The Underused Medical Literature
Authors: Edward J. Huth
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (1989)

Editorials15 January 1989The Underused Medical LiteratureEdward J. Huth, MDEdward J. Huth, MDSearch for more papers by this authorAuthor, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/0003-4819-110-2-99 SectionsAboutPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail ExcerptIn considering how "the computer revolution" might affect the professions, Christopher Evans (1) pointed out that their "vulnerability . . . is tied up with their special strength—the fact that they act as exclusive repositories and disseminators of specialist knowledge." He might have added that a professional's strength within a field depends on how much more or less he or she knows than colleagues. But one's capacity for knowing is sharply limited by the brain's capacity for storage of information and processing it. As the body of information relevant in any way to medical care has grown and grown, physicians...References1. Evans C. The Micro Millennium. New York: Washington Square Press, Pocket Books; 1981:121. Google Scholar2. Huth E. Needed: an economics approach to systems for medical information. Ann Intern Med. 1985;103:617-9. LinkGoogle Scholar3. CovellUmanManning DGP. Information needs in office practice: are they being met? Ann Intern Med. 1985;103:596-9. LinkGoogle Scholar4. LockyerJennettParboosinghMaes JPJW. Raising questions in clinical practice. J Contin Educ. Health Prof. 1988;8:21-6. CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar5. . The Future of Information Systems for the Medical Sciences: A Study Conducted for the New York Academy of Medicine. New York: Louis Harris and Associates; 1987. Google Scholar6. WilliamsonGermanWeissSkinnerBowes JPREF. Health science information management and continuing education of physicians: a survey of U. S. primary care practitioners and their opinion leaders. Ann Intern Med. 1989;110:151-160. LinkGoogle Scholar7. HaynesMcKibbonWalker RKC. How to keep up with the medical literature: V. Personal computer access to the medical literature. Ann Intern Med. 1985;103:810-24. MedlineGoogle Scholar8. . A proposal for more informative abstracts of clinical articles. Ann Intern Med. 1987;106:598-604. LinkGoogle Scholar9. MulrowThackerPugh CSJ. A proposal for more informative abstracts of review articles. Ann Intern Med. 1988;108:613-5. LinkGoogle Scholar This content is PDF only. To continue reading please click on the PDF icon. Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: Annals of Internal Medicine Philadelphia, Pennsylvania PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Metrics Cited ByInformationVeille documentaire en santé au travail des personnels de santéImplementation of a Medical Knowledge Resource in the Electronic Medical RecordAdvancing Practice Through ResearchThe Realities of Synthesizing and Disseminating Research EvidenceElectronic Trial Banks: A Complementary Method for Reporting Randomized TrialsLaw OnlineEvidence-based medicine and the real world: understanding the controversyHow Can Physicians Keep Up-to-Date?Knowledge Coupling: Support for Psychiatric Decision MakingMedical Information:Can Technology Assure Quality as Well as Coverage?Analysis of physician questions in an ambulatory care settingAs we may think: The concept space and medical hypertextA text-type and move analysis study of verb tense and modality distribution in medical English abstractsComputer-based knowledge systemsThe Perspective of a PractitionerThe Database: Its Definition and Present StatusSAPHIRE—An information retrieval system featuring concept matching, automatic indexing, probabilistic retrieval, and hierarchical relationshipsA Residency-based Information SystemJohn W. Murphy, MD, Nathaniel W. James IV, MD, Patricia A. Williams, MLS, Robert S. Hillman, MDA medical information networking system between practitioners and academiaMedical Rural/Academic Computer And Communication Networks: Their Potential to Assist with the Health of the Community i.e., Their Health Added ValueProviding relevant information to rural practitioners: A study of a medical information systemContaining costs of antimicrobial in the hospital: A critical evaluationComputers in medicine: Liability issues for physiciansInformation for the PhysicianPasquale F. Finelli, MDA new instrument for medical decision support and education: the Stanford Health Information Network for Education 15 January 1989Volume 110, Issue 2Page: 99-100KeywordsBrainComputers Issue Published: 15 January 1989 PDF DownloadLoading ...