Plan the sweep by searching each registry for the drug's intervention name and its synonyms, then filtering by recruitment status and date fields and logging every registry identifier and linked publication you find. ClinicalTrials.gov supports searches of registered studies with filters for condition, intervention, location, status, study type, and dates, and the WHO ICTRP Search Portal provides a single access point for records supplied by participating registries. Running both gives you a documented sweep rather than a single-database snapshot.
- Fix the intervention terms first. List the drug's generic name, brand names, and common abbreviations, then run each as an intervention search. Record which term strings you used and the date you ran them, so the sweep can be reproduced.
- Search ClinicalTrials.gov and the WHO ICTRP portal. Use ClinicalTrials.gov's intervention filter and apply status and date filters to bound the set; use the ICTRP portal to reach records supplied by other participating registries. Expect the two result sets to differ, and treat any difference as unresolved until you check the individual record.
- Capture structured fields for each hit. For every record, log the registry identifier, title, status, study design, eligibility, locations, outcomes, and any reported results, since ClinicalTrials.gov defines these as structured registration and results fields.
- Attach linked publications. Where a record points to a publication, note the citation against the registry identifier so the background section can cite the trial and its report together.
- Sort the list into discuss and exclude. Mark trials that bear on your grant rationale as discuss, and record a one-line reason for each exclusion (for example, wrong population or discontinued status) so reviewers can see the boundary of your sweep.
The output is a documented sweep plus a shortlist of trials to discuss or exclude, which is what the background section needs before you draft.