Goals and tools

At the end of this module, you will be able to:

• Identify pitfalls in common approaches to clinical decision-making
• Determine if a study about therapy is valid
• Understand the use of "intention to treat" in analyzing the results
• Understand the distinction between relative risk reduction and absolute risk reduction
• Understand how to calculate the number needed to treat (NNT)

To best use this module, you should have:

• A few sheets of paper
• A copy of the following paper: SHEP Cooperative Research Group. Prevention of stroke by antihypertensive drug treatment in older persons with isolated systolic hypertension: final results of the Systolic Hypertension in the Elderly Program (SHEP). JAMA 1991 Jun 26; 265(24): 3255-3264.

You might also want a copy of the yellow laminated card in the back of your EBM textbook (which ain’t a bad resource either), and a calculator.  To use the calculator that comes with Windows '95 or '98, select the Start button in the bottom left corner of the screen, then Programs | Accessories | Calculator.