[Information management skills: a practical guide in primary care medicine]

Evidence-Based Medicine has taught us how to evaluate the validity of medical information. At the present time, with the abundance of information available, a doctor often lacks the time needed to select and apply what medical literature suggests. Consequently a new paradigm is called for, namely that of Information Management. In order to reconcile evidence with the principle of reality, a carefully measured use of medical literature has become necessary. The information consulted must not only be valid, but relevant to the context of the patient and must be easily accessible. The article under consideration offers some indication as to how to improve the management of information on a day to day basis through a system of up-dating by email newsletters and by the advantageous use of prefiltered medical literature.