Studying a study and testing a test, how to read the medical evidence-fifth edition

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Book: Studying a Study and Testing a Test, How to Read the Medical Evidence 5th Edition.

Product Details:

• Paperback: 368 pages

• Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; Fifth edition (October 25, 2004)

• Language: English

• ISBN-10: 0781745764

• ISBN-13: 978-0781745765

• Product Dimensions: 1 × 7 × 10 inches

• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds

PRODUCT DESCRIPTION FROM THE PUBLISHER:

In today's rapidly changing world of clinical practice, old assumptions quickly fall under the weight of new evidence. But to make effective clinical decisions, you must face a deluge of data published in the health research literature.

With this best-selling text as your guide, you'll discover a concise, stepwise program that will help you evaluate clinical studies, identify flaws in study design, interpret statistics, and apply evidence from clinical research to your practice.

Sharpen your analytical skills with these insightful features...

• Step-by-step approach ideal for both students and practitioners guides you through the health research literature, showing you the ingredients that go into a meaningful study, clues to potential study flaws, and ways to apply solid evidence in clinical practice.

• Uniform framework uses a simple six-point framework based on the mnemonic M.A.A.R.I.E. You will learn to evaluate studies in terms of Methods, Assignment, Assessment, Results, Interpretation, and Extrapolation.

• Hypothetical illustrations demonstrate the limitations of today's published studies.

• Unique learning aids—including question checklists, scenarios illustrating study design, and flaw-catching exercises—help you reinforce key facts and retain what you've learned.

NEW to the Fifth Edition...

• New "Guide to the Guidelines" section helps you make sense of established and emerging clinical guidelines, and helps you understand the role of these guidelines in practice.

• Current information on outcomes includes discussions of safety and of the effects of interactions on outcomes.

• More graphic presentation of statistics helps make complex concepts easy to grasp and apply using a flowchart of statistics.

• StudyingaStudy.com Website is an integral feature of this edition providing interactive materials for all sections of the book. The Website provides practice using the M.A.A.R.I.E. framework, interactive flaw-catching and Selecting a Statistics exercises, self-testing questions-answers and exercises using abstracts from real articles.

• Courses and Journal Clubs can now use Studying a Study and Testing a Test with the help of a special section of the Website.

Clear the path to a new understanding of evidence-based medicine...and integrate today's best evidence into tomorrow's practice.

FROM THE CPNP MEMBER

This book is a great resource for clinicians, residents, or students who want to enhance their ability to evaluate and interpret medical literature by using the M.A.A.R.I.E. framework. This framework consists of six components: Methods, Assignment, Assessment, Results, Interpretation, and Extrapolation. Within each component, there are a series of questions that assist practitioners in determining the strengths and weaknesses of a study. The M.A.A.R.I.E. framework can be used to evaluate case-control studies, cohort studies, randomized clinical trials, cost-effectiveness studies, or evidence-based guidelines. The book is easy to read and understand. It provides good examples and explanations, putting complex statistical concepts into layman's terms. I find the "Questions to Ask and Flaw-Catching Exercises" with real journal articles as examples particularly helpful in applying the key concepts from each section of the book. The step-by-step questions-to-ask approach is very useful in helping clinicians to efficiently sort through the medical literature, recognize the flaws and limitations of the study, and take them into account as they apply the evidence from clinical research into their practice. In addition, residents and students will find this book very beneficial in preparing for journal club presentations.