This manual helps clinicians easily to find the best available evidence to facilitate sound medical decisions. It is the first published compilation of highly relevant InfoPOEMs that the editors believe has the potential to change a clinician's practice. The editors have selected over 300 of the most influential, compelling POEMs, and organized them by topic for easy reference.
Each POEM contains:
*Clinical Question: Poses a question that the study seeks to answer. *Bottom line: Summarizes the findings of the research and places these findings into the context with the known information on the topic. The bottom line also is designed to help readers understand how to apply the results. *LOE: Each review is given a Level of Evidence indicator. This allows the reader to discern an overall sense of how well the new information is supported. *Reference: Displays the citation of the article being reviewed. *Study Design: Identifies the procedures of the study (i.e., Meta-Analysis, randomized controlled trial). *Setting: Identifies the environment in which the study took place (i.e., outpatient, inpatient). *Synopsis: Provides a brief overview of the study design and results, but is not an abstract. The editors have pulled out only the most important information – the materials that readers need to judge the validity of the research and to understand the results.
The manual opens with two complementary, original chapters:
1) Introduction to Information Mastery which covers the skills physicians need to practice the best medicine.
2) An Introduction to Evidence Based Medicine that reviews the key concepts and principles behind this practice model.
David Slawson, MD, Vice Chair of Family Medicine, University of VA Health System in Charlottesville, VA
He is the Director of the Center for Information Mastery and a Professor in the Department of Health Evaluation Sciences. He is the assistant editor for the Journal of Family Practice and on the?editorial board for the Journal of the American Board of Family Practice, the American Family Physician, and the BMJ USA. Dr. Slawson is a graduate of the University of Michigan School of Medicine.
Allen Shaughnessy, PharmD, Clinical Professor of Family Med., Tufts University
He received his degree from the Medical University of South Carolina. He is a Certified Pharmacotherapy Specialist and a fellow of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy. He is the section editor for the Journal of Family Practice and co-editor of Evidence-Based Practice: POEMs for Primary Care. He has written over 120 papers in the areas of pharmacology and medical information management.
Mark Ebell, MD, is Associate Professor, Department of Family Practice at Michigan State University and Deputy Editor for the American Family Physician. A graduate of the University of Michigan Medical School, Family Medicine residency, and School of Public Health. He is the author or coeditor of?3 books and over 100 articles.
Henry Barry, MD, is Associate Professor and the Sr. Associate Chair, Department of Family Practice, Michigan State University He attended medical school at the University of Maryland and did his residency in Family Practice in Lansing, Mich. Following residency, he spent 4 years in Appalachia with the Nat'l Health Service Corps. He subsequently joined MSU in 1989.
