title: Evidence-based medicine and contraception.
abstract: The concept of evidence-based medicine involves formalizing the scientific approach to the practice of medicine to identify the evidence supporting clinical decisions. To understand the concept, clinicians must have knowledge of critical appraisal and the basic epidemiologic principles of study design, relative risk, odds ratios, point estimates, confidence intervals, bias, and confounding. Using this information, clinicians can categorize evidence, assess causality, and make evidence-based recommendations. Evidence-based medicine allows clinicians to analyze complicated material so that the best possible clinical decisions can be made for the population served.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, USA.
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Williams
mesh_terms: D015982:Bias; D003267:Contraception; D015340:Epidemiologic Research Design; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic