The development of an updated prehospital search filter for the Cochrane Library: Prehospital Search Filter Version 2.0

Prehospital care is a dynamic domain. Emerging roles, changes to clinical scope and practice, and changing terminologies have highlighted the ongoing need to identify and critically appraise prehospital research. In 2004, Smith, McDonald, Wasiak, Jennings, MacPherson and Archer reported on the development of a prehospital literature search filter for The Cochrane Library.1 The search filter was designed to provide a comprehensive and transparent methodology to identify research conducted in the prehospital environment. At the time the authors identified that the search filter would need to be modified over time to reflect changes in the literature and the scope of prehospital care.1 This paper reports on the first modification of the original search filter. The Prehospital Search Filter Version 2.0 was developed to ensure that the search filter continues to capture all relevant research and remains a useful tool in identifying prehospital literature.