Case-Based Training of Evidence-Based Clinical Practice in Primary Care and Decreased Mortality in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease

The most impressive thing about this study to me is the effect size. The confidence interval about the point estimate is wide, as the sample size is fairly small. However, even with that consideration, the effect size is, well, wow. When he was director of NHLBI, Claude Lenfant told the National High Blood Pressure Education Program that he thought we would do more good for more people by learning how to properly get what we already know used reliably than by developing new knowledge. (His statement received a cool reception by the hypertension specialists but a very enthusiastic one by the general internist and the family physician.) The effect size in this study is convincing proof of the wisdom of Dr. Lenfant's comment.

Competing interests:   None declared