title: A comparison of drug literature coverage by Index Medicus and Drug Literature Index.
abstract: We compared Index Medicus and Drug Literature Index during a search concerning the toxicity of eight drugs used in treating tropical diseases. Indexes covering the years 1969, 1970, and 1971 were searched. Index Medicus produced 198 citations and Drug Literature Index 309. There were seventy citations that appeared in both indexes, a duplication of 16%. Highest percentage of duplication for any one drug was 38.9%. We concluded that Index Medicus and Drug Literature Index provide complementary coverage in the area of drug toxicity and that, therefore, both tools should be consulted in searches of this nature.
mesh_terms: D001634:Bibliographies as Topic; D064420:Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions; D014330:Tropical Medicine