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Narrow Summaries: Synopses

Synopses are another type of narrow focused summary. They are expert commentaries on particular syntheses and studies. The following resources provide synopses that have been performed by individuals with experience in EBM.

Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE):
DARE was created by the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination at the University of York, England to provide summaries and expert commentaries of systematic reviews which have met strict quality criteria to decision makers at the National Health Service in the United Kingdom and other health professionals. In addition they disseminate economic evaluations of therapies and technology assessments. When you run a search, it is conducted in all of their databases. To retrieve your synopses from DARE alone, click on that tab in the page of results.

Bandolier:
Created by Oxford scientists in England, this journal provides highly readable synopses of studies and syntheses on a broad range of topics for professionals and consumers.

Three additional highly regarded sources of synopses healthcare providers use require a subscription:

ACP Journal Club:
Published by the American College of Physicians, this resource comprises a database of synopses of selected journal articles that have been selected bimonthly since its 1991 inception. Content is selected and critiqued from over 100 clinical journals using explicit criteria for scientific merit and clinical specialists who assess the relevance of the article to medical practice.

Essential Evidence Plus:
This is a comprehensive resource that provides evidence-based answers at the point of patient care. It includes Infopoems, synopses of articles that are continually selected from over 100 medical journals to ensure that the information will matter to patients and providers (POEM stands for Patient Oriented Evidence that Matters, i.e., the outcomes in the research provide clinically meaningful information). You can sign up for a 30-day free demo.

Journal Watch:
Produced by the publishers of the New England Journal of Medicine, this resource provides synopses selected from articles in over 350 journals that cover 13 primary and specialty care areas. They also provide medical news, drug information, and public health alerts.

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Narrow Summaries: Synopses