Evidence-based medicine as Bayesian decision-making.
We review two recent trends: the emergence of evidence-based medicine and the growing use of Bayesian statistics in medical applications. Evidence-based medicine requires an integrated assessment of the available evidence, and associated uncertainty, but there is also an emphasis on decision-making, for individual patients, or at other points in the health-care system. This demands consideration of the values and costs associated with potential outcomes. We argue that the natural statistical framework for evidence-based medicine is a Bayesian approach to decision-making that incorporates an integrated summary of the available evidence and associated uncertainty with assessment of utilities. We outline a practical agenda for further development.
Ashby
D
D
Wolfson Institute of Preventive Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, Charterhouse Square, London EC1M 6BQ, UK. d.ashby@mds.qmw.ac.uk
Smith
A F
AF
D001499:Bayes Theorem; D003657:Decision Making; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male