Intro To Evidence Based Medicine

Front 1

Mnemonic for the four questions to assess alcoholism

Back 1

Cut down?
Annoyed when people suggest to cut down?
Guilty about your drinking?
Eye opener in the morning?

Front 2

What is the difference between a background and foreground question?

Back 2

Foreground questions has 4 parts:
1. Patient Population
2. Intervention
3. Comparison or control
4. Outcome

Background questions are more review type questions. Foreground questions are more specific and has a defined outcome and population

Front 3

Five steps in the evidence cycle

Back 3

Asking FOREGROUND questions
Accessing the BEST EVIDENCE
Appraising that evidence critically
Applying the evidence to your patient/situation
Assessing the PERFORMANCE of the plan

Front 4

Four components of a question answerable by the method of EBM

Back 4

1. Patient Population
2. Intervention
3. Comparison or control (blind comparison to a GOLD STANDARD or reference standard - provides a definitive answer)
4. Outcome

Front 5

Three steps to literature appraisal

Back 5

1. Is the STUDY VALID? clinician must face some diagnostic uncertainty (can't deal with patients who definitely do or do not have the disease in question - must have low to moderate probability)
2. What are the RESULTS?
3. How can the RESULTS be APPLIED to your situation?

Front 6

How determine if study is valid?

Back 6

1. dealing with some diagnostic uncertainty (low to intermediate probability)
2. is it compared to a GOLD standard and independent of this gold standard (your test can't use the gold standard)?
3. Blind comparison (bias)
4. Does the test being evaluated influence the decision to PERFORM THE GOLD STANDARD? (example is if you only have patients with POSITIVE test results undergo the gold standard test - introduces the verification bias