Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) is an organizational tool that is used to benefit the medical community. “That MeSH’s role is one of organization is not a surprising claim, but serves to emphasize that it is not solely for indexing or for cataloging, but also to support retrieval. The emphasis on knowledge and information accentuates the idea that the role is not one of characterizing data such as might be seen in a clinical or research environment, but material at a higher level of intellectual organization” (Source). Throughout my own research as to the purpose of MeSH, I noticed that researchers provide their own pathways of subject headings when presenting research. For example, an article entitled “Insulin Therapy in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit” lists in its abstract how research into literature was conducted:
A PubMed search was performed by using the following keywords and limits ((”hyperglycemia”[MeSH terms] or (”insulin resistance”[MeSH major topic]) and (”critical care”[MeSH terms] or “critical illness”[MeSH terms])) in different combinations with (”metabolism”[MeSH terms] or “metabolic networks and pathways”[MeSH terms]) and (”outcome”[all fields]) and (”infant”[MeSH terms] or “child”[MeSH terms] or “adolescent”[MeSH terms]). (Verbruggen, Joosten, Castillo, and van Goudoever)
However, when I contacted a pathologist working in research and asked her how she used Medical Subject Headings, I found the whole purpose of MeSH dissolving: “I don’t use them. I just type in keywords. I don’t know if they’re left over–kind of an anachronism from when search engines weren’t as good” (R. Rose, February 2, 2008).
If MeSH is an organizational tool that is used and maintained solely by those who construct it, then it may not be reaching its intended audience: medical researchers. If the tool no longer fits the need of the users, it may be time to put energy towards a project that will fit the needs of the audience. We may be viewing a transition period from traditional cataloging subject headings to keyword searches. With this transition, the purpose of MeSH may also change or transmute to another entity.
