Building the powerful 10-minute office visit: Part II. Beginning a critical literature review

Objective: This is the second part in a series of sequential Tutorials in C linical Research. The objective of this tutorial is to introduce methods of searching the vast stores of information now available, to review some of the computer resources available, to reintroduce the concept of an a priori design for the search, and to reveal the need for assessment of the clinic al importance and validity of each pertinent article found. Study Design: T utorial, Methods: An open working group has been formed with the specific a im of surveying and translating the large volume of complex information on research design and statistics into easily understood, useable, and non-thr eatening tutorials for the busy practitioner, The hypotheses under which th is work. is conducted are highly intelligent, but extremely busy, surgeons are interested in evidence-based medicine and will increase personal partic ipation in critical reading of the literature, pending an expanded familiar ity with clinical research design and statistics, Results: Available resour ces for literature searching, methods of quick personal overviews, and quic k. question-specific reviews are discussed. Additionally, the methods, with examples, of beginning a critical literature review are presented. Conclus ions: Rapid, personal, critical Literature review requires succinct formula tion of the question, efficient search for the best available evidence, and critical appraisal of the pertinent individual articles to determine if su fficient evidence exists to support a clinical contention.