Users' guides to the medical literature : a manual for evidence-based clinical practice

The #1 guide to the principles and clinical applications of evidence-based medicine has just gotten better! A Doody's Core Title ESSENTIAL PURCHASE for 2011! No other resource helps you to put key evidence-based medicine protocols into daily clinical practice better than Users' Guides to the Medical Literature. An instant classic in its first edition, this detailed, yet highly readable reference demystifies the statistical, analytical, and clinical principles of evidence-based medicine, giving you a hands-on, practical resource that no other text can match. Here, you'll learn how to distinguish solid medical evidence from poor medical evidence, devise the best search strategies for each clinical question, critically appraise the medical literature, and optimally tailor evidence-based medicine for each patient. The new second edition of this landmark resource is now completely revised and refreshed throughout, with expanded coverage of both basic and advanced issues in using evidence-based medicine in clinical practice. FEATURES: Completely revised and updated to reflect the enormous expansion in medical research and evidence-based resources since the first editionInnovative organization guides you from the fundamentals of using the medical literature to the more advanced strategies and skills for use in every day patient care situations Abundant and current real-world examples drawn from the medical literature are woven throughout, and include important related principles and pitfalls in using medical literature in patient care decisionsPractical focus on the key issues in evidence-based practice: What are the results? Are the results valid? How to I apply to results to the care of my patients? More than 60 internationally recognized editors and contributors from the U.S., Canada, South America, Europe, and Asia -- the best of the best in the disciplineNEW coverage on how to: --Avoid being misled by biased presentations of research findings --Interpret the significance of clinical trials that are discontinued early --Influence clinician behavior to improve patient care --Apply key strategies for teaching evidence-based medicine Also look for JAMAevidence.com, a new interactive database for the best practice of evidence based medicine.

Foreword Preface Part A. The Foundations 1.How to Use the Medical Literature-and This Book-to Improve Your Patient Care 2.The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine 3.What Is the Question? 4.Finding the Evidence 5.Why Study Results Mislead: Bias and Random Error Part B. Therapy 6.Therapy (Randomized Trials) 7.Does Treatment Lower Risk? Understanding the Results 8. Confidence Intervals 9. Advanced Topics in the Validity of Therapy Trials 9.1 An Illustration of Bias and Random Error 9.2 Surprising Results of Randomized Trials 9.3 Randomized Trials Stopped Early for Benefit 9.4 The Principle of Intention to Treat 9.5 N-of-1 Randomized Controlled Trials 9.6 Clinical Decision Support Systems 10. Advanced Topics in the Results of Therapy Trials 10.1 Hypothesis Testing 10.2 Understanding the Results: More About Odds Ratios 10.3 What Determines the Width of the Confidence Interval? 10.4 Composite endpoints 10.5 Measuring Patients' Experience 11. Advanced Topics in Applying the Results of Therapy Trials 11.1 Applying Results to Individual Patients 11.2 Example Numbers Needed to Treat 11.3 Dealing with Misleading Presentations of Clinical Trial Results 11.4 Surrogate Outcomes 11.5 Qualitative Research Part C. Harm (Observational Studies) 12. Harm (Observational Studies) 13. Advanced Topics in Harm: Correlation and Regression Part D. Diagnosis 14.The Process of Diagnosis 15. Differential Diagnosis 16. Diagnostic Tests 17.Advanced Topics in Diagnosis 17.1 Spectrum Bias 17.2 Examples of Likelihood Ratios 17.3 Measuring Agreement Beyond Chance 17.4 Clinical Prediction Rules Part E. Prognosis 18.Prognosis Part F. Summarizing the Evidence 19.Summarizing the Evidence 20. Advanced Topics in Systematic Reviews 20.1 Reporting Bias 20.2 Fixed-Effects and Random-Effects Models 20.3 Making Sense of Variability in Study Results 20.4 When to Believe a Subgroup Analysis Part G. Moving From Evidence to Action 21.How to Use a Patient Management Recommendation 22.Advanced Topics in Moving from Evidence to Action 22.1 Economic Analysis 22.2 Decision Making and the Patient 22.3 Moving From Evidence to Action: Recommendations About Screening 22.4 Grading Recommendations 22.5 Drug Class Effects 22.6 Parallel but Separate Goals: Evidence-Based Practitioners and Evidence-Based Care 22.7 Changing Behavior to Apply Best Evidence in Practice 22.8 Teachers' Guides to the Users' Guides Glossary Index