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Emergency Medicine

A guide to Emergency Medicine

CAT Information

2023-2024 Due Date: Jan 15, 2024.

Please send topic idea to Dr. Magee and Robin in advance for approval.

Feel free to book a virtual appointment with Robin to confirm search approach: Schedule a consultation

Brief instructions:

  1. Come up with interesting, clinically relevant question from discrepancies in practice; areas of uncertainty; emerging evidence noted in the literature, podcasts, FOAM, etc; a confusing clinical case...
  2. Conduct a quick search to confirm that there may be some research to help address the question.
  3. Send topic proposal (Question, PICO, and/or topic description) to Dr. Kirk Magee and Robin Parker
  4. Conduct a slightly more thorough search in at least one database (e.g. PubMed or another topic appropriate database)
    1. Feel free to meet with Robin to confirm your search approach, if needed
  5. Select approximately 2 -5 reasonably recent and rigorous studies (can include a systematic review, but should also include at least one additional recent primary study).
  6. Critically appraise and summarize the studies, including a final recommendation for practice.

Examples of recent topics (from 2021-2022; as of Sept 2023):

  1. anticoagulants for subsegmental embolism (Full topic title: Is it safe to withhold anticoagulation in the management of isolated subsegmental pulmonary embolism?)

  2. ketamine impact longer term on suicide ideation

  3. intranasal ketamine for acute pain

  4. chest tube size for blunt-force trauma

  5. topical TXA for epistaxis

  6. routine antibiotics for uncomplicated diverticulitis (Full topic title: Does the use of antibiotics reduce complications (complicated diverticulitis, admission, surgery) in patients presenting to the emergency department with acute uncomplicated diverticulitis?)

  7.  How do emergency department presentations for asthma-related complaints vary in communities exposed to tropical cyclones as compared to the baseline?

  8. P- hospital patients requiring arterial cannulation; I- ultrasound use; C- palpation technique; O- improved first attempt success

  9. Is adding a C-Reactive Protein useful in the work-up of Community aquired pneumonia?

Evidence Based Databases

Based on Brian Haynes 5"S" Organization and subsequent 6"S". Search for answers to your clinical questions beginning with the resources at the top of this box first.   

Summaries (aka Clinical Tools or Evidence Summaries)

  • BestPractice (Formerly BMJ PointofCare)
    [NSH] [Dal]
  • DynaMed
    [Dal]
  • eMedicine
    [WWW] (Free Registration)
  • Evidence Alerts (Previously Evidence UPDATES) (BMJ/Mcmaster)
    [WWW] (Free Registration)
  • UpToDate
    [SJRH/IWK] [Coming soon: Doctors NS]

Synopses (of Studies and/or Syntheses)

  • ACP Journal Club
    [Dal] (follow link to Annals of Internal Medicine for content 2008-present)
  • Evidence Based Medicine
    [ Dal]

Syntheses

  • Cochrane Library
    [Dal] [NSH]

Studies

MetaSearch

 



NSH = Nova Scotia Health Library Services
SJRH = Saint John Regional Hospital

Directions for Mobile access

EBM Tools/Calculators

EBMCalc 3000 [Dal]
Must have a JavaScript enabled, frames capable browser

Search strategy development tools

See video tutorials on searching for evidence here.

For instructions on importing references to RefWorks, watch this video tutorial.

Clinical Practice Guidelines

Canadian

Disease Oriented

International

Other Sources

To locate a particular specialty or disease society not found here search Google.

Drug Information

Drug Information - EBM Reviews

How-to Guides for EBP

The EB approach described in these texts are designed to simplify the interpretation and integration of the best evidence from published research into patient care.

PubMed Search for Emerg topics

These search filters combine emergency medicine terms or journal titles to run searches in PubMed. Click the appropriate search and then go to the Advanced page (search history) in PubMed to add to Search Builder along with your topic of interest.