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Systematic Review Search Translator: PubMed Strategy to Ovid Embase and EBSCO CINAHL with MeSH to Emtree and CINAHL Headings Mapping, Field Codes, Proximity, and PRISMA-S Reporting

Translate a finished PubMed search into Ovid Embase and EBSCO CINAHL the way a health sciences librarian does: a concept table that maps MeSH to Emtree and CINAHL Headings candidates, line by line strategies in each platform's syntax, a translation table for field codes, truncation, and proximity, limit warnings, benchmark article checks, and a PRISMA-S reporting block.

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October 5, 2026

Prompt

Act as a health sciences librarian who builds and translates systematic review search strategies across PubMed, Ovid Embase, and EBSCO CINAHL. You translate concept by concept, never by find and replace, because each database has its own thesaurus and syntax.

Inputs:
- The review question with its PICO or PEO elements: [ReviewQuestion]
- The final PubMed strategy, pasted exactly: [PubMedStrategy]
- Target databases and platforms (Ovid Embase, Ovid MEDLINE, EBSCO CINAHL, Cochrane CENTRAL, Scopus): [TargetDatabases]
- Limits applied in PubMed (dates, languages, human studies, publication types): [Limits]
- Known relevant articles the search must retrieve: [BenchmarkArticles]
- The date each search will be run: [SearchDates]
- Output format: [Format]

Generate:
1. A concept table that splits PubMedStrategy into concepts. For each concept list the MeSH terms and whether they are exploded, the free text terms, and Emtree and CINAHL Headings candidates marked VERIFY IN THESAURUS, because heading names and trees differ between databases.
2. A numbered Ovid Embase strategy: exp heading/ for exploded Emtree terms, .ti,ab,kw. for free text, adj3 style proximity where useful, * truncation, and lines combined with or and and by line number.
3. An EBSCO CINAHL strategy: MH headings with + to explode, TI and AB field codes, N3 proximity, * truncation, and S numbered sets combined in the search history.
4. A syntax translation table: PubMed tag, Ovid equivalent, EBSCO equivalent, and a note wherever meaning changes, such as PubMed automatic term mapping that Ovid and EBSCO do not do.
5. A translation of Limits, warning where a database checkbox is not equivalent, and preferring the animal NOT human exclusion over a humans checkbox.
6. A validation step against BenchmarkArticles: which lines should catch each article and what to check if one is missed. Then a PRISMA-S reporting block per database with platform, coverage, SearchDates, full strategy, limits, and records retrieved left blank.

Constraints:
- Do not invent headings, accession numbers, PMIDs, or hit counts. Leave counts as ____.
- Keep every free text term from PubMedStrategy unless you explain why it was dropped. No em dashes.

Instructions

Replace every [bracket] with your details before running. Works on ChatGPT, Claude, and Gemini.

Generated Output

This image was generated using the prompt above.

Systematic Review Search Translator: PubMed Strategy to Ovid Embase and EBSCO CINAHL with MeSH to Emtree and CINAHL Headings Mapping, Field Codes, Proximity, and PRISMA-S Reporting - Result

Examples

Example Input

ReviewQuestion: In adults aged 60 and older with type 2 diabetes, do home based telehealth exercise programs, compared with usual care or in person exercise, improve HbA1c and physical function?
PubMedStrategy: ("Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2"[Mesh] OR "type 2 diabetes"[tiab] OR T2DM[tiab]) AND ("Telemedicine"[Mesh] OR telehealth[tiab] OR telerehabilitation[tiab] OR "home based exercise"[tiab]) AND ("Exercise"[Mesh] OR "Exercise Therapy"[Mesh] OR exercis*[tiab] OR "physical activity"[tiab]) AND ("Aged"[Mesh] OR "older adult*"[tiab] OR elderly[tiab])
TargetDatabases: Ovid Embase, EBSCO CINAHL
Limits: English, 2010 to present, humans filter
BenchmarkArticles: a 2019 randomized trial of video based home exercise in older adults with T2DM and a 2022 telerehabilitation pilot, both already in our library
SearchDates: all searches run on October 12, 2026
Format: concept table, two strategies, syntax table, validation, PRISMA-S

Example Output

Concept table
| Concept | MeSH | Free text | Emtree candidate | CINAHL candidate |
| T2DM | Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 (exploded by default) | type 2 diabetes, T2DM | non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus, VERIFY IN THESAURUS | Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2, VERIFY |
| Telehealth | Telemedicine | telehealth, telerehabilitation, home based exercise | telehealth; telerehabilitation, VERIFY | Telehealth, VERIFY |
| Exercise | Exercise; Exercise Therapy | exercis*, physical activity | exercise; kinesiotherapy, VERIFY | Exercise; Therapeutic Exercise, VERIFY |
| Older adults | Aged | older adult*, elderly | aged, VERIFY | Aged, VERIFY |

Ovid Embase
1 exp non insulin dependent diabetes mellitus/
2 ("type 2 diabetes" or T2DM).ti,ab,kw.
3 1 or 2
4 exp telehealth/ or exp telerehabilitation/
5 (telehealth or telerehabilitation or ((home or remote or video) adj3 exercis*)).ti,ab,kw.
6 4 or 5
7 exp exercise/ or exp kinesiotherapy/
8 (exercis* or "physical activity").ti,ab,kw.
9 7 or 8
10 exp aged/ or ("older adult*" or elderly).ti,ab,kw.
11 3 and 6 and 9 and 10
12 11 not (exp animal/ not exp human/)
13 limit 12 to (english language and yr="2010 -Current")

EBSCO CINAHL
S1 (MH "Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2") OR TI ("type 2 diabetes" OR T2DM) OR AB ("type 2 diabetes" OR T2DM)
S2 (MH "Telehealth+") OR TI (telehealth OR telerehabilitation OR (home OR remote OR video) N3 exercis*) OR AB (telehealth OR telerehabilitation OR (home OR remote OR video) N3 exercis*)
S3 (MH "Exercise+") OR (MH "Therapeutic Exercise+") OR TI (exercis* OR "physical activity") OR AB (exercis* OR "physical activity")
S4 (MH "Aged+") OR TI ("older adult*" OR elderly) OR AB ("older adult*" OR elderly)
S5 S1 AND S2 AND S3 AND S4, limiters: English Language; Published Date 20100101 onward

Syntax translation
| PubMed | Ovid | EBSCO | Note |
| [Mesh] | exp term/ | (MH "term+") | Explode is explicit outside PubMed |
| [tiab] | .ti,ab,kw. | TI or AB | Ovid kw adds author keywords |
| "home based exercise" | (home adj3 exercis*) | home N3 exercis* | Proximity widened on purpose; report it |
| automatic term mapping | none | none | Only listed terms are searched |

Limits: CINAHL has no reliable humans checkbox for this topic, so the population concept carries it. Note the human exclusion only in Embase.

Validation
The 2019 video trial should hit Embase lines 5 and 8; the 2022 pilot should hit line 4 or 5 through telerehabilitation. If either is missed, check its indexing in the record and add the missing heading or synonym.

PRISMA-S
Embase, Ovid platform, 1974 to present, searched October 12, 2026, strategy above, limits English and 2010 onward, records ____.
CINAHL, EBSCOhost, searched October 12, 2026, strategy above, records ____.

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