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Efficient literature searching: a core skill for the practice of evidence-based medicine

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Abstract

Background

Efficient literature searching and the application of formal rules of evidence in evaluating the clinical literature are the two key skills defining the practice of evidence-based medicine. Although clinicians embrace the concepts of evidence-based medicine, most identify limited personal time as the major barrier towards its implementation into daily practice. Busy clinicians who practice evidence-based medicine identify systematic reviews and evidence-based clinical practice guidelines as very useful resources.

Methods

This review presents a simple, easy-to-follow, three-step searching strategy that emphasises the use of powerful new PubMed features that allow clinicians to retrieve high-quality systematic reviews, clinical practice guidelines and primary studies with a single mouse click. The overall effectiveness of the process is further improved by highlighting the major features of successful and unsuccessful literature searches.

Conclusions

At the end of this tutorial the reader should be able to conduct efficient and effective literature searches that support clinical decision making in under 10 minutes.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Intensive Therapy Unit, Royal North Shore Hospital, 2065, St. Leonards, NSW, Australia

    Gordon Stuart Doig

  2. Northern Clinical School, University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Gordon Stuart Doig

  3. Department of Nutrition, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia

    Fiona Simpson

Authors
  1. Gordon Stuart Doig
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  2. Fiona Simpson
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Gordon Stuart Doig.

Additional information

This work was supported by unrestricted educational grants from ResMed and the Northcare Foundation.

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Doig, G.S., Simpson, F. Efficient literature searching: a core skill for the practice of evidence-based medicine. Intensive Care Med 29, 2119–2127 (2003). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-003-1942-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00134-003-1942-5

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