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Progress in Clinical Neurosciences: Evidence Based Care in the Neurosciences

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 September 2018

Samuel Wiebe*
Affiliation:
Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Ontario, Canada
Bart Demaerschalk
Affiliation:
Stroke Centre, Mayo Clinic Scottsdale, Scottsdale, Arizona, USA
*
Samuel Wiebe, London Health Sciences Centre, University Campus, 339 Windermere Rd., London, Ontario, Canada N6A5A5
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Abstract:

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We examine the relevance of Evidence Based Care (EBC) to the field of clinical neurosciences, with particular emphasis on feasible methods of implementing EBC in clinical practice. By using pre-appraised EBC summaries, busy clinicians can move toward EBC without engaging in the laborious process of searching and critically appraising the literature. After reviewing the neurological content, accessibility and ease of use of current sources of EBC summaries, we find them substantially lacking in coverage of the neurosciences, and therefore of limited use to clinicians in this field. We emphasize a particular type of EBC summary, the critically appraised topic, and comment on its usefulness and limitations as a tool to assist clinical decision-making in the neurosciences. Finally, we propose that a collection of easily accessible, good quality, peer reviewed critically appraised topics, covering a breadth of relevant topics, is a reasonable way of moving toward EBC in the clinical neurosciences.

Résumé:

Résumé:

Nous examinons la pertinence des soins basés sur des preuves (evidence-based care – EBC) en neurosciences cliniques, en mettant l’accent sur des méthodes concrètes pour appliquer l’EBC en pratique clinique. Le clinicien occupé peut instaurer l’application de l’EBC en utilisant des sommaires d’EBC préévalués, sans avoir à faire lui-même le processus laborieux de recherche et de critique de la littérature. Après avoir révisé le contenu neurologique, l’accessibilité et la facilité d’utilisation de sources à jour de sommaires d’EBC, nous constatons que la couverture dans le domaine des neurosciences est très déficiente et donc d’utilité limitée pour le clinicien travaillant dans ce domaine. Nous mettons l’accent sur un type particulier de sommaire d’EBC, le critically appraised topic (CAT), et nous commentons son utilité et ses limites comme outil d’aide à la décision clinique en neurosciences. Finalement, nous proposons qu’un recueil de CATs facilement accessibles, de bonne qualité et révisés par des pairs, couvrant une gamme de sujets pertinents, est une façon raisonnable d’instaurer l’EBC en neurosciences cliniques.

Type
Review Article
Copyright
Copyright © Canadian Neurological Sciences Federation 2002

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