ABSTRACT
Some evidence is already available, so it is not necessary to appraise all the evidence yourself. The following resources will be useful.
Bandolier is a UK journal published by the Pain Relief Unit at Oxford which provides key evidence about the effectiveness of healthcare, reviewing national and international evidence. It is available by personal subscription. It is available in full text on the Internet at www.ebandolier.com
Clinical Evidence is a compendium of evidence on the effects of common clinical interventions, published by the BMJ Publishing Group. It is updated and expanded every six months and summarises the best available evidence about the prevention and treatment of a wide range of clinical conditions. A plus point is that its contents are driven by questions rather than by the availability of research evidence and so it identifies gaps in the evidence, leaving you to make your own decisions. Clinical Evidence is freely available to all, www.clinicalevidence.com/ceweb/conditions/index.jsp
Clinical Governance Bulletin is a quarterly publication from the Royal Society of Medicine Press to which institutions and individuals can subscribe. The contents report and review quality aspects of local initiatives in primary and secondary healthcare. The Bulletin has an emphasis on practical ‘how we did it’ material. It is distributed free to some NHS professionals with financial support from The Health Foundation. Full text is online at www.rsmpress. co.uk/cgb.htm
Drug & Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) provides independent evaluations of drugs and other medical treatments and management issues. See www. dtb.org.uk/idtb/
In May 2006, the Department of Health withdrew the funding for free provision of DTB for the NHS. You may still have access via your Athens password: check with your healthcare library.
