Not mistaken indexing - but I have a story about mistaken meanings so to speak
 
Back in the mists of time when I first started literature searching in the NHS, I was asked to look into suicides in the farming community as they were seemingly on the rise, including methods used (shotguns, poisons etc). Decided to start very simply, so typed 'suicide' and 'farmer' into the search box, which returned a reasonable amount of references. Sifting through the titles, I noticed many of them were about suicides on the Underground and was surprisedly thinking 'surely all the farmers in Britain don't come up to London to fling themsevelves in front of a tube train' ?!
Of course they don't - I found to my embarrassment that the articles were written by one Richard Farmer. Well I was fairly new at this game....
 
Best
Barbara
 

Barbara Norrey MA (Dist), BA (Joint Hons), Dip Lib, Dip Cons

Library Services Manager .
Essex Public Health Resource Unit (EPHRU)
8 Collingwood Road, Witham, Essex CM8 2TT
Tel: 01376 302268
www.ephru.nhs.uk

'To write with a broken pencil is pointless...'

 
-----Original Message-----
From: UK medical/ health care library community / information workers [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Manson Paul (NHS Grampian)
Sent: 16 August 2010 16:26
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Friday afternoon stuff

Hello All,
 
I know it's nowhere near Friday, but I wasn't in the office last Friday and I thought this might entertain (or horrify) you.
 
I was asked to carry out a search on the use of bioelectrical impedance on dialysis patients.  I'm sure you're aware that bioelectrical impedance involves sticking electrodes on various parts of a patient (that's the important bit for what follows).  I had successfully searched Embase for 'impedance' and 'renal replacement therapy', limiting the results to English and humans.  However, when I checked my results against the reference list for a review article I had, I realised I was missing what seemed to be an important article.  I found the article and had a root around to see where the mistake lay.  I was surprised to find one of the subject headings was 'Cattle', especially as the article was most definitely about human patients.  Thinking there may be some animal studies quoted I read the article and checked its references but there wasn't the slightest mention of bovine studies.  However, there are 25 mentions of the word 'calf'  - but most definitely referring to the lower leg and not brown-eyed baby cows!
 
Has anyone else come across similar examples of mistaken/individualised indexing?
 
 
Regards,
 
Paul
 
Paul Manson
Liaison/Clinical Librarian
NHS Grampian
Room 1:091
Medical Library
Polwarth Building
Foresterhill
Aberdeen
AB25 2ZD
 
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Internal: ext 59433
External: 01224 559433

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