Update in handheld electronic resources for evidence-based practice in the community setting

Abstract

Objective: To provide an update on the handheld electronic resources for evidence-based practice (EBP) in the community setting.

Data sources: Electronic resources for EBP in the community setting were identified by compiling the commonly used, well-established resources and by searching MEDLINE and other Internet sites. Search terms included evidence-based medicine, evidence-based practice, resources, and abstraction. Only sources available for personal digital assistants were included.

Data extraction: Three databases were identified that provided abstraction and evaluation of the medical literature for the handheld platform. Content, features, ease of use, system requirements, and costs of each resource were evaluated.

Data synthesis: FIRSTConsult, InfoRetriever, and UpToDate were evaluated, and the utility of each in the community pharmacy setting was evaluated by tracking a clinically relevant example through each system. FIRSTConsult provides evidence-based information organized by diagnosis but is not searchable on the handheld platform. InfoRetriever focuses on searchable evidence-based summaries, while UpToDate includes comprehensive topic reviews. The latter 2 platforms have large system memory requirements. All 3 sources provide evidence-based abstraction of the medical literature for the PDA platform, convenient for use at the point of care in community pharmacy.

Conclusions: While users may select a particular resource based on unique features, each provides evidence-based abstraction of the medical literature that is a practical approach to EBP in the community pharmacy setting.