Evidence –Based Medicine Task Force: 
Current Projects

The Bottom Line Evidence Summaries

Each quarter the Task Force creates 1-2 Bottom Line evidence summaries - single page tools distilling current, high impact research findings for health care providers. Each summary presents the key information about the potential benefits and harms of a test or treatment along with a clinical “bottom line” recommendation. Numeric data is presented in graphics, based on current best practices for risk communication.  The summaries are designed to foster clearer and more accurate communication between patients and their doctors, while enhancing patient understanding and satisfaction.

Topics are chosen each quarter based on impact in general medicine and newsworthiness. Two Task Force members take the lead on each summary, with the final product representing group consensus. The summaries, which focus on the results of a single study and are not intended to be full topic reviews, are posted on the Web Only section of the JGIM website.

Performance Measures Project

Performance measures are an increasingly important part of day-to-day clinical care, with incentives and reimbursement frequently tied to compliance. Ideally, measures should be founded on strong evidence. However, there often remains a gap between development of performance measures and high quality scientific evidence. The Task Force is exploring the role of EBM principles in the process of creating, evaluating, and implementing performance measures.

ACP Smart Medicine Guidelines Collaboration

ACP Smart Medicine is an evidence-based point-of-care clinical decision tool published by the American College of Physicians; it includes tables comparing guideline recommendations on key topics. Task Force members are leading the development of comparative guidelines tables within ACP Smart Medicine, focusing on controversial areas within general internal medicine. Access to these guideline tables will be available to the SGIM membership.