Every year, a team at the National Library of Medicine (NLM) in Bethesda, Maryland, reviews their subject headings to ensure accuracy, relevancy and timeliness. This includes purging the list of outdated terms, adding any new terms that they’ve deemed important (think, Covid in 2020…), and updating the language of terms. To date, there are over 30,000 MeSH terms to choose from! Let’s take a look at some of the new additions:

Artificial Intelligence Craze: AI is EVERYWHERE! No one is immune, even the National Library of Medicine! It makes sense that they would choose to expand the subject headings surrounding AI as it is slowly permeating every aspect of our lives, even healthcare. The new and improved Artificial Intelligence MeSH term now has narrower terms associated with it, notably Intelligent Systems, Prediction Methods, Machine, Large Language Models, Generative Artificial Intelligence and Pattern Analysis, Machine.

Mother Earth: Other than replacing the words peas, lettuce, chicory and ginger with their government names (Pisum sativum, Lactuca, Cichorium intybus and Zingiber officinale, respectively, in case you were wondering), the NLM has done some work surrounding the environment and climate change. They’ve added the term Climate Anxiety (the “persistent and difficult to control psychological distress over climate change” that you feel, too, right?) and updated terms to include severe phenomena that are becoming all too common, like Wildfires. I wonder if walking in a forest will cure any of my anxiety? I should search PubMed! And when I do, I’ll be sure to include the new Forest Therapy MeSH term in my search string.

Focus on People: There has been a move towards describing professions in terms of the people who do them, not just the discipline itself. Believe it or not, until recently, Psychologists was not its own MeSH term. The same goes for Personal Trainers, Frontline Workers and Opticians. They’ve also expanded the list of people in general to include those that might require care or present differently because of their occupations (Truck Drivers), because of immunization status (Unvaccinated Persons), or because of social circumstances (Battered Men).

As part of this focus on people, the NLM, consistently criticized for their outdated and restrictive terminology, has expanded and reworded their list of population groups, including entry terms that map to subject headings. For example, if I search for the Himba people, I will be redirected to Southern African People, or if I search for Korean people, I’ll be brought to East Asian People. They have done away with insensitive descriptors for Black People and Asian People (formerly just Blacks and Asians) and reworked the definition of Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander.

As far as important changes go, the NLM tries to keep up with updated terminology. Language changes rapidly, and as we learn and become more sensitive and inclusive in our everyday communications, the language we use to describe articles should reflect that growth. Here are some noteworthy changes:

Have you come across a MeSH term that you think needs changing? Or have you tried to find a MeSH term that doesn’t exist but you think it should? The NLM welcomes feedback! You can make suggestions here.

Still not sure why you should be searching using subject headings? We have a page for you! Check out the McGill Libraries Health Sciences Research Tips to get the answer to that question and many more!

What’s my favourite MeSH term, you ask? This year, MeSH added a term for Lacrosse. For all your lacrosse-related research. It’s not so much the term, but the fact that the NLM took the time to research the sport and include the rules in the definition. I’ve seen diseases described with less accuracy. Big lacrosse fans over at the National Library of Medicine, it seems…