Evidence-based radiology: review and dissemination

Evidence-based radiology (EBR) is an important tool for the practice of radiology. The user of the EBR approach identifies evidence in a systematic fashion and then assimilates information through in-depth, explicit critical review of the best-designed and most recent literature on the subject in question. Clinical decision making is then based on the best current evidence, clinical expertise, and patient values. Substantial progress has been made in the review and dissemination of EBR. Dissemination of EBR within radiology has two critical aspects. The first is increased understanding of the methods required for EBR and of the appropriate use of EBR. The second important component is the dissemination of the data and critical literature reviews necessary to allow use of the EBR approach. Resources available for both EBR methods and EBR data in radiology include societies, journals, medical meetings, Web sites, and textbooks. Although radiology has made important progress in this field in recent years, the specialty is still behind other specialties that have been at the forefront of evidence-based medicine in the past decade.