Overview
The HTAi Information Retrieval Interest Group (IRG) is an Interest Group for individuals who provide information resources, discuss literature search methodology and investigate technologies appropriate to HTA work. The IRG invites members working in a wide variety of capacities to support informed decision making by exchanging information and sharing expertise for advancing processes, methodology and information retrieval tools.
Organization Information
Chair:
- Amanda Hodgson, Canada
Vice Chair:
- Rocío Rodríguez López, Spain
Technical Officer: Nebyu D. Mengestie, Ethiopia
IG Steering Committee Members:
- David Kaunelis, Canada
- Diane Lorenzetti, Canada
- Ingrid Harboe, Norway
- Joseph Finkelstein, United States
- Lisa Tjosvold, Canada
- Roland Pastells-Peiró, Spain
- Siw Waffenschmidt, Germany
Join IG
Contact our Technical Officer to find out how to become part of this interest group.
Nebyu D. Mengestie
to.inforetrieval@htai.org
eNewsletters
- IRG eNewsletter No. 20 (June 2024)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 19 (June 2023)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 18 (May 2022)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 17 (July 2021)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 16 (March 2020)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 15 (March 2019)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 14 (July 2018)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 13 (October 2017)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 12 (September 2016)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 11 (April 2016)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 10 (December 2015)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 9 (October 2014)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 8 (February 2014)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 7 (September 2013)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 6 (April 2013)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 5 (December 2012)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 4 (August 2012)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 3 (June 2012)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 2 (April 2012)
- IRG eNewsletter No. 1 (February 2012)
Resources and Materials
Other Resources and Materials (2021 and Older)
SuRe Info is a web resource that provides research-based information relating to information retrieval aspects available to anyone. Learn more
IRG Annual Business Meeting Minutes:
SuRe Info is a web resource that provides research-based information relating to the information retrieval aspects of producing systematic reviews and HTAs. SuRe Info seeks to help information specialists stay up-to-date in the latest developments by providing easy access to current methods papers, and support more research-based information retrieval practice. Learn more
Webinars
- Panelists:
- Lisa Tjosvold | Librarian, Faculty Engagement (Health Sciences), University of Alberta | Canada
- Amanda Hodgson | Chair, HTAi Information Retrieval Interest Group | Canada
- This webinar explores the capabilities and limitations of ChatGPT in the context of Systematic Review (SR) search development, highlighting its role in improving search accuracy and efficiency. Attendees will learn how ChatGPT can be utilized to refine search strategies, identify relevant studies, and navigate the challenges of literature searching in SRs. The webinar addresses the future potential of AI in revolutionizing SR methodologies, with practical insights into leveraging ChatGPT for more effective and innovative research outcomes.
- Date: October 23, 2024
- Panelists: Julie Glanville
- Search filters are sets of Search terms designed to find studies of a specific design they are an essential tool in searching for the evidence and they come in different shapes and sizes. They may be sensitive or broad and these types of filters are particularly useful when identifying studies for evidence synthesis such as systematic reviews.
- Date: June 1, 2023
- Panelists: Jaana Isojarvi and Julie Glanvile
- Evidence syntheses of all types have their foundation in literature searches. Literature searching is developing in line with the growing use of evidence synthesis and is also informed by the spirit of being evidence-based. Increasing numbers of research papers about information retrieval are being published, and keeping up to date with the latest developments in this ever more wide-ranging field is demanding.
- Date: February 23, 2022
Workshops
“Advanced Workshop in Information Retrieval: Recent Advances in Processes, Knowledge Sharing and Impact Assessment”
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2024 Annual Meeting
📍Seville, Spain
Workshop Date: June 16, 2024
Moderator/Facilitator:
Ingrid Harboe, NIPH (Norway)
Topics:
- Highlighting the RedETS community of HTA information specialists from Spain
- Increasing the impact of HTA reports: citation tracking and PubMed Bookshelf
- Revolutionizing Systematic Reviews? The Role of ChatGPT in Search Strategy Development
- Cloud-based reference management software tools – navigating a challenging environment in HTA- How does your organization manage references/data?
- Automation and optimization of Information Retrievalto support HTA
- AI-assisted Systematic Literature Reviews (SLRs) – Hope or Hype? Perspectives from an end user on the future of AI-assisted SLRs
- How can HTA Information specialists better collaborate?
Speakers/Presenters:
- Rebeca Isabel-Gómez, AETSA (Andalucía, Spain)
- Rocío Rodríguez-López, AETSA (Andalucía, Spain)
- Estefanía Herrera-Ramos , SESCS (Islas Canarias, Spain)
- Roland Pastells-Peiró, AQUas (Cataluña, Spain)
- Dr. Siw Waffenschmidt, IQWiG (Germany)
- Patrice Chalon, KCE (Belgium)
- Lisa Tjosvold, University of Alberta (Canada)
- Eon Ting, AstraZeneca (Canada)
- Alfonso Iorio, Health Information Research Unit, McMaster University (Canada)
“Advanced Workshop in Information Retrieval: New Challenges and Updated Approaches in Efficient HTA Literature Searching”
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2023 Annual Meeting
📍Adelaide, Australia.
Workshop date: June 25, 2023
This full day workshop highlighted engaging speakers and expert searchers exploring efficient search practices and opportunities to harmonize and align our efforts in Health Technology Assessment. A special focus this year was highlighting the perspective of librarians, information specialists and researchers in the Australian HTA community.
Presentations and Speakers:
- Population Filters (Catherine Voutier, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Australia)
- Improving Query Formulation for Systematic Review Literature Searches (Guido Zuccon, University of Queensland, Australia)
- IQWiG’s experience with identifying registries for patients with rare diseases (Siw Waffenschmidt, IQWIG, Germany)
- Information Retrieval in the context of Real-World Evidence (RWE): Experiences at CADTH (Amanda Hodgson, CADTH, Canada)
- The Highway to Evidence: Re-using and Sharing Existing Evidence (Justin Clark, Bond University, Australia)
“Advanced Workshop In Information Retrieval: Addressing Lifecycles Of The Literature In Health Technology Assessment”
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2022 Annual Meeting in
📍Utrecht, Netherlands.
Workshop date: June 25, 2022
The HTAi Information Retrieval Group (IRG) holds its advanced skills workshop each year at the HTAi Annual Meeting. This year focused on addressing the challenges of navigating the lifecycle of the literature supporting the work of Health Technology Assessment. This annual workshop allows participants the opportunity to learn new advances in information retrieval and share their innovative experiences and practices with other expert searchers.
Structure of Session
This full day workshop included sessions that connected to many of the following themes which impact searching for evidence across the lifecycle of HTA. Topics included:
- Searching for evidence beyond RCTs
- Real World Evidence
- Post-Marketing Surveillance
- Issues with different publication formats
- Pre-prints
- Predatory journals
- Working with existing systematic reviews
- Living systematic reviews
- Condition-level reviews
- Evidence maps
The workshop included interactive activities, e.g. hands-on exercise, group and plenary discussions. Previous workshops in information retrieval have generated vibrant discussion and lots of engagement among the participants.
Outcomes and Objectives
Objectives of the workshop are to advance the skills of those conducting literature searches as the foundational piece of HTA work.
Target audience: Information specialists and others interested in information retrieval tools and methods.
Presentations and Speakers:
- Christa Niehot, Netherlands
- Mbachi Ruth Msomphora, Norway
- Per-Olov Andersson, Sweden
- James Thomas, UK
- Siw Waffenschmidt, Germany
- Amanda Hodgson, Canada
- Monika Mierzwinski-Urban, Canada
- David Kaunelis, Canada
- Stacy Brody, USA
- Nicole Askin, Canada
- Mark Mueller, Canada
- Ingrid Harboe, Norway
“Advanced Workshop in Information Retrieval: The NICE Information Services Team,
Innovative Automation Tools, and Unlimited Possibilities”
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2021 Annual Meeting
📍Virtual
Workshop date: June 19, 2021
This HTAi Information Retrieval Group workshop focused on how the NICE information services team works; their collaboration in the UK and internationally. We also explored automation technologies and tools to improve searching and study identification, highlighting COVID-19 tools and resources.
Moderators:
• Siw Waffenschmidt, Chair IRG, Head of Information Management Unit, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), Germany
• Ingrid Harboe, Co-Chair IRG, Information Specialist, Division of Health Services, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Norway
Presenters:
• Caroline Miller, Senior Information Manager, Information Services Team, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence, UK
• Paul Levay, Information Specialist National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), UK
• Tomas J. Allen, WHO Library ( Library & Digital Information Networks) World Health Organization, Switzerland
• James Thomas, Director of the Evidence for Policy and Practice Information and Coordinating (EPPI)- Centre, UCL Social Research Institute, UK
• Gunn Vist – Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPH), Norway
• Robin Featherstone, Information Specialist, Cochrane Editorial and Methods Department, The Cochrane Collaboration, UK
“Advancing Information Retrieval for the new decade: automation tools, CSRs, search efficiencies and DTA studies”
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2019 Annual Meeting
📍 Cologne, Germany
Workshop date: June 16, 2019
Introduction
The HTAi Information Retrieval Group (IRG) holds its advanced skills workshop each year at the HTAi Annual Meeting. This year we want to explore four topics that HTA information specialists will be encountering in the next decade.
Moderators:
- Siw Waffenschmidt, Chair IRG, Head of Information Management Unit, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG), Germany
- Ingrid Harboe, Co-Chair IRG, Research librarian, Division for Health Services, Norwegian Institute of Public Health (NIPHNO)., Norway
Presentations and Speakers:
- Justin Clark, Cochrane Acute Respiratory Infections Group Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP), Bond University, Gold Coast, Australia
- Julie Glanville, York Health Economics Consortium, York, UK
- Elke Hausner, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Germany
- Amanda Hodgson, Canadian Agency for Drugs and Technologies in Health, Canada
- Michael Köhler, Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care, Germany
- Maria-Inti Metzendorf, Cochrane Metabolic and Endocrine Disorders Group Institute of General Practice, Medical Faculty of the Heinrich-Heine-University, Düsseldorf, Germany
- Claire Stansfield, EPPI-Centre, University College London, UK
- Rene Spijker, Cochrane Netherlands
- James Thomas, EPPI-Centre, University College London, UK
Declaration of Funding: The presenter(s) received no specific funding for this work.
“Rapid Reviews and Text Analysis Tools: Practical Guidance for Advanced Information Retrieval”
IRG Pre-Conference Workshop for the HTAi 2017 Annual Meeting
📍Rome, Italy
Workshop date: June 18, 2017
Summary
The workshop focused on providing practical guidance for advanced information retrieval through rapid reviews and text analysis tools. Rapid reviews, a faster alternative to systematic reviews, involve tailored search strategies, tools, and resources to address diverse needs, as demonstrated through CADTH Rapid Response projects. These reviews balance speed, coverage, and bias, with evidence-based tools and insights into future trends enhancing their effectiveness. Additionally, text analysis tools aid in developing search strategies by analyzing database records, identifying search terms, visualizing concepts, and selecting subject headings. These tools improve search sensitivity and support Information Specialists in handling complex or challenging searches.
Topics:
- Rapid Reviews
- Overview and methods of rapid reviews.
- Search strategies, tools, and resources for rapid reviews.
- Practical steps for diverse review types using examples from CADTH Rapid Response projects.
- Evidence-based tools for evaluating speed, coverage, and bias.
- Current research and future trends.
- Text Analysis Tools
- Using database records for search strategy development.
- Frequency analysis and concept visualization.
- Identification of search terms and subject headings.
- Enhancing sensitivity for complex or challenging searches.
Presenters:
Morning Session: Rapid Reviews
Andrew Booth, Reader in Evidence-Based Information Practice, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, UK.
Fiona Campbell, Research Fellow, School of Health and Related Research (ScHARR), University of Sheffield, UK.
Sarah C. McGill, Lead Research Information Specialist, CADTH, Canada.
Afternoon Session: Text Analysis Tools
Julie Glanville, Associate Director, York Health Economics Consortium, University of York, UK.
Carol Lefebvre, Independent Information Consultant, Lefebvre Associates Ltd, Oxford, UK.