Louise Cullen introduces her SMACC Gold talk on how research is produced, analysed and reported. Reflecting on changes in her own approach to new evidence, she discusses the traps in interpreting published findings and the importance of critical appraisal before changing clinical practice.
Louise Cullen on why most published research is wrong. St.Emlyn’s Read More
How do our beliefs and interpretations of evidence shape what we do for patients? Simon Carley introduces his SMACC Gold talk on deciding when to change practice, exploring the place of innovators and sceptics and linking to the debate that followed with Scott Weingart.
What to believe and when to change. St.Emlyn’s at SMACC Read More
Could analysis of the ventricular fibrillation waveform help decide when to defibrillate? This 2014 appraisal examines a randomised trial in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest that found no improvement in survival, considering the study’s limitations and the gap between a plausible technology and demonstrated patient benefit.
JC: Does wave form analysis improve outcome in VF arrest? St.Emlyn’s Read More
A 2014 journal club examines reports of eye injuries after the Boston Marathon bombing and the West, Texas explosion. It considers what these cases reveal about recognising ocular trauma, arranging specialist assessment and including ophthalmology capacity in major incident planning, while acknowledging the limitations of case-series evidence.
JC: Ocular trauma in blast injuries. St.Emlyn’s Read More
Can an observational study overturn the findings of a large randomised trial? This 2014 journal club examines a report questioning tranexamic acid in severe trauma, focusing on treatment selection, excluded early deaths and confounding as reasons to question a striking apparent association with harm.
JC: Tranexamic acid – does the evidence stack up? Read More
Could medical scribes improve emergency department workflow? In this 2014 journal club, Natalie May and Damian Roland examine a before-and-after study involving electronic ordering and scribes, questioning causality, the practical significance of time savings and the implications for documentation accuracy and UK practice.
JC: Scribes in the ED? Read More
Does improving an acid–base measurement demonstrate that a resuscitation fluid is better for patients? This 2014 journal club examines a small trial comparing Plasma-Lyte with saline in major trauma, exploring surrogate outcomes, fluid volumes and why the findings could not establish a benefit in patient-centred outcomes.
JC: Plasma-lyte or Saline in Trauma? St. Emlyn’s Read More
How common is pituitary dysfunction after serious head injury, and what should clinicians do about it? This 2014 journal club reviews a meta-analysis of patients requiring critical care, distinguishing evidence of endocrine abnormalities from unanswered questions about screening, treatment and outcomes.
JC: Anterior pituitary disorder following head injury Read More
