Executive summary
Applications of artificial intelligence (AI) are making inroads and headlines in healthcare. Accordingly, the need for researchers and clinicians to find the latest, most accurate, clinically relevant information about AI in healthcare (AIH) has grown exponentially. However, the vast sea of databases from which one can draw often presents overwhelming noise, requiring users to possess significant expertise in searching and appraising information.
In contrast, the NEJM Collection published by the NEJM Group, particularly NEJM AI, offers a guiding light by purposefully curating signals from noise to provide the latest, most clinically relevant, and immediately transformative information on all AIH topics.
NEJM AI: Transforming healthcare research
AIH is a topic of intense discovery and discussion. Articles alternately spotlight AIH’s promise or its perils. Many proofs of concept exist for AI-enabled technologies; however, studies to date on those technologies have been small and sparse. Moreover, patient outcomes have not been consistently measured, so the effectiveness of the technology is unclear. The crucial question of performance gain — what measurable improvement is due to the AI model alone — needs to be rigorously addressed.
The average clinician often struggles to interpret the results of an AI study while trying to determine whether the tool is safe and effective enough to use in practice, partly due to the time-intensive nature of appraisal and the sheer volume of new publications.
Medical librarians can bridge the gap
Medical librarians are uniquely positioned to fill those information and skill gaps as they increasingly field user questions regarding how to find good research on AIH and interpret the results. AIH information can be drawn from a vast sea of databases, but the onus is on the user to apply the right filters and be an expert in evaluating the information. In contrast, the NEJM Complete Collection, including NEJM AI, provides a guiding light to the latest, most clinically relevant information about AIH. Librarians can support clinicians not only in searching but also in developing algorithmic literacy and critically appraising AI outputs, a crucial skill in a rapidly evolving landscape.
The NEJM Complete Collection is a product suite of high-impact, peer-reviewed content curated for researchers, physician learners, and educators at medical schools. The collection stands alone as an entire ecosystem that deliberately separates signal from noise, offering only the most relevant, immediately transformative information for proactively advancing care. Beyond simply presenting information, the portfolio curates content for accuracy and clinical relevance, while also offering physician-editor commentary to provide essential context and clinical decision-making support.
How to optimize the use of the NEJM Collection
For all users, NEJM Journal Watch can serve as the primary entry point for research. Its authors cull information from more than 150 medical journals, generating succinct summaries of clinical studies, highlighting key findings and clinical implications, and providing expert commentary. This effectively offloads the overwhelming task of staying current and appraising diverse literature for clinicians and researchers. Topics can then be explored in more depth within the primary articles.
Complementary publications
The journals in the NEJM Complete Collection are designed to complement each other, each with a distinct and necessary mission aligned towards specific improvements in research and medicine, rather than merely increasing publication volume. Consider this AIH example:
