This may seem a strange title as many of you will feel that TRIP is an evidence-based tool already.  Well, TRIP helps users find the best available evidence, I’m comfortable with that.  However, there is more to this than that….

Since the new interface/functionality went live I’ve been tidying up loose ends, fixing a few broken bits of functionality and looking forward to the next changes to TRIP.  This has coincided with a wonderful opportunity to get involved with a research grant that will explore creating a search interface based on academic theories around information gathering.  This will involve creating a series of interfaces which will then be tested with a group of clinicians.  So, we’ll be doing research to explore various aspects of search interface design and results display.  We’ll be creating an evidence-base for clinical search.

I’ve no idea if we’ll get funding but the person in charge is hugely influential so I think we’ve got a reasonable chance.  Even if it doesn’t happen I’ve already learnt an awful lot from just reading the background papers. 

Exciting times!