Evidence-based prognostication in a case of sciatica.

Peter C Emary

Abstract read

In one paragraph

Article in The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association, 2015. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it

0cells of the map it votes in

1citing papers in PubMed

–field-weighted citation impact

1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

1 citing paper in PubMed.

Imaging case reviews.The Journal of the Canadian Chiropractic Association · 2016
Article

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

1 author.

Peter C EmaryMaster of Science (MSc) Candidate, MSc Advanced Professional Practice (Clinical Sciences), Anglo-European College of Chiropractic, 13-15 Parkwood Road, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH5 2DF, United Kingdom ; Private Practice, 201C Preston Parkway, Cambridge, ON, N3H 5E8, Canada E-mail: pcemary@hotmail.com.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveTo present an evidence-based case report on the prognosis of a patient with sciatica. CASE: A 43-year-old man presented with right-sided buttock and lower extremity pain and numbness of 10 weeks' duration. Magnetic resonance imaging revealed a lumbosacral disc herniation. Straight leg raise testing provoked the patient's right sciatic pain, and neurologic examination revealed a diminished right Achilles tendon reflex and mild hypoesthesia along the patient's outer right foot. OUTCOME: PubMed was searched and two cohort studies relevant to sciatic prognosis were found. These articles were critically appraised for their validity, importance, and applicability in making a prognostic estimate for this particular patient. Based on the appraised research evidence, and the confidence intervals calculated therein, the overall prognosis for sciatic pain recovery with conservative care was estimated as favourable for this patient, though sensory recovery (even with surgical care) was not. SUMMARY: This case report illustrates how to use research literature in estimating the clinical prognosis for an individual patient, and how this can be useful towards clinical decision-making concerning treatment.

Indexed as

case reportschiropracticevidence based practiceprognosissciatica

Identifiers

PMID25729082

PMCPMC4319450

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata

Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.