We live in a time of unprecedented access to information. While the Information Age has created unique opportunities for individuals to gather and use data relevant to their lives, the management of the extraordinary amount of data now available has created unique challenges for busy professionals.
Nowhere are the challenges of information management more apparent than in healthcare. Although physicians can access an almost unlimited amount of information on highly specific topics through the Internet, it is unusual to find such information presented in a truly useful format.
Within the practice of medicine, brain tumor therapy presents an especially difficult challenge in data management. The rapid development of novel therapies has made it necessary for physicians to possess some knowledge of experimental medicine as it applies to brain tumor patients. Additionally, therapeutic decision-making for these patients generally involves the integration of opinions from individuals in multiple disciplines, making it essential for clinicians to have a basic understanding of current therapies in related specialties, in addition to solid understandings of their own literatures.
Recognizing the unique information management challenges facing clinicians treating brain tumor patients, the AANS/CNS Section on Tumors set out in 1997 to develop a comprehensive yet manageable online resource for those interested in brain tumor research and therapy. The result, the Select Review in Neuro-Oncology https://www .neurosurgery.org/tumor/selectreview, is a periodic summary of information in the literature related to brain tumors. The review features both traditional content and an organizing structure designed to increase its usefulness to busy clinicians. A distinct and important feature of this effort is its multidisciplinary focus. Individuals from across the country in 13 different disciplines including the basic sciences have pledged to support this effort.
Packed With Content The Select Review is published biannually and posted on the NEUROSURGERY://ON-CALL® Web site. Content is divided into four sections: journal article reviews, abstracts from various national meetings, invited comments from authors of selected articles and original contributions from experts who summarize current areas of interest in neuro-oncology.
Literature analysis is the principal feature of the Select Review. Specialists in selected fields are asked to examine their own literature and identify papers and abstracts containing particularly important concepts related to brain tumor research and treatment. Concise summaries of papers along with reviewer commentaries are presented according to specialty in the “Journal Article Review” section. Abstracts are listed in a separate section. Readers have the option to view submissions from one or more specialties. Moreover, a detailed search mechanism allows viewers to review specific submissions from previous issues.
Two additional sections contain original content. In the “Featured Article” section, the authors of particularly noteworthy papers are invited to comment on the broader significance of their work. The “What’s Hot” section is a forum for national experts to give their perspective on topics of interest in neuro-oncology.
New features that have been incorporated into the Review since its initial release in 1999 have included a graphic option that enables users to print the entire Review in a journal-like format and an online subscription service. Additionally, an abridged companion journal called the Select Review in Neuro-Oncology for Patients and Families is available through the “Health Resources” area of N://OC. Efforts are under way to develop online CME capabilities.
In summary, Select Review is an effort to make the vast literature related to brain tumors easier to access, easier to use and most importantly,, pertinent to the practice of busy clinicians. The AANS/CNS Section on Tumors and the Select Review Editorial Board welcome your comments.
Anthony Asher, MD, FACS, is editor-in-chief, Select Review in Neuro-Oncology. He can be reached at [email protected].