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Clinical Topics (clinical + topics)
Selected AbstractsCritical literature 2007: Clinical topicsJOURNAL OF HOSPITAL MEDICINE, Issue 4 2008Mel L. Anderson [source] Systematic reviews to support evidence-based psychiatry: what about schizophrenia?JOURNAL OF EVALUATION IN CLINICAL PRACTICE, Issue 6 2009Massimo Morlino MD Abstract Objective, To assess whether systematic reviews (SRs), the gold standard for scientific research, can offer valuable support in evidence-based psychiatry in the treatment of schizophrenia. Methods, We used three database services (Ovid, PubMed and Cochrane) to identify SRs related to schizophrenia, found 163 reviews and grouped them by topic. We then evaluated each study's conclusions and divided them into three groups based on results (ranging from certain to null conclusions). Results, SRs of pharmacological treatments represented 59% of the studies sampled, only 23% of which had reached certain conclusions. Other clinical topics were less frequently represented and had achieved lower degrees of certainty. Conclusions, Only 40 SRs (22 studies investigating pharmacological treatment) provided clear-cut answers to clinical questions examined. Results therefore showed that SRs provide a certain but rather limited contribution to scientific evidence in the field of schizophrenia. [source] Successful teaching in evidence-based medicineMEDICAL EDUCATION, Issue 1 2000William A Ghali Objectives Several published articles have described the importance of exposing medical trainees to the ,new paradigm' of evidence-based medicine (EBM). Recognizing this, we sought to develop and objectively evaluate a mini-course in EBM for third-year medical students. Design We developed a mini-course consisting of four sessions in which students learn to derive sequentially focused questions, search MEDLINE, review articles critically and apply information from the literature to specific clinical questions. To evaluate the teaching intervention, we performed a controlled educational study. Students at the intervention site (n=34) attended the EBM mini-course, while students at the control site (n=26) received more ,traditional' didactic teaching on various clinical topics. Intervention and control students were surveyed immediately before and after the mini-course to assess changes in reading and literature searching skills, as well as a tendency to use the literature to answer clinical questions. Setting Boston University School of Medicine. Subjects Third-year medical students. Results The intervention was associated with significant changes in students' self-assessed skills and attitudes. MEDLINE and critical appraisal skills increased significantly in the intervention group relative to the control group (significance of between group differences: P=0·002 for MEDLINE and P=0·0002 for critical appraisal), as did students' tendency to use MEDLINE and original research articles to solve clinical problems (significance of between group differences: P=0·002 and P=0·0008, respectively). Conclusions We conclude that this brief teaching intervention in EBM has had a positive impact on student skills and attitudes at our medical school. We believe that the key elements of this intervention are (1) active student involvement, (2), clinical relevance of exercises and (3) integrated teaching targeting each of the component skills of EBM. [source] Fate of abstracts presented at five International Conferences on Pharmacoepidemiology (ICPE): 1995,1999PHARMACOEPIDEMIOLOGY AND DRUG SAFETY, Issue 2 2002P. Stolk Abstract Background Meetings are an important way of exchanging scientific information, but full diffusion of new information can only be achieved when results are published in scientific journals. Purpose (1) To determine the publication frequency of accepted abstracts for the yearly international conferences on pharmacoepidemiology (ICPE) and to examine predicting variables; (2) if published, to determine impact differences between ,oral' and ,poster' abstracts and to determine type and nature of publishing journals. Results Overall, one out of three abstracts resulted in a publication in the peer-reviewed journals studied. Abstracts from North America were more often presented orally than abstracts from Europe, but had lower publication chances. ,Oral' abstracts were more likely to be published than ,poster' abstracts; abstracts with a strong methodological content had a lower publication frequency. Most of the published abstracts were found in pharmacology and pharmacy journals (33%) and journals on specific clinical topics (30%). Conclusions Only one out of three papers presented at ICPE ends up in established peer-reviewed journals. Although the publication characteristics for ICPE are not very different from other conferences, there are certain questions that warrant further investigation. Copyright © 2002 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [source] Structured intervention utilizing state professional societies to foster quality improvement in practiceTHE JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, Issue 3 2008Suzanne Lazorick MD Abstract Introduction: Despite the existence of guidelines for attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), clinical practices vary substantially. Practitioners can apply quality improvement (QI) strategies to adapt office processes and clinical practice towards evidence-based care. We identified facilitators and barriers to participation in a professional society,led structured collaborative to learn QI methods and improve care. Methods: Ten chapters of the American Academy of Pediatrics participated in the effort. Support to chapter leaders included conference calls, listserv, technical support, and data aggregation. Support from the chapters to participating pediatricians included online continuing medical education modules, a workshop, chart reviews, and QI coaching. Qualitative data were obtained through interviews of 22 project leaders and reviews of project progress reports. Quantitative results were obtained from surveys of 186 physician participants. Outcomes included facilitators/barriers to program implementation, evidence for sustained chapter QI infrastructure, and participant assessment of improvements in care. Results: Facilitators included physician opinion leaders, a workshop, conference calls, QI support, and opportunities for shared learning. Barriers included lack of time, competing clinical priorities, challenges of using the online module, and underutilization of listservs. Seven chapters planned ongoing activities around attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), eight had specific plans to use QI infrastructure for additional clinical topics, and three developed significant QI infrastructure. Physicians believed care improved. Discussion: As requirements grow for participation in QI for maintenance of certification, national and state-level professional societies are interested in and can develop infrastructure to support quality improvement. Coaching, tools, and support from the national organization and QI experts are helpful in facilitating efforts. [source] | ||||||||||