DSM0420 - EXPLOITING RESEARCH INFORMATION

Module Identifier	DSM0420
Module Title	EXPLOITING RESEARCH INFORMATION
Academic Year	2002/2003
Co-ordinator	Mrs Christine J Urquhart
Semester	Available all semesters
Assessment	Semester Assessment	Report 2,000-2,500 words each	50%
	Semester Assessment	Report 2,000-2,500 words each	50%

Learning outcomes

After studying this module you should be able to:

explain the how research information is stored and retrieved in the medical literature;
describe and appraise some of the sources of evidence based information;
explain how statistical evidence is presented and discuss the implications of presentation format;
apply skills of critical appraisal.

Brief description

Many doctors are uncomfortable with the implication that medical practice is a form of sanctioned human experimentation - a process of trial and error. Often they are not upfront in declaring to patients the shades of grey which surround many medical decisions, assuming patients prefer to believe that the best current knowledge informs every procedure.. On all sides there is a yearning for certainty, 'once we can all agree - then that is what we shall do'.
Such certainty is rarely achieved. Truths in medicine have a short life before falling victim to the insatiable, driving curiosity of individual researchers to know more. It is personal interest which refines old knowledge and creates new; a hunch that something is not as expected, or that there are some connections of cause and effect that have been missed. Patterns are important and the matching of specific cases to existing knowledge is crucial to decision making. The cases that do not fit the pattern are those which intrigue and more of medical practice than might be admitted works on the principle of let's try this and see if it works. Having tried it, then let's see if anyone else has done something similar.
Central to all these issues is the accumulated knowledge base of health care. A major influence on the extent and manner of the use of this research evidence has been the evidence based medicine movement, subsequently widened to become evidence-based healthcare.
Research confirms that it is worth taking positive steps to ensure that relevant, accurate information is used when it should be. This information comprises the results of numerous research studies recorded in many thousands of journal articles of varying validity, and herein lies a problem.
It is difficult for busy health professionals to know which of this evidence is reliable and relevant to their own patients. Consequently specific efforts are required to organise evidence, make it accessible and encourage acquisition of the information skills needed to use it.

Reading Lists

Books
** Essential Reading
GRAY, J.A. Muir. (1997) Evidence-based healthcare: how to make health policy and management decisions. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone
Additional reference to a number of sources is made at each module unit.