Table 1 Ovid MEDLINE search strategy

#

Search

1.

*Palliative Care/

2.

palliative care.ab,ti.

3.

support* care.ab,ti.

4.

early palliative care.af.

5.

special* palliative care.af.

6.

terminal care.ab,ti.

7.

hospice.ab,ti.

8.

coordinat* care.ab,ti.

9.

comprehensiv* care.ab,ti.

10.

1 or 2 or 3 or 4 or 5 or 6 or 7 or 8 or 9

11.

randomized controlled trial.pt.

12.

controlled clinical trial.pt.

13.

randomized.ab.

14.

placebo.ab.

15.

clinical trials as topic.sh.

16.

randomly.ab.

17.

trial.ti.

18.

11 or 12 or 13 or 14 or 15 or 16 or 17

19.

((comment or editorial or meta-analysis or practice-guideline or review or letter or journal correspondence) not “randomized controlled trial”).pt.

20.

(random sampl$ or random digit$ or random effect$ or random survey or random regression).ti,ab. not “randomized controlled trial”.pt.

21.

exp animals/ not humans.sh.

22.

child*.mp. or Child/

23.

10 and 18

24.

19 not (19 or 20 or 21 or 22)