computer science

Searchmedica

Searchmedica is a computer science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Searchmedica rather than just read about it. In short: SearchMedica was a series of free medical search engines built by doctors for doctors and other medical professionals, with localized versions for the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Spain. Description SearchMedica was a specialist medical search engine for medical professionals.

Key takeaways

Searchmedica belongs to computer science; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Searchmedica to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Searchmedica from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Description SearchMedica was a specialist medical search engine for medical professionals. There were four localized versions:

Searchmedica.co.uk, which targeted UK GPs and medical professionals, and included clinical, drug and research data to the latest NICE, PCT or Department of Health guidelines. SearchMedica.com with sections for nine therapeutic areas (cardiovascular, diabetes/endocrine, hematology/oncology, infectious, mental/nervous system, musculoskeletal, pediatric, radiology and respiratory) as well as all of medicine (content from all of the foregoing specialties and more) and practice management. Includes data from PubMed (Medline citations) as well as other health-related government websites and authoritative clinical sites, analyzed and approved by medical specialists. Searchmedica.fr, a version for the French market with a focus on medical websites in French Searchmedica.es, a Spanish version. SearchMedica connected medical professionals with well-known, credible journals, peer-reviewed research, and evidence-based articles written for practicing healthcare professionals. In addition to ranking search results according to both publication date and relevance, SearchMedica also allowed users to focus searches by categories such as journal content, evidence-based medicine, guidelines, and patient information. SearchMedica was run by CMPMedica, a part of United Business Media, and was set up using search engine technology from Convera.

History The English version was the launched in June 2006, followed by the US version in August 2006 and the French version in February 2007. The Spanish version went live in the summer of 2007 and a relaunch occurred in January 2008. None of the primary websites appear to be operational as of 2020.

Business model SearchMedica makes money through advertising. However, advertising does not bias the ranking of results in their search engine.

References

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Searchmedica

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Searchmedica claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In computer science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Searchmedica before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Searchmedica ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Searchmedica

In research: Searchmedica appears in computer science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Searchmedica in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Searchmedica is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Health software, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Searchmedica outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Searchmedica in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Searchmedica means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Searchmedica out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Searchmedica in simple terms?

SearchMedica was a series of free medical search engines built by doctors for doctors and other medical professionals, with localized versions for the United Kingdom, the United States, France and Spain. Description SearchMedica was a specialist medical search engine for medical professionals.

Why does Searchmedica matter?

Because it connects several computer science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Searchmedica?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Searchmedica.