Medical Subject Headings (also known as Medical Subject Heading, Subject Heading, Medical): Controlled vocabulary thesaurus produced by the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE. It consists of sets of terms naming descriptors in a hierarchical structure that permits searching at various levels of specificity.

NIH MeSH · D046650Information Science

Medical Subject Headings

Also known asMedical Subject Heading · Subject Heading, Medical · Subject Headings, Medical · MeSH Headings

Definition

Controlled vocabulary thesaurus produced by the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE. It consists of sets of terms naming descriptors in a hierarchical structure that permits searching at various levels of specificity.

MeSH classification

  • L01.462.750.245.945.700.500

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Common questions about Medical Subject Headings

What does Medical Subject Headings mean in medicine?
Controlled vocabulary thesaurus produced by the NATIONAL LIBRARY OF MEDICINE. It consists of sets of terms naming descriptors in a hierarchical structure that permits searching at various levels of specificity. This definition is taken from the National Library of Medicine's MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) 2026 release, which is the standard vocabulary used to index PubMed and most medical literature.
Is Medical Subject Headings known by any other names?
Yes. Medical Subject Headings is also referred to as Medical Subject Heading, Subject Heading, Medical, Subject Headings, Medical, MeSH Headings in different clinical, research and patient-facing contexts. The MeSH descriptor groups all of these synonyms under a single canonical concept so research and records stay consistent.
Where does Medical Subject Headings sit in the medical classification?
Medical Subject Headings falls under the broader medical category "Information Science" in the MeSH hierarchy (tree numbers: L01.462.750.245.945.700.500). Browsing the related concepts on this page takes you to neighbouring topics in the same branch of medicine.
Where can I get a plain-language explanation of Medical Subject Headings?
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Source: NIH MeSH 2026 (D046650) — National Library of Medicine, public domain. View official MeSH record ↗