Evidence-based medicine: how do we find the evidence?
Applying evidence-based medicine in clinical practice is an important advance in the attempt to improve clinical care. However, if appropriate evidence is unobtainable, it obviously cannot be used. Several resources are available to find quality studies in our field, detailing successes as well as shortcomings with respect to many aspects of patient care. Databases such as MEDLINE and EMBASE are helpful, but they require specific strategies to maximize the efficiency and comprehensiveness of literature searches. In addition, they are incomplete and thus do not allow access to many good studies. In an attempt to remedy this dilemma, the Cochrane Library was created. This database contains systematic reviews on a large number of subjects as well as a controlled trial registry. It approaches the criteria of an ideal database, and has proved to be an invaluable tool in the practice of evidence-based medicine.
Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520-8063, USA.
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D016206:Databases, Bibliographic; D003661:Decision Support Techniques; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006176:Gynecology; D006801:Humans; D016239:MEDLINE; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic