Content area
Full text
The acronym POEM stands for Patient-Oriented Evidence that Matters, and refers to a summary of valid research that is relevant to physicians and their patients. POEMs are selected from research published in more than 100 clinical journals. Each month, a team of family physicians and educators reviews these journals and identifies research results that are important and can be applied to day-to-day practice. The valid POEMs are summarized, reviewed, revised, and compiled into InfoRetriever, part of the InfoPOEMs Clinical Awareness System, copyright by InfoPOEM, Inc. POEMs have to meet three criteria: they address a question that primary care physicians face in day-to-day practice; they measure outcomes important to physicians and patients, including symptoms, morbidity, quality of life, and mortality; and they have the potential to change the way physicians practice. Studies that do not meet these criteria cannot be a POEM. For additional information about POEMs and Info-Retriever, see http://www.InfoPOEMs.com.