This research shows that searchers have several sensitive filters to use to identify economic evaluations in MEDLINE: NHS QIS (full and brief), NHS EED, and Royle and Waugh.
Searchers may select filters based on highest precision (NHS EED) or conciseness (Royle and Waugh). Increased precision can be achieved by choosing filters with lower sensitivity. All the filters for EMBASE should be used without exclusion search lines that remove specific publication types and animal studies.
For searchers conducting scoping studies or rapid reviews, this research identified filters that offer higher levels of precision: the new MEDLINE G filter (more than 0.25 precision) and the new EMBASE H filter (more than 0.26 precision).
Searchers now have new comparative information on the performance of a range of filters, which can assist during the planning of the workload for technology assessments.