title: Guidelines for drug treatment of epilepsy: a critical review.
abstract: This article critically reviews the role of evidence-based medicine and its guidelines, from their logistic preparation to their interpretation. The strengths and weaknesses of the methodological points are presented, as well the reasons for the extreme popularity of the guidelines in developed countries. The review discusses the main foundations of the most cited guidelines and some recent large studies. Some of the final conclusions are that clinical experience is always an important factor to consider, even in the face of solid evidence, to achieve the best possible management of any particular patient.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, State University of Campinas, Campinas, SP, Brazil. guerreiro@fcm.unicamp.br
authors.forename: Carlos A M
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Guerreiro
mesh_terms: D000927:Anticonvulsants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003657:Decision Making; D004827:Epilepsy / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy*; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D010819:Physician's Role; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000927:Anticonvulsants