Dear All
Greetings from Nottingham!
Over coffee in the Department this past week the conversation turned
to Anna Donald and the realisation that this past Wednesday it had
been five months since her sad death. We talked about ber BMJ blog
and the impact she had on many of us and the legacy she leaves
behind. (Anna Donald’s blogs see http://blogs.bmj.com/bmj/category/
from-the-other-side) And the need to publish her insightful and
powerful blogs as a book for all to read.
It is also that time of year in Britain when many of us attempt to
make the most of the improvement in our weather (I struggle to call
it a summer) and invite people over for a barbecue. As a South
African, any excuse to have a "braai" is jumped at! On these
occasions after discussions of the weather and sport are exhausted,
the conversation invariably turns to talking shop and .... "so what
do you do?" is soon put to me.
Responding to that question is complex and replying is often no
easier to another medical professional as to a lay person.
Well I'm a family doctor... with an expertise in Evidence-base
Medicine. Phrases such as "translating research into practice",
"information mastery" or "clinical epidemiology" are often met with
glazed expressions. "Oh, I see. ... so you're just a GP then!" is the
inevitable response. I'm delighted to be "just a GP", but I do
sometimes struggle to explain the EBM paradigm to others.
Am I alone in being so ineloquent in describing what we do? The
plumbers, cardiologists and proctologists that I know don't seem to
have the same dilemma. My psychiatrist friends do get a tad annoyed
in having to constantly remind the uninitiated that they're not
psychologists, and that a comfy couch is more likely to be found in a
branch of Starbucks, than in their offices.
Returning from one such barbecue this evening, I recalled our
conversation over coffee about Anna, and her belief in the need to
train a cohort of evidologists...
Eureka! That's it! I'm an Evidologist! That's what I do. That's what
I am. One simple snappy term that encompasses twenty minutes of
explanation. I can explain that at dinner parties and BBQs. Latin
videre to discern, comprehend; evideri to appear plainly, and all
that. Sounds quite impressive too ... for a GP!
So... in Anna's memory I'm going to start calling myself an
Evidologist! Let those of us who share her vision style ourselves
Evidologists. Lets formalise our new speciality. And lets celebrate
and perpetuate the legacy of an amazing visionary and human being.
I would be pleased to hear list members' views on what they call
themselves and how they explain what they do to the uninitiated. Do
you identify with the term "Evidologist" and a new specialty of
Evidology?
Or even ... Ev·i·de·mi·o·l·o·gy!
All best wishes
Grant
Evidologist – Clinical Lecturer – Community Clinical Sub-Dean
Division of Primary Care
University of Nottingham Medical School
e-mail: [log in to unmask]
and
DPhil Evidence-Based Health Care, Kellogg College
Oxford Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine
University of Oxford
Evidology
Ev·i·do·l·o·gy n.
A new medical specialty that enables medical research to be
incorporated systematically into clinical practice
[Latin videre to discern, comprehend; evideri to appear plainly]
On 5 Feb 2009, at 16:10, Paul Glasziou wrote:
> Anna Donald, a pioneer of evidence-based medicine in the UK, died
> this week after a protracted struggle with breast cancer. Anna
> originally worked as a physician and lecturer in epidemiology and
> public policy at University College London and was a founding
> Clinical Editor of the British Medical Journal's groundbreaking
> compendium, Clinical Evidence. A former Rhodes Scholar, Kennedy
> Fellow, Caltex Scholar and Menzies Scholar, in 1999, she co-founded
> Bazian - a company which could act as an independent source of
> evidence provision, and which produces many evidence resources
> including Evidence-Based Mental Health, and much of the material
> for Clinical Evidence. She was a great ambassador for EBM and
> creative force within it. She coined the term "Evidology: A new
> medical specialty that enables medical research to be incorporated
> systematically into clinical practice [Latin videre to discern,
> comprehend; evideri to appear plainly]", and believed that we need
> to train a cohort of evidologists with a deep understanding of the
> nature of evidence.
> Anna was a warm and wonderful person who, during treatments for
> cancer, freely discussed her plight, hopes and fears on her blog on
> the BMJ: recommended reading for doctors and patients alike. Anna
> brought a smile and light into the lives of all those around her.
>
> --
> Paul Glasziou
> Director, Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine,
> Department of Primary Health Care,
> University of Oxford www.cebm.net
> ph - +44-1865-289298 fax +44-1865-289287
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