What source of information can push succinct summaries of the latest evidence to help me keep up with biomedical literature?

Keeping Up with Biomedical Literature: Evidence Alerts as the Best "Push" Information Source

Evidence Alerts is the most effective resource for pharmacy residents to receive succinct summaries of the latest evidence pushed directly to them. 1

Understanding "Push" Information Resources

When trying to keep up with the vast amount of biomedical literature, information resources can be categorized into two main types:

1. Push resources: Information is automatically delivered to you
2. Pull resources: You must actively seek out the information

Push resources are particularly valuable for busy healthcare professionals as they deliver curated content directly without requiring active searching. Among the options listed in the question, only Evidence Alerts functions as a true push resource.

Why Evidence Alerts Is Superior

Evidence Alerts is designed specifically to:

• Automatically send succinct summaries of new research directly to subscribers
• Filter content based on quality and relevance criteria
• Provide pre-appraised evidence that saves time for busy clinicians
• Deliver content in a format optimized for quick review

Analysis of Other Options in the Question

• Web of Science: A citation database that requires active searching (pull resource)
• Medline Plus: A consumer-focused health information resource that requires active searching
• Pharmacotherapy: The Journal of Human Pharmacology and Drug Therapy: A traditional journal that requires subscription and active reading

Evidence-Based Literature Search Strategies

Multiple NCCN guidelines highlight the importance of systematic approaches to literature searching. Guidelines recommend:

• Using multiple bibliographic databases (minimum of three) 1
• Including MEDLINE/PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane Central Register as core databases 1
• Documenting search strategies for reproducibility 1
• Refreshing searches when significant time has elapsed 1

Best Practices for Staying Current

For pharmacy residents specifically:

1. Set up personalized Evidence Alerts based on therapeutic areas of interest
2. Establish a regular review schedule (e.g., weekly) to process incoming alerts
3. Use critical appraisal skills to evaluate the quality of pushed content
4. Supplement with targeted database searches when deeper information is needed

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

• Information overload: Subscribing to too many push resources without a system to process them
• Confirmation bias: Only following sources that confirm existing beliefs
• Neglecting quality assessment: Accepting pushed information without critical evaluation
• Failing to document: Not keeping track of important evidence for future reference

By utilizing Evidence Alerts as a primary push resource, pharmacy residents can efficiently stay current with high-quality evidence while managing their limited time effectively.