HSTAR is a new online database that provides access to the published literature of health services research. Health services research (HSR) is the study of the scientific basis and management of health services and their effect on access, quality, and cost of health care. Topics covered in HSTAR include planning, evaluation, quality assessment and assurance, health technology assessment, the development and use of clinical practice guidelines, and health services research methods.
HSTAR was developed by the National Library of Medicine's National Information Center on Health Services Research and Health Care Technology (NICHSR) (See NICHSR Fact Sheet for more information). HSTAR contains bibliographic records from MEDLINE®, HEALTH, CATLINE®, and additional records specially indexed for it and not appearing in any other MEDLARS® databases. HSTAR includes citations to journal articles, technical and government reports, books, and book chapters primarily from 1985 to the present. Selected citations prior to 1985 are also included. During 1994, NLM is enhancing HSTAR with meeting abstracts and newspaper articles.
HSTAR contains approximately 1.3 million records and is updated with weekly MEDLINE citations and monthly HEALTH, CATLINE, and specially indexed HSR citations. A unique feature of HSTAR is the inclusion of alternative procurement source information in appropriate records. When reports identified in HSTAR are available from locations in addition to NLM and the National Network of Libraries of Medicine® (NN/LM®), the alternative source is noted.
HSTAR is available on the NLM computer system 24 hours a day, seven days a week and may be searched using Grateful Med® (See Grateful Med Fact Sheet). The average cost of a Grateful Med search of HSTAR is between one and two dollars.
For information on accessing HSTAR using Grateful Med and/or obtaining an NLM user code contact:
MEDLARS Management Section
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
1-800-638-8480 (Voice)
(301)496-6193 (Voice)
mms@nlm.nih.gov
For information on HSTAR content contact:
National Information Center on Health
Services Research and Health Care
Technology (NICHSR)
National Library of Medicine
8600 Rockville Pike
Bethesda, MD 20894
(301)496-0176 (Voice)
1-800-272-4787 (Select 1,6,3,2) (Voice)
(301)402-3193 (FAX)
nichsr@nlm.nih.gov
