Katja Suter

University of Basel | UNIBAS · Department of Clinical Research

Importance: Improving methodological quality is a priority in the health research community. Finding appropriate methods guidance can be challenging due to heterogeneous terminology, poor indexing in medical databases, and variation in formats. The Library of Guidance for Health Scientists (LIGHTS) is a new searchable database for methods guidance...

Implementation of pharmacogenetics (PGx) and individualization of drug therapy is supposed to obviate adverse drug reactions or therapy failure. Health care professionals (HCPs) use drug labels (DLs) as reliable information about drugs. We analyzed the Swiss DLs to give an overview on the currently available PGx instructions. We screened 4306 DLs a...

Alleles of the human leukocyte antigen (HLA) system have been associated with the occurrence of idiosyncratic adverse drug reactions (ADRs). Accordingly, it is assumed that pre‐emptive testing for the presence of certain HLA alleles (HLA‐typing) could prevent these ADRs in carriers. In order to perceive the current evidence for HLA‐associated ADRs,...

http://www.cochranelibrary.com/dotAsset/5bc8d6fd-0604-4bed-beb2-8bc7a74aa4b9.pdf

In addition to relative risk, relative risk reduction and absolute risk reduction there circulates another effect size for binary endpoints in the scientific medical literature: the odds ratio. Relative risk and odds ratio are alternative ways of reflecting study results. Both, relative risk (RR) and odds ratio (OR), can easily be calculated from t...

In clinical trials data of individuals are collected, who are subjected to different treatments under controlled conditions. These studies investigate differences between interventions, and their results--provide the basis for clinical decision making in individuals or for policy decisions concerning entire patient populations. This requires reliab...

In our previous articles we introduced the relative and absolute expressions of risk: baseline risk, relative risk (RR), relative risk reduction (RRR), absolute risk reduction (ARR), or risk difference (RD). The "number needed to xy" is another concept to describe the results of a clinical trial. Depending on the investigated problem the "number ne...

Results of clinical trials are presented in different expressions of risks: baseline risk, relative risk (RR), relative risk reduction (RRR), absolute risk reduction (ARR), or risk difference (RD). In this article of our series about the basics of evidence-based medicine we show how results of clinical trials are calculated based on the 2 x 2-table...

In clinical trials data of individuals are collected, who are subjected to different treatments under controlled conditions. These studies investigate differences between interventions, and their results - provide the basis for clinical decision making in individuals or for policy decisions concerning entire patient populations. This requires relia...

The critical appraisal of a study publication includes several steps: quality inspection of the study methodology, examination of the results, assessments of benefit and harm for the individual patient. If the first step of the "critical appraisal" determines, that different sources of bias were successfully eliminated or minimized in the study con...

After having identified relevant studies through a literature search for a specific question, it is now necessary to consider the trustworthiness of the publications found. This article deals with the quality assessment of the raw material "information". The focus is based on the following questions: (a) Why is the randomized controlled trial (RCT)...

We live in the modern information society. "To be informed" has a crucial impact on the personal, professional, economic and social development. The knowledge of things and their relationships is essential for acute decisions as well as for long-term planning. And at no time it was easier to get the information required within shorter time periods-...

Over the centuries some individual scientists have challenged their knowledge, believes and behaviour. The common knowledge developed very fast, but the challenge still remains to ask the question "what do we really know"? And "what is the basis of our decisions and recommendations?" The scattered individual efforts finally advanced to a consolidat...

This was a systematic review of the literature in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) statement. Evidence mapping was used to reveal the effect of drug reminder packaging on medication adherence, to identify research gaps and to make suggestions for future research. PubMed, Embase, CINAHL...

The pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of a highly concentrated cyclodextrin-based intranasal (i.n.) midazolam formulation containing the absorption-enhancer chitosan were studied in 12 healthy volunteers and compared with intravenous (i.v.) midazolam. The pharmacodynamic (PD) effects were assessed using quantitative electroencephalography (EEG)...

In hospitals or nursing hornes problems conceming the logistic of refrige· raled drugs are comrnon. There are daily situalions on the ward causing uncertainty about lbe further use of 01 product, e. g. after the breakdown of 01 refrigerator or 01 short-term adaptation ofthe treatment regime after the refrigerated product already has been wanned-up...

Evidence from individual trials comparing Mediterranean to low-fat diets to modify cardiovascular risk factors remains preliminary. We systematically searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, Biosis, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from their inception until January 2011, as well as contacted experts in the field, to identify...

Clin Microbiol Infect 2011; 17: 855–861 The use of antibiotics is highest in primary care and directly associated with antibiotic resistance in the community. We assessed regional variations in antibiotic use in primary care in Switzerland and explored prescription patterns in relation to the use of point of care tests. Defined daily doses of antib...

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) improves the quality of health care. Courses on how to teach EBM in practice are available, but knowledge does not automatically imply its application in teaching. We aimed to identify and compare barriers and facilitators for teaching EBM in clinical practice in various European countries. A questionnaire was construc...

Intranasal administration is an attractive option for local and systemic delivery of many therapeutic agents. The nasal mucosa is--compared to other mucosae--easily accessible. Intranasal drug administration is noninvasive, essentially painless and particularly suited for children. Application can be performed easily by patients or by physicians in...

Search strategy for identification of articles for the review of assessment methods in EBM TTT courses.

Details of primary articles included in the review of assessment methods of EBM teaching the teachers courses

Background Teaching of evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become widespread in medical education. Teaching the teachers (TTT) courses address the increased teaching demand and the need to improve effectiveness of EBM teaching. We conducted a systematic review of assessment tools for EBM TTT courses. To summarise and appraise existing assessment meth...

To investigate the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of nasal formulations containing midazolam (5-30 mg ml(-1)) complexed with cyclodextrin. An open-label sequential trial was conducted in eight healthy subjects receiving single doses of 1 mg and 3 mg intranasally and 1 mg midazolam intravenously. Pharmacokinetic parameters were obtained by no...

The call by the Institute for Quality and Efficiency in Health Care (IQWiG) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) to prove the patient-relevant benefit of positron emission tomography (PET) is currently a controversial topic in Germany. From a methodological point of view there is essentially no difference between diagnostic procedures and therap...

Background Over the past decade, evidence‐based medicine (EBM) has gained recognition as a means to improve the quality of health care provision. However, little is known about learning opportunities to acquire EBM‐associated skills. The EUebm‐Unity partnership explored current educational activities for EBM practice for doctors across Europe. Meth...

Over the past decade, evidence-based medicine (EBM) has gained recognition as a means to improve the quality of health care provision. However, little is known about learning opportunities to acquire EBM-associated skills. The EUebm-Unity partnership explored current educational activities for EBM practice for doctors across Europe. We surveyed org...

Evidence based medicine (EBM) is considered an integral part of medical training, but integration of teaching various EBM steps in everyday clinical practice is uncommon. Currently EBM is predominantly taught through theoretical courses, workshops and e-learning. However, clinical teachers lack confidence in teaching EBM in workplace and are often...

To prospectively assess and compare two formulations and methods of administration of low-dose nasal midazolam for the treatment of claustrophobic patients undergoing magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as part of a multicenter Phase III trial. In all, 108 consecutive adult claustrophobic patients were randomly assigned to one of two treatment groups...

All commercially available triamcinolone acetonide (TACA) suspensions, used for intravitreal treatment, contain retinal toxic vehicles (e.g., benzyl alcohol, solubilizer). Our aim was to find a convenient and reproducible method to compound a completely preservative-free TACA suspension, adapted to the intraocular physiology, with consistent qualit...