La lista de cotejo como herramienta para la lectura crítica de artículos de investigación publicados / Checklist as a tool for critical reading of published research papers

Resumen:

El crecimiento del conocimiento científico obliga a los profesionales de la salud a formar un hábito de lectura de publicaciones médicas que incluya habilidades mínimas de comprensión, análisis y crítica con el fin de enriquecer la actualización continua. Conocer los conceptos básicos de la epidemiología es muy importante al leer una publicación médica, por lo que es fundamental entender las bases de esta rama de la medicina, lo cual permitirá generar una crítica con fundamento de lo que leemos. Una lista de cotejo es un instrumento de verificación útil para la evaluación a través de la observación (en este caso la lectura de un documento); en ella se enlistan las características, aspectos, cualidades, etcétera, cuya presencia (o ausencia) se busca determinar. Se presenta una lista de cotejo (material) para emplearla durante la lectura (método) de las publicaciones médicas; una herramienta objetiva, para facilitar la comprensión y análisis. Esta lista está dividida en cinco apartados imprescindibles: generalidades de la publicación, tipo de estudio, metodología empleada, presentación e interpretación de los resultados, así como la discusión y conclusiones de la publicación. Es imprescindible desarrollar capacidades para evaluar aspectos críticos que permitan utilizar información válida y poder entonces integrarlos a nuestros conocimientos. Lejos de pretender abreviar los fundamentos y conceptos básicos de la epidemiología básica, bioestadística y metodología de la investigación, se invita a que el lector de publicaciones médicas profundice en el campo de estas ramas de la medicina a través de las bibliografías referenciadas.

Abstract:

The growth of scientific knowledge requires health professionals to form a habit of reading medical journals with minimum skills of comprehension, analysis and criticism in order to enrich the exercise of continuous updating. Learning the basics of epidemiology plays a very important role at the time of reading a medical publication; from the analytical point of view, it is important to understand the basis of this branch of medicine that allow to generate a critique of what we read with grounds. A check list is a useful test for the evaluation through observation (in this case the reading of a document), which enumerates the characteristics, aspects, qualities, etcetera, whose presence (or absence) we aim to determine. It is a list of comparison (material) to be applied while reading medical publications (method); an objective tool to facilitate the understanding and analysis. This list is divided into five essential sections: an overview of the publication, type of study, methodology, presentation and interpretation of results, as well as the discussion and conclusions of the publication. It is imperative to develop capacities to evaluate critical aspects that allow us using valid information and then integrating them to our knowledge. Far from seeking to shorten the fundamentals and basic concepts of basic epidemiology, biostatistics and research methodology, this is an invitation to the reader of medical journals to take a close look at the fascinating field of these branches of medicine through the references.

An Understanding of New Concepts and Publication Ethics in the Use of Online Medical Journals and their Database Web Sites

Nowadays, we have much more convenient access to every medical journal through web sites, compared to the paper-based publications of the past. Beyond simply reading, we can compose, submit, inspect, review, and store data through these web sites. Furthermore, medical journals do not operate independently, but are rather integrated through online journal databases: therefore, an era of ubiquitous access to medical information for any purpose, has arrived. Thousands of new papers are pouring out in the flood of information everyday, so that it is very important for authors to make their research outcomes known to science scholar online especially in the options or selections of his or her own purpose of study. Therefore, a thorough understanding of database usage is necessary in order to meet authors' and readers' goals. The Journal of the Korean Medical Association (JKMA) began operating an online database (www.kjma.org) in July 2010, to keep pace with international digital journal standards. Digital publication is a very encouraging improvement in meeting contemporary reader's' needs over the previous paper-based system. The tools and content of the journal web site will both be continuously updated. Our society ought to not only catch up with other society's but further develop our online presence in innovative ways. The authors here introduce and summarize the latest trends and ethical issues in online publication needed to manage and use the online medical databases appropriately.

Scientific writing and publishing: its importance to radiologists

Scientific writing and publication marks the endpoint of research that has been performed, completed, peer reviewed and accepted, and complements teaching and training, clinical service and patient care. Writing has numerous benefits, one of the most important ones being the inherent training undertaken to better appreciate and evaluate the published work of others. Effective scientific writing is an important component of a radiologist’s practice, and should be cultivated at an early stage of the career.