Building the powerful 10-minute office visit, Part I: Introduction to the new section

This is the first of a planned progressive series of articles entitled "Tutorials in Clinical Research" written to assist those who would become more active in the application of scientific methods to their practices and to assist those who would seek to develop and publish new discoveries of their own. On completion of Tutorials, the reader should be able to 1) critically and efficiently read the literature and 2) use his or her personal practice as a laboratory for clinical investigation.

Tutorial.

The Journal editor agreed to launch the series "Tutorials in Clinical Research," which was conceived out of a need for an easily understandable and accessible collection of tutorials for the busy practitioner. The Clinical Research Working Group at Washington University, Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, will write, edit, and solicit additional authors for the completion of this planned 22-article series. The intended audience includes, among other groups, practitioners without research funds who are interested in the application of scientific methods to their practices.

This first article in the series outlines how to begin and three steps for the initial application of scientific methods to practice, including critical literature review, prospective analysis of practice, and specific project development.

The application of scientific methods to practice can be fun, educational, and effective in the enhancement of quality care. The "value added" result is the development of the powerful 10-minute patient office visit for the busy practitioner.