Journal Club Summary
Landmark Series
Methodology Score: 4/5
Usefulness Score: 4/5
Wilkerson RG, Stone MB.
Acad Emerg Med. 2010 Jan;17(1):11-7.
This evidence-based literature review of four prospective observational studies identified that bedside ultrasound had excellent sensitivity (86-98%) especially compared to supine AP xray (28-75%) for identifying pneumothorax after blunt trauma. The group discussed that this was a practice changing article when it was published in 2010, expanding the applications of bedside ultrasound in blunt trauma.
By: Dr. Amanda Collier
(presented Mar 2014)
Epi lesson: PICOS
When reviewing systematic literature reviews, pay attention to how the research question is phrased. High quality studies will follow the PRISMA guidelines’ suggestion to use the PICOS (participants, interventions, comparisons, outcomes, study design) format. A precise research question will guide study selection and should also dictate how table 1 summarizes the included studies. Having these details will also assist the reader in evaluating the included studies for generalizability and clinical heterogeneity.
By: Dr. Lisa Calder
