A proposal of a methodology for evidence search in primary health care: the example of osteoporosis in men

Abstract

The Family Physician should always seek the best available evidence, however the difficult access to scientific information or academic centers in primary care is a worldwide reality. The search for systematized information does not demand extensive technologies nor must the doctor be a scientist or researcher. Didactic systematization allows recovering articles presenting good clinical evidence. The purpose of this article is to present a simplified and systematized search method for scientific evidence in the field of primary care in five steps using the example of a question in the clinical practice regarding the diagnosis of osteoporosis affecting men.Asystematized search in databases resulted in densitometry (DEXA) as the only evidence-based possibility of diagnosis, hampering its management in the public health system although some guidelines define OSTEOPOROSIS when fragility fractures are present. The evidences found are discussed from the perspective of external validation, individualizing the evidences for patients.