Evidence@ Becker

Down-time

Will — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 14:30:04 +0000

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.

Usability of Cochrane Library

Will — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:49:52 +0000

Interesting usability testing on the Cochrane Library.

National Working Group on Evidence-Based Healthcare

Will — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 20:08:42 +0000

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

Staying healthy at any age

Will — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 13:56:52 +0000

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.

Evaluating web sites

Will — Fri, 11 Jul 2008 19:26:11 +0000

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.

Enabling access to biomedical information

Will — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 20:03:48 +0000

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

Sound scientific base?

Will — Fri, 27 Jun 2008 14:44:00 +0000

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

Recent grads, minorities, women and practice guidelines

Will — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 19:28:34 +0000

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

Inflated estimates of savings from health care IT?

Will — Tue, 27 May 2008 20:38:36 +0000

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

Helping smokers quit

Will — Tue, 13 May 2008 13:47:12 +0000

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.”