#50: How to read the medical literature like a journal editor

Master this practical approach to reading the medical literature (*No statistics needed!) with expert tips from Dr. Christine Laine, Editor in Chief, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Dr. Darren Taichman, Executive Deputy Editor, Annals of Internal Medicine. They teach us what we should be reading, and detail their thought processes as they appraise an article. Topics covered include: Is 3 minute critical appraisal possible? What’s the deal with P-values? What are common sources of bias? How does the approach differ with clinical trials versus observational studies versus meta-analyses?

*Minimal statistics needed ; )

Full show notes available at http://thecurbsiders.com/podcast

Join our newsletter mailing list. Rate us on iTunes, recommend a guest or topic and give feedback at [email protected].

Time Stamps

00:00 Intro

01:13 Listener comment on Entresto

02:50 Picks of the week

09:36 Getting to know our guests

14:00 How to stay up on the medical literature

17:15 Three minute critical appraisal

19:15 Step 1: Assess the outcome being studied

20:50 Statistical versus clinical significance

22:33 Evaluating composite endpoints

24:47 Statistical power

28:58 Evaluating for bias

34:40 Recap of what we’ve learned so far

36:33 Is PICO useful?

39:01 Observational studies and bias

41:09 Evaluating a meta-analysis

46:05 Take home points

50:35 The Curbsiders recap the episode

53:02 Outro

Tags: literature, appraisal, meta, analysis, analyze, critical, read, medical, journal, study, randomized, observational, systematic, review, clinical, trial, assistant, care, education, doctor, family, foam, foamed, health, hospitalist, hospital, internal, internist, nurse, medicine, medical, primary, physician, resident, student