Many research studies have looked at the obstacles doctors face when trying to find evidence to answer questions that arise during clinical practice. A 2002 BMJ study by John Ely and others identified over 50 barriers doctors encountered while searching for patient care information. "Point of care" or bedside information tools attempt to address some of these problems by offering succint reviews or summaries in structured formats. These clinically-focused resources emphasize diagnosis and treatment. Most are well-referenced, peer-reviewed and considered evidence-based. The Clinical Reference page has links to three point of care tools. For more information on what each has to offer, click on the video icons:

• FirstConsult

• eMedicine

• UpToDate

Access information: Remember that UpToDate is available on-campus only. FirstConsult is a licensed resource that can be used off-campus with a valid ONYEN ID and password. eMedicine is an "open access comprehensive medical textbook for all clinical fields."

Other patient-centered resources

Many other information resources and search engines are available to help with point of care decision making. Some are fee-based but others are freely available on the web. The following links provide more details on this topic:

• Making evidence-based medicine doable in clinical practice

• Point of care decision-making tools