SMALL GRANT PROGRAM FOR CONFERENCE SUPPORT

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Over the last several years it has become apparent that most practices in contemporary medicine rest on the experiences, authority or habits rather than on objective evidence that these practices can improve patients' health [1]. As a result, the evidence-based medicine movement was born attempting to "find out what works and what doesn't in medicine" through systematic standardized analyses of available evidence [2]. Importance of understanding the quality of our diagnostic and treatment interventions has been assessed "...as an enterprise that rivals the Human Genome Project in its potential implications for modern medicine" [2]. Very little work has been done on systematic analysis of the quality of available evidence in oncology. Therefore, we propose to organize a conference titled "Evidence-based Practice of Oncology" to address this issue and to explore the process for determining which interventions work and which interventions do not in the management of various oncological disorders. The conference will have two goals: 1) to provide understanding strength and weaknesses of available evidence in the most common cancer conditions, 2) to teach the process of gathering and critical appraisal of evidence. To accomplish these goals, three educational formats will be used: 1) lecture-type didactic sessions followed by "questions and answer" discussions in which prominent health care professionals will focus on standardized analysis of evidence regarding management of specific malignant disorders, 2) workshop "How to practice evidence-based oncology" in which participants will learn a) how to convert information needs into clinically answerable question, b) how to track down the best evidence with which to answer a clinical question, c) how to critically appraise that evidence for its validity (closeness to the truth), importance (size of effect) and usefulness (clinical applicability), d) how to integrate the appraisal with clinical expertise and apply the results in clinical practice, and 3) panel discussion on the role of medical evidence in manage-care decisions. At the conclusion of this conference, all participants should be able to: understand the nature of scientific analysis of evidence and to discuss a type and quality of evidence-based recommendations for the management of malignant disorders.