I was just curious what the Barbell Medicine Pain and Rehab Team (or others at Barbell Medicine) use in order to keep up with all the information you take in (such as apps, feeds, software, notes, strategies you use in general). I am always impressed in your discussions with the sheer amount of information you all appear to have consumed from the literature and other resources. I wanted to see if you had tips on how you individually streamline this process to making keeping up with evidence and thinking critically through information a realistic and achievable goal while continuing to practice and manage clients. I know that taking the time to dive in is likely the key component and something I enjoy now, but any information on making this process more efficient is greatly appreciated!
Keeping up with “information and evidence” is like drinking from a firehose. It comes from numerous pathways. Sources may be reputable and others downright non-sense. As a physical therapist I have sources I look for that pertain to my practice. I have around 5-10 journals that fit my practice (PT/S&C/surgical/etc). I check the table of contents monthly. If something catches my eye, I dive in to critique it; spoiler alert, I’m usually not impressed. I pay attention to some medical journals to see what they are talking about (NEJM/JAMA/Lancet/etc). I don’t dive in, its purely curiosity and to remind myself how much I don’t know. I have some podcasts I listen to. Some are specific to my profession (BBM one of them) and others just my curiosity and enjoyment (freakonomics) on commutes. The books I read at home are purely for enjoyment on topics I don’t know much about to expand my knowledge base.
There are also push services available. That means you get emails of what’s been published based on your interest/expertise. PEDRO is a nice source to stay “in the know.”
Some folks use social media as their primary mode…
The options are endless. Find something that fits you and helps you feel informed but not overwhelmed. My opinion is take the time to digest and understand less material vs. having a superficial understanding of an abstract.