Study Set Content:
High quality, evidence-based reviews
Cochrane Reviews
Concise, evidence-rated, free
National Guideline Clearinghouse
Summary of clinical trials
- Expert analysis
Cochrane Reviews
use evidence from a trusted resource that has
been prescreened by
EBM experts
Users’ Guide to the Medical Literature: help the
users to
evaluate the quality of the evidence
(1)FIRST STEP:
ask validity questions
ask validity questions
Were patients randomized?
o Were patients accounted for at the
trial's conclusion?
Was follow-up complete?
o Were patients analyzed in the groups to
which they were (blank)?
o Were patients, practitioners, and study
personnel (blank)?
o Were groups (blank) at the start of the
trial?
randomized
“blinded" to treatment
similar
Aside from the intervention, were the groups
treated
equally
(2) SECOND STEP:
Interpret the results
Risk without drug: control subjects with
outcome/total in control group =
control event rate
(CER)
Risk with drug: experimental subjects with
outcome/total in experimental group =
experimental event rate (EER)
Relative risk (RR) =
EER/CER
Relative risk reduction (RRR) =
100% - RR, or =
(CER - EER)/CER
Absolute risk reduction (ARR) =
CER - EER, or EER
- CER if EER is larger
Number needed to treat (NNT) =
1/ARR
(3)THIRD STEP
APPLICATION PROCESS
Can the (blank) be applied to my particular
patient?
Were all clinically important (blank)
considered?
Are the treatment benefits worth the potential
(blank)?
results
outcomes
harms and costs
Dissemination derives from the latin, the scattering of seeds
“roots”,
Dissemination efforts need to takeinto account
the
message, source, audience, and channel.
