Hi Martin
Particularly like the idea of applying a Bayesian type approach to selection
of information sources.
Your approach as recorded below made me muse whether it would be possible to
develop a likelihood ratio for finding answers to a particular question on
Medline or Cochrane! You would probably have a different nomogram for
different question types. The data probably exists to compute some rough LRs
based on published studies of clinician information needs.
Oh well I can dream can't I!
Andrew
----- Original Message -----
From: "Martin Dawes, Dr." <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 8:01 PM
Subject: Re: Google better than MEDLINE?! how about some Bayes??
What do you mean by the word "better"?
1. You have a question or several interlinked questions.
2. What is the probability that there is a published answer?
3. If the probability is low that an answer exists which database when
searched would be most likely to exclude an answer existing if your
search is negative.
4. If the probability is high that an answer exists which database would
be most likely to rule in that an answer exists (and provide the
answer).
So this morning I saw a woman with Sjogrens who was complaining of
gastritis.
Q1. Does sjogren's cause gastritis?
Q2. In a woman with Sjogren's what is the probability that the gastritis
is caused by Sjogren's?
The pre-search probability of an answer to Q1 and Q2 existing, as judged
by the resident and I, was moderate. I decided that if the answer to Q1
was not in a text book then the answer to Q2 & Q1 probably is not going
to exist as the syndrome is not new. I decided on Uptodate as an easy
reference. Q1 answer exists and is positive. Therefore Q2 probably
exists (the post search probability is higher than the pre search
probability) and I will now look on Medline.
A sub process of this approach is "which search terms include or exclude
an answer existing within certain databases".
Bayesian approaches to searching???
Anyone interested in developing this further??
Martin Dawes
Acknowledging a discussion with Pierre Pluye
-------------------------------------
Chair Family Medicine
McGill University
515-517 Pine Avenue West
Montreal, Quebec
H2W 1S4
Canada
Tel 514 398 7375 ext 0227
Fax 514 398 4202
-----Original Message-----
From: Evidence based health (EBH)
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Djulbegovic,
Benjamin
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 2:38 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Google better than MEDLINE?!
Tanya, as strange as it seems to be, but some of my students have been
using Google and anecdotally they were able to locate certain types of
the studies sooner than using MEDLINE (PubMed). I actually wonder if
anyone compared Google with MEDLINE?
thanks for this timely message
best
ben
-----Original Message-----
From: Feddern, Tanya [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Wednesday, September 08, 2004 2:30 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Google better than MEDLINE?!
***cross-posted***
Hello, everyone. I'd like your thoughts on this. I learned that
supposedly a Missouri occupational therapy professor, who's also an
author and journal editor, advocated using Google and Dogpile (instead
of MEDLINE) to find article citations for evidence-based practice.
Obviously, she doesn't know about the powerful features of specialized
literature databases such as the PubMed or Ovid software for searching
MEDLINE. If she did, she wouldn't be using Google to find evidence for
patient care (nor suggesting this in an invited lecture).
Unfortunately, this idea is probably being picked up by others.
Have any of you heard of other respected faculty telling students and
healthcare professionals to use Google instead of MEDLINE? How did you
address that? Please feel free to forward this. I will summarize to
the list(s).
Take care,
Tanya
Tanya Feddern, MLIS, AHIP, MOT, OTR/L
http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/EBMbib.html
http://www.geocities.com/nqiya/index.html
Evidence-Based Medicine Assistant Professor; Reference & Education
Services
Librarian University of Miami School of Medicine, Louis Calder Memorial
Library
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