Respect for patient autonomy is an important ethical principle for medical practitioners; however, previous investigators have reported inconsistent attitudes amongst practitioners towards respect for patient autonomy. This study in empirical ethics used qualitative methods to investigate GPs' attitudes towards respect for patient autonomy in consultations for low back pain. Wendy A Rogers Department of General Practice, Flinders University of South Australia

Hip fracture is a common serious injury that occurs mainly in older people. For many previously fit patients it means loss of prior full mobility; for some frailer patients the permanent loss of the ability to live at home. And for the frailest of all it may bring pain, confusion and disruption to complicate an already distressing last illness. Mortality after hip fracture is high: around 30% at one year. Despite significant improvements in both surgery and rehabilitation in recent decades, hip fracture remains, for patients and their carers, a much-feared injury. Highly Reputable

Meta-analysis of 27 papers on Regional Nerve Block in Fractured Neck of Femura. Conclusion: In patients with suspected fractured neck of femur, regional nerve block may be of benefit in reducing parenteral analgesic requirements.
Best BETs - Best Evidence Topics Expert

Hip fracture is a common, serious injury which occurs predominantly in the elderly. The care of hip fracture patients is complex, multidisciplinary and multi-agency. Trauma services vary in structure and resources available to them for the care and rehabilitation of hip fracture patients. The Scottish Hip Fracture audit aims to improve services for these patients by providing high quality relevant data on the care and rehabilitation of hip fracture patients

The Scottish Intercollegiate Guidelines Network (SIGN) was formed in 1993. Our objective is to improve the quality of health care for patients in Scotland by reducing variation in practice and outcome, through the development and dissemination of national clinical guidelines containing recommendations for effective practice based on current evidence. Highly Reputable

Evidence Based Orthopaedics from Bandolier relating to arthritis and bone and joint problems. Highly Reputable

Boxmind is the home of Academic Excellence, Online. Boxmind is an online education consultancy that, through a combination of expert advice, outstanding rich media content and proprietary software, assists academic institutions and corporations to exploit the full potential of the electronic delivery of educational material.Has musculoskeltal database of quality links

Clinical Trials in Spine Medicine lists industry-sponsored trials that are actively recruiting patients.

Free access to Cohrane Library, must be from a registered country; at present Australia, UK, Finland, Ireland, Norway Highly Reputable

The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Group provides systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions for musculoskeletal diseases.

The Cochrane Musculoskeletal Injuries Group provides systematic reviews of the effects of healthcare interventions for orthopaedic and related musculoskeletal injuries.

EBM case study

The metaRegister of Controlled Trials is a searchable, international database of ongoing randomised controlled trials in all areas of healthcare. At present, the mRCT also contains some completed trials. Offering access to more than 10,000 records, the mRCT is free Highly Reputable

The authors evaluated two hypothetical interventions to prevent hip fracture in the overall female population and in a high-risk female population. For one intervention the authors assumed treatment costs approximating treatment with bisphosphonates, and for the other intervention the authors assumed treatment costs approximating those of hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Highly Reputable

Stretching before or after exercising does not confer protection from muscle soreness Highly Reputable