Finding the Evidence
Consider the six steps of Evidence-Based Medicine:
Ask a focused answerable clinical question
Reflect on what you already know about this question
Search for the best evidence to answer the question
Critically appraise the evidence
Find the best way to apply the evidence to your patient
Reflect on how you did on the above skills and what more you need to learn/practice
Asking a Question
Try it out:
Think of your last patient care session, and the issues that arose.
Write a background question for one of your information needs.
Write a foreground question for a different information need.
Reflect on what you already know:
Reminds you that you do, in fact, know stuff
Activates your brain so that you're ready to build new knowledge (cognitive learning theory)
Helps you identify more refined
Select the appropriate information source:
Consider your knowledge (more foreground or background)
Consider the question type (therapy, diagnosis, harm, prognosis)
Consider your constraints (just before precepting in a busy clinic, or preparing a scholarly activity)
Searching MEDLINE:
Don't. Unless you need to.
Bookmark your local resources
high quality background information sources
easy-to-access resources for foreground questions