How We Use Research

The knowledge atlas helps patients prepare better questions and gives practitioners a path to the publications behind an explanation. It is educational material, not an examination or an individual treatment plan.

Follow the claim to the source

Research notes link directly to a journal article or its PubMed record. Each names the study design, the people studied, the finding and an important limitation. A DOI gives you another way to locate the publication. The original paper is the place to examine methods, full results and disclosures; an abstract or our summary cannot replace it.

The research library brings these notes together. Search by topic or author, follow a permanent link to a note, or download the citation collection for your reference manager. Each note links back to the guides that use it, so you can read the practical explanation alongside the source.

We distinguish randomized trials, systematic reviews, diagnostic studies, clinical guidelines and professional position statements. These answer different questions. A diagnostic study does not establish treatment effectiveness; an adult trial does not establish safety in infants.

Read what the evidence does not say

A treatment can help one condition without helping every symptom in the same area. A statistically significant result is not necessarily a meaningful improvement for a particular person. Comparisons with an inactive control do not establish superiority over every alternative.

The atlas includes unfavorable and inconclusive findings. For example, the shoulder guide includes research questioning the added benefit of more supervised sessions, and the disc guide distinguishes imaging findings from symptoms. A published citation does not certify the effectiveness of a clinic, practitioner or treatment package.

Dates and clinical review mean different things

An Updated date records a content edit. Clinically reviewed appears only when a named practitioner has completed a review and a review date is recorded. An update date or a link to research should not be interpreted as clinical sign-off. Where that label is absent, no completed clinical review is being claimed.

Use the atlas at an appointment

Bring the activity you want to regain, what has changed and any questions raised by a source. Ask which diagnosis is being considered, why a treatment fits, what alternatives exist, what its risks are and when progress will be reviewed. The appropriate next step may be self-management, an examination or another clinician.

Suggest a correction

Use the contact page to flag a broken source, a factual concern or a topic that needs a clearer explanation. Include the page address and publication if relevant. Please do not send private medical details in a general website inquiry.