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When a medical doctor needs evidence that a procedure or a course of treatment is appropriate for a diagnosis, he or she finds and reads a report of research in a journal like JAMA or The New England Journal of Medicine. |
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There are several reasons doctors rely on these journals:
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Journals provide evidence from past research that give the doctor confidence in his course of treatment thus decreasing the risk of medical error.
Doctors rely on research reports because they do not have time to repeat or rediscover life-saving evidence.
High quality research is a building block for future research and increased quality of healthcare. |
Journals are known for
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Specialization (medicine, law, microbiology, etc.)
Expert readers
Research authority
Stringent editorial processes (peer reviewed)
Low levels of bias (objective and balanced)
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