title: Finding knowledge translation articles in CINAHL.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The process of moving research into practice has a number of names including knowledge translation (KT). Researchers and decision makers need to be able to readily access the literature on KT for the field to grow and to evaluate the existing evidence.
  
  
  METHODS
  To develop and validate search filters for finding KT articles in the database Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health (CINAHL). A gold standard database was constructed by hand searching and classifying articles from 12 journals as KT Content, KT Applications and KT Theory.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sensitivity, specificity, precision, and accuracy of the search filters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Optimized search filters had fairly low sensitivity and specificity for KT Content (58.4% and 64.9% respectively), while sensitivity and specificity increased for retrieving KT Application (67.5% and 70.2%) and KT Theory articles (70.4% and 77.8%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Search filter performance was suboptimal marking the broad base of disciplines and vocabularies used by KT researchers. Such diversity makes retrieval of KT studies in CINAHL difficult.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Epidemiology & Biostatistics, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada. lokkerc@mcmaster.ca
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lokker
authors.forename: K Ann
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: McKibbon
authors.forename: Nancy L
authors.initials: NL
authors.lastname: Wilczynski
authors.forename: R Brian
authors.initials: RB
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Ciliska
authors.forename: Maureen
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dobbins
authors.forename: David A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: Sharon E
authors.initials: SE
authors.lastname: Straus
mesh_terms: D016208:Databases, Factual; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval / Q000379:methods*; D019359:Knowledge; D009729:Nursing; D009732:Nursing Care; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity