As the number of PubMed-indexed articles exceeds 700,000 every single year, it is impossible to keep up with the literature nowadays. Of course, only a fraction of this information is relevant for your practice. Suppose this is 0.1% - that would mean you still have to read more than 700 articles each year. Do you?

Meta-analyses and databases like The Cochrane Library and Up To Date may help, but still there is a "know-do gap" in clinical practice. According to recent studies, computerized Decision Support Systems (DSS) may be beneficial to narrow this gap while offering individualized advice for a specific patient, if such data are available.

We are experimenting with DSS for neurosurgical practice, and do offer web-based and mobile apps for this purpose in collaboration with DigitalNeurosurgeon.com. The underlying philosophy is explained in this TED talk, displayed below.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *