Limitations of evidence in the practice of evidence-based medicine.
The goal of evidence-based medicine (EBM) is to support population-based policies and individual medical decisions that serve to improve health outcomes through the use of the most proven effective treatments. The essence of EBM is to use evidence (typically research data) related to the effectiveness of medical interventions to guide decisions about whether to use those interventions in clinical practice. The quality of evidence is the critical component in understanding and using EBM. This article discusses the kinds and limitations of the evidence used in the practice of EBM.
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic, Pennsylvania 15213, USA. HowlandRH@upmc.edu
Robert H
RH
Howland
D015982:Bias; D018672:Community Health Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D003657:Decision Making; D004059:Diffusion of Innovation; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D015399:Nursing Research; D009937:Organizational Objectives; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D018579:Patient Selection; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011568:Psychiatric Nursing; D016032:Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic; D012107:Research Design / Q000592:standards