Using Electronic Health Information Resources in Evidence-Based Practice
Article Abstract:
There are several information sources for doctors who want to practice evidence-based medicine. Evidence-based medicine means doctors will try to use only those treatments that have been proven to be effective. This means they must be tested against a placebo, or inactive substance. Clinical trials are the only research studies that do this but they can be difficult to find in large medical databases such as Medline. For this reason, doctors are developing databases that contain only clinical trials. Examples include the Cochrane database, Best Evidence, Clinical Evidence, and OVID Technology's Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 2000
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Effects of Computer-Based Clinical Decision Support Systems on Physician Performance and Patient Outcomes
Article Abstract:
Computer-based clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) may be beneficial in guiding medical personnel in drug dosing and preventive care, but they do not convincingly improve patient diagnosis. CDSSs provide useful data analysis, decision support, and other information physicians can use in making treatment decisions. Researchers reviewed 68 clinical trials using CDSSs, and found that 66% concluded that the systems benefited patient care. Since 1992, the quality of CDSSs has improved substantially. Only 20% of studies of computerized diagnostic aids found the decision support systems useful.
Publication Name: JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0098-7484
Year: 1998
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Locating and appraising systematic reviews
Article Abstract:
Physicians may often want to find systematic reviews of a particular topic rather than wading through dozens of individual research reports. One way to do this is to search MEDLINE, which is an online database containing over 7 million articles dating back to 1966. However, search terms must be carefully chosen to maximize retrieval. Another online database is Best Evidence, which includes articles from the American College of Physicians' Journal Club and the journal Evidence-Based Medicine. The Cochrane Library is also a good source and is available on CD-ROM and soon on the Internet.
Publication Name: Annals of Internal Medicine
Subject: Health
ISSN: 0003-4819
Year: 1997
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