Understanding medical literature

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is a daunting term for most clinicians who may have had little training in this topic before clinical practice. This article seeks to demystify the topic by showing how EBM can be incorporated into everyday practice. It explains key EBM concepts and efficient literature search strategies, and shows how to critically appraise a scientific article. Throughout, it incorporates current evidence on key medical topics, from early goal-directed therapy in sepsis to the use of statins in patients without coronary artery disease.