The term evidence-based practice has become a cornerstone of my education at USUHS. It was introduced during the first week of classes and it is what guided not only our classroom assignments but also my own daily clinical experience. A week does not pass that I do not find myself searching a research database or reading medical email updates regarding a newly changed clinical practice guideline. Looking back through the assignments, I found just how each class has been building the concept of evidence-based practice and moving me towards becoming proficient in the ability to apply new knowledge to any clinical question I might have. Both of the papers I have provided as examples were written in the final year of my instruction, as they make full use of everything I have been taught.

My paper on probiotics was prompted by the number of patients I see monthly with gastrointestinal complaints that arise from numerous etiologies, including antibiotic associated diarrhea (AAD). When I began searching the literature, I was surprised to find that I was not the only person who wondered if probiotics could help combat AAD. There is an abundance of new literature on the topic, so I was able to pull enough information together to find an answer to my clinical question.

The paper on fibromyalgia was a project I collaborated on long-distance with another classmate, and it was made easier because of the classroom instruction we had received together. Though I thought during my first semester that evaluating literature was a tedious task I was learning only for didactic purposes, I have found how beneficial it has become and know it will always remain as the initial building block for finding answers to my medical questions. I am amazed when I find colleagues in my clinic who are still treating disease using medical therapies that have been outdated for many years, and who I would not be able to collaborate with on an evidence-based project such as the one I have presented here because they do not have the knowledge of how to search and evaluate literature.