aspects that should be taken into account because they affect its application, future use and permanence in the research ecosystem.

A Bibliometric Analysis of Mexican Bioinformatics: A Portrait of Actors, Structure, and Dynamics.

Bioinformatics is a very important informatics tool for health and biological sciences, focusing on biological data management. The objective of this work was to perform a bibliometric analysis regarding the development of Mexican bioinformatics. An exhaustive revision of the literature associated with Mexican bioinformatics in a period of 25-years was performed. Bibliometric tools, such as performance analysis and science mapping were included in the analysis. We identified the main actors as well as the structure and dynamics of Mexican bioinformatics. Some of the main findings were as follows: the thematic structure in the field is defined by the research lines of outstanding authors; the outstanding collaborations of Mexican institutions with foreign countries and institutions are influenced by the geographic proximity and binational agreements, as well as philanthropic and academic programs that promote collaborations, and there is an inclination for health issues promoted by public health financing and philanthropic organizations. It is identified that publications had an explosion since 2012, we consider that this growth may be influenced by the democratization of data, derived from the mass sequencing of biological molecules stored in public databases.

Literature searching methods or guidance and their application to public health topics: A narrative review.

BACKGROUND: Information specialists conducting searches for systematic reviews need to consider key questions around which and how many sources to search. This is particularly important for public health topics where evidence may be found in diverse sources. OBJECTIVES: The objective of this review is to give an overview of recent studies on information retrieval guidance and methods that could be applied to public health evidence and used to guide future searches. METHODS: A literature search was performed in core databases and supplemented by browsing health information journals and citation searching. Results were sifted and reviewed. RESULTS: Seventy-two papers were found and grouped into themes covering sources and search techniques. Public health topics were poorly covered in this literature. DISCUSSION: Many researchers follow the recommendations to search multiple databases. The review topic influences decisions about sources. Additional sources covering grey literature eliminate bias but are time-consuming and difficult to search systematically. Public health searching is complex, often requiring searches in multidisciplinary sources and using additional methods. CONCLUSIONS: Search planning is advisable to enable decisions about which and how many sources to search. This could improve with more work on modelling search scenarios, particularly in public health topics, to examine where publications were found and guide future research.

Biblioteca Virtual em História da Enfermagem: histórico e orientações aos pesquisadores / Virtual Library in Nursing History: history and guidelines for researchers

Justification: Visibility of production in the area of nursing history. Objective: To analyze the process of creation of the Thematic Area of History of Nursing, as part of the Virtual Health Library - Nursing and cut out of the scientific production of the area used to guide the works of the thematic area. Methodology: Experience report linked to a bibliometric Literature Review study. Results: 99 articles were analyzed, with emphasis on the Brazilian production. The data guided the discussions of the Working Group for the creation of the Thematic Area of History of Nursing, created in 2018, composed of researchers in the area. Final considerations: There was a dispersion of productions, but also the potential of the area of publication in magazines with leadership in the rankings. The need to invest in networking, research groups and guiding researchers and database coordinators to improve the area is highlighted (AU)

Justificativa: Visibilidade da produção da área de história da enfermagem. Objetivo: Analisar o processo de criação da Área Temática de História da Enfermagem, como parte da Biblioteca Virtual de Saúde – Enfermagem e recorte da produção científica da área utilizado para nortear os trabalhos da área temática. Metodologia: Relato de experiência articulado à estudo de Revisão de Literatura bibliométrico. Resultados principais: Foram analisados 99 artigos, com destaque para a produção brasileira. Os dados nortearam as discussões do Grupo de trabalho para a criação da Área Temática de História da Enfermagem, criado em 2018, composto por pesquisadores na área. Considerações finais: Observou-se dispersão das produções, mas também a potencialidade da área de publicação em revistas com liderança nos rankings. Destaca-se a necessidade de investimento do trabalho em rede, de grupos de pesquisas e orientar pesquisadores e coordenadores de bases de dados para aprimoramento da área (AU)

The Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria: a bibliometric survey of the one hundred most cited articles in the last 15 years / Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria: uma pesquisa bibliométrica sobre os 100 artigos mais citados nos últimos 15 anos

OBJECTIVE: Bibliometrics is a group of statistical and mathematical methods employed to measure and analyze the quantity and the quality of scientific articles, books, and other forms of publications. The objective of the present study was to conduct a bibliometric analysis of the Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (JBP) by listing its 100 most highly cited articles in the scientific literature and identifying their main characteristics in terms of authorship and research topics and design. METHODS: The 100 topcited references in the JBP were identified through a search with Google Scholar. The main author, last author, corresponding author, the total number of authors, gender of the authors, year of publication, research institution, geographic origin, language, and the research design and subject of each reference were recorded and analyzed. RESULTS: A marked increase in the number of citations in the last 15 years, a relatively balanced distribution of publications among the Brazilian states and research centers, absence of gender bias among authors, and a varied range of published topics suggest a good current editorial performance by the JBP. Relative lack of systematic reviews and longitudinal studies, dearth of articles published in the English language, and modest participation of foreign authors were points requiring improvement. CONCLUSION: The present study suggests that a survey of the 100 most cited articles in the JBP can provide a historical overview of the progress of this journal, as well as highlight the main obstacles, constraints, and challenges faced by its editors and authors.

OBJETIVO: Bibliometria é um grupo de métodos estatísticos e matemáticos empregados para medir e analisar a quantidade e a qualidade de artigos científicos, livros e outras formas de publicações. O objetivo do presente estudo foi realizar uma análise bibliométrica do Jornal Brasileiro de Psiquiatria (JBP), relacionando seus 100 artigos mais citados na literatura científica e identificando suas principais características em termos de autoria e questões de pesquisa e delineamento experimental. MÉTODOS: As 100 referências mais citadas no JBP foram identificadas por meio de uma busca no Google Scholar. Foram registradas e analisadas as seguintes informações: autor principal, último autor, autor correspondente, número total de autores, gênero dos autores, ano de publicação, instituição de pesquisa, origem geográfica e idioma de cada referência e seu tema de investigação e delineamento metodológico. RESULTADOS: O aumento acentuado no número de citações nos últimos 15 anos, a boa distribuição das publicações entre os estados e centros de pesquisa brasileiros, a ausência de viés de gênero entre os autores e a variada gama de tópicos publicados sugerem um bom desempenho editorial atual do JBP. A relativa falta de revisões sistemáticas e estudos longitudinais, os poucos artigos publicados em inglês e a pequena participação de autores estrangeiros são pontos que requerem melhorias. CONCLUSÃO: O presente estudo sugere que o levantamento dos 100 artigos mais citados no JBP pode fornecer um panorama histórico da evolução dessa revista, bem como destacar os principais obstáculos, restrições e desafios enfrentados por seus editores e autores.

Hospital Librarians Meet the Challenges of the COVID-19 Pandemic.

When the COVID-19 pandemic arrived in the United States in early 2020, it caused an information explosion in the health science literature. Researchers wanted to share their results quickly, so they utilized sources that were not indexed in conventional databases. Hospital librarians stepped up to meet the information and public health challenges of the pandemic. They developed alternate strategies to provide services and resources remotely at a time when their physical libraries were closed to comply with the need for social distancing and compliance with public health recommendations.

Who is blocking access to PubMed? Educational 'Escape Room' for medical residents.

Teaching students how to conduct bibliographic searches in health sciences' databases is essential training. One of the challenges librarians face is how to motivate students during classroom learning. In this article, two hospital libraries, in Spain, used Escape rooms as a method of bringing creativity, teamwork, communication and critical thinking into bibliographic search instruction. Escape rooms are a series of puzzles that must be solved to exit the game. This article explores the methods used for integrating escape rooms into training programmes and evaluates the results. Escape Rooms are a useful tool that can be integrated into residents' training to support their instruction on bibliographic searches. This kind of learning stablishes competences like logical thinking and deductive approaching. These aspects aid participants to make their own decision and to develop social and intellectual skills.

An overview of research on natural resources and indigenous communities: a bibliometric analysis based on Scopus database (1979-2020).

Indigenous people constitute an important section of society in many countries. Despite being a numerically smaller section, they are culturally diverse and distributed mostly in valuable natural resources-rich regions worldwide. In the era of globalization, industrialization, and trade liberalization, indigenous communities have become more vulnerable to displacement, land alienation, cultural erosion, and social exclusion. During the last few decades, researchers have tried to evaluate and document their problems and prospects. The present study analyzes the trends and characteristics of research and development conducted about indigenous communities. The research hotspots based on keywords, productive researchers, and journals during 1979-2020 were mapped using the Scopus database. The analysis was carried out using the bibliometrix R-package and VOSviewer software tool. Consistent growth in the number of studies and citations on indigenous communities concerning environmental conservation, natural resources, and economic development was observed during the last four decades. The present findings reveal that research on the indigenous community has attracted the attention of the scientific community in recent years. Qualitative studies with methodological rigor, having potential for social and policy implications, are warranted to understand and respect ingrained cultural and socio-economic diversity among these communities. Graphical abstract.

Considerations for conducting systematic reviews: evaluating the performance of different methods for de-duplicating references.

BACKGROUND: Systematic reviews involve searching multiple bibliographic databases to identify eligible studies. As this type of evidence synthesis is increasingly pursued, the use of various electronic platforms can help researchers improve the efficiency and quality of their research. We examined the accuracy and efficiency of commonly used electronic methods for flagging and removing duplicate references during this process. METHODS: A heterogeneous sample of references was obtained by conducting a similar topical search in MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, and PsycINFO databases. References were de-duplicated via manual abstraction to create a benchmark set. The default settings were then used in Ovid multifile search, EndNote desktop, Mendeley, Zotero, Covidence, and Rayyan to de-duplicate the sample of references independently. Using the benchmark set as reference, the number of false-negative and false-positive duplicate references for each method was identified, and accuracy, sensitivity, and specificity were determined. RESULTS: We found that the most accurate methods for identifying duplicate references were Ovid, Covidence, and Rayyan. Ovid and Covidence possessed the highest specificity for identifying duplicate references, while Rayyan demonstrated the highest sensitivity. CONCLUSION: This study reveals the strengths and weaknesses of commonly used de-duplication methods and provides strategies for improving their performance to avoid unintentionally removing eligible studies and introducing bias into systematic reviews. Along with availability, ease-of-use, functionality, and capability, these findings are important to consider when researchers are selecting database platforms and supporting software programs for conducting systematic reviews.

[Neonatal screening for congenital hypothyroidism.] / Cribado neonatal del hipotiroidismo congénito.

BACKGROUND: Thyroid hormones are essential for normal brain development, with congenital hypothyroidism (CH) being the most frequent cause of mental retardation that can be prevented. The early detection of CH is of primary interest in Public Health and Preventive Medicine and is included in neonatal screening programs. In newborns detected and starting treatment in the first days of life, morbidity, mortality and possible disabilities associated with the disease are reduced. The objective of the review was to highlight the relevance of HC detection programs, to know the current situation at the national and global level and the challenges and future prospects. METHODS: The review was based on the selection of studies and reviews of the disease and published studies of different screening programs for the detection of CH. As sources of information, bibliographic reference bases, guides and / or protocols of scientific societies, documents of technological evaluation agencies and documents of official organizations have been used. RESULTS: In all the references consulted, it has been possible to verify based on the cases detected, positive predictive value and prevalences that the early detection of CH has been highly efficient for the diagnosis of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Neonatal screening for primary CH is an example of success in public health. Lines of research are needed to clarify whether other moderate forms of CH benefit from early detection and treatment.

OBJETIVO: Las hormonas tiroideas son fundamentales para un desarrollo cerebral normal, siendo el hipotiroidismo congénito (HC) la causa más frecuente de retraso mental que se puede prevenir. La detección precoz del HC es de interés primordial en Salud Pública y Medicina Preventiva y está incluida en los programas de cribado neonatal. En los recién nacidos detectados y que inician tratamiento en los primeros días de vida se consigue reducir la morbilidad, mortalidad y las posibles discapacidades asociadas a la enfermedad. El objetivo de la revisión fue poner de manifiesto la relevancia que tienen los programas de detección del HC, conocer la situación actual a nivel nacional y mundial y los desafíos y perspectivas de futuro. METODOS: La revisión se ha basado en la selección de estudios y revisiones de la enfermedad y de estudios publicados de diferentes programas de cribado para la detección del HC. Como fuentes de información se han utilizado bases de referencias bibliográficas, guías y/o protocolos de sociedades científicas, documentos de agencias tecnológicas evaluadoras y documentos de organismos oficiales. RESULTADOS: En todas las referencias consultadas se ha podido constatar en función de los casos detectados, valor predictivo positivo y prevalencias que la detección precoz del HC ha resultado de una gran eficiencia para el diagnóstico de la enfermedad. CONCLUSIONES: El cribado neonatal del HC primario es un ejemplo de éxito en salud pública. Son necesarias líneas de investigación para aclarar si otras formas moderadas del HC se benefician de su detección y tratamiento precoz.