The Making Evidence-Based Medicine Simple Series — Prognosis Module

Abstract

Abstract The Making Evidence-Based Medicine Simple Series is an evidence-based clinical practice curriculum. It consists of six modules reviewing the articles types addressing the most common clinical questions (i.e., diagnosis, therapy, harm, prognosis, meta-analysis, and clinical decision rules). Each module reviews an article using the Users Guide to Medical Literature criteria for validity, results, and applicability. Each modules includes a PowerPoint presentation with a script, a video of the presentation with narration, a quiz with answers, tips for teaching the module, a blank review form, and a completed critical article review for the article reviewed in the module. The prognosis module reviews the appraisal of the validity, results, and applicability of a prospective cohort study of an Australian population with osteoporotic fractures. The study addresses the following clinical question: Do patients over 60 years of age with an osteoporotic fracture, when compared to age and gender matched controls and followed over time, have in increased risk of all-cause mortality? In addition, this module reviews the following critical appraisal skills: (1) determining the difference between a prognostic and risk factor, (2) distinguishing between prevalence and incidence, (3) defining and interpreting standardized mortality ratios, (4) interpreting Kaplan-Meier survival curves, and (5) identifying factors suggestive of causality versus association.

Keywords

• Harm
• Prognosis
• Therapy
• Evidence-Based Medicine
• Meta-Analysis
• Journal Club