The Index Medicus: why it works and when it doesn't.
A user study of the Index Medicus done at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center included responses from a group of sixty researchers, clinicians, residents, and interns. An analysis of the questionnaire shows that, while all respondents use the Index Medicus, most use it to search for a specific subject or a specific author reference. Comments received were critical of the delay from the time of journal publication until the appearance of its citation in Index Medicus. Suggestions were offered concerning the type of publication most of the respondents would prefer.
D000043:Abstracting and Indexing; D009317:National Library of Medicine (U.S.); D014481:United States