The Evidence@Becker blog will be discontinued temporarily while the author attends to new duties in his job.  A new clinical resources librarian is anticipated in 2009, and s/he may elect to continue the blog or change it at that time.  Becker Library’s evidence resources will continue to be at http://becker.wustl.edu/resources/clinport/ebm.html.

Interesting usability testing on the Cochrane Library.

An interesting site with a lot of content.  Parts of the site really detail the merger between patient values and the evidence base.

AHRQ’s Put Prevention Into Practice (PPIP) now features a number of tools, including evidence-based checklists geared towards the health of adults over 50, and checklists for staying healthy at any age.

A nice AORN Journal article outlining a scheme for evaluating the quality and credibility of health information web sites.  Included are tips for assessing bias in a web site, looking for valid recommendations, and ultimately, deciding whether or not the web site will help patients.  Also mentioned is the 15-item DISCERN questionnaire for evaluating the quality of written health information.

A nice article tracing the history, development and future challenges of providing enhanced, freely-accessible information from the National Library of Medicine.

An interesting pair of brief editorials in the May 2008 issue of Chest about whether or not EBM has a sound scientific base.

A recent article from Health Services Research highlights something heard casually: newer graduates report a greater influence from practice guidelines.

Are the potential savings from robust health care IT applications overstated?  The Congressional Budget Office thinks so.

A May 7 JAMA commentary discusses the recently revised Public Health Service clinical practice guideline Treating Tobacco Use and Dependence: 2008 Update. A panel reviewed more than 8,700 articles on smoking cessation.  The guideline details the 7 medications currently approved by the FDA for helping smokers quit, and the growing importance of counseling, especially via national “quitlines.”