Database	Time span of the search	Search strategy
Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL)	Issue 2, 2013.	#1 laparoscop* OR coelioscop* OR celioscop* OR peritoneoscop* #2 cholecystectom* #3 MeSH descriptor Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic explode all trees #4 (( #1 AND #2 ) OR #3) #5 MeSH descriptor Patient Education as Topic explode all trees #6 MeSH descriptor Preoperative Care explode all trees #7 information OR instruct* OR educat* OR advice* OR support* OR preoperativ* OR pre‐operativ* OR pre operativ* #8 #5 OR #6 OR #7 #9 #4 AND #8
MEDLINE (PubMed)	1987 to March 2013.	(((laparoscop* OR coelioscop* OR celioscop* OR peritoneoscop*) AND (cholecystectom*)) OR “cholecystectomy, laparoscopic”[MeSH]) AND ("Patient Education as Topic"[Mesh] OR "Preoperative Care"[Mesh] OR information or instruct* OR educat* OR advice* OR support* OR preoperativ* OR pre‐operativ* OR pre operativ*) AND ((randomised controlled trial [pt] OR controlled clinical trial [pt] OR randomised [tiab] OR placebo [tiab] OR drug therapy [sh] OR randomly [tiab] OR trial [tiab] OR groups [tiab]) NOT (animals [mh] NOT humans [mh]))
EMBASE (OvidSP)	1987 to March 2013.	1. (laparoscop* or coelioscop* or celioscop* or peritoneoscop*).af. 2. exp laparoscopic surgery/ 3. 1 or 2 4. cholecystectom*.af. 5. exp cholecystectomy/ 6. 4 or 5 7. (information or instruct* or educat* or advice* or support* OR preoperativ* or pre‐operativ* or pre operativ*).af. 8. patient education/ or preoperative education/ or preoperative care/ 9. 7 or 8 10. 3 and 6 and 9 11. exp crossover‐procedure/ or exp double‐blind procedure/ or exp randomised controlled trial/ or single‐blind procedure/ 12. (random* or factorial* or crossover* or placebo*).af. 13. 11 or 12 14. 10 and 13
Science Citation Index Expanded (ISI Web of Knowledge)	1987 to March 2013.	#1 TS=(laparoscop* OR coelioscop* OR celioscop* OR peritoneoscop*) #2 TS=(cholecystectom*) #3 TS=(information or instruct* or educat* or advice* or support* OR preoperativ* or pre‐operativ* or pre operativ*) #4 TS=(random* OR rct* OR crossover OR masked OR blind* OR placebo* OR meta‐analysis OR systematic review* OR meta‐analys*) #5 #4 AND #3 AND #2 AND #1
metaRegister of Controlled Trials (www.controlled‐trials.com/mrct/)	March 2013.	(laparoscop* OR coelioscop* OR celioscop* OR peritoneoscop*) AND (cholecystectom*) AND (information or instruct* or educat* or advice* or support* OR preoperativ* or pre‐operativ* or pre operativ*)