EVIDENCE-BASED MEDICINE - HOW DO WE FIND THE EVIDENCE

Applying evidence-based medicine in clinical practice is an important advance in the attempt to improve clinical care. However, if appropria te evidence is unobtainable, it obviously cannot be used. Several reso urces are available to iind quality studies in our field, detailing su ccesses as well as shortcomings with respect to many aspects of patien t care. Databases such as MEDLINE and EMBASE are helpful, but they req uire specific strategies to maximize the efficiency and comprehensiven ess oi literature searches. In addition, they are incomplete and thus do not allow access to many good studies. In an attempt to remedy this dilemma, the Cochrane Library was created. This database contains sys tematic reviews on a large number of subjects as well as a controlled trial registry. It approaches the criteria of an ideal database, and h as proved to be an invaluable tool in the practice of evidence-based m edicine.