Research Tools 03 — PubMed: Biomedical Research for Engineers

PubMed is a free search resource for biomedical and life science citations and abstracts. It is useful for biomedical devices, biomaterials, imaging, and health-related engineering.

PubMed, MEDLINE, and PubMed Central are different. MEDLINE is a major part of PubMed and uses Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) to describe topics. PubMed Central is a full-text archive. A PubMed record may link to a publisher or a free article, but not every article is freely available.

For a wearable sensor project, begin with everyday scientific keywords. Examine useful records for MeSH terms and alternative expressions. Combine these terms in a more focused search.

Read the study type and population. Results from a small laboratory experiment may not show that a device works well in hospitals.

Remember: inclusion is not an endorsement of a paper’s conclusions. Read critically.