title: Measuring treatment effectiveness:  a guide to incorporating the principles of evidence-based medicine.
abstract: Every year, hundreds of new surgical devices and techniques are introduced, and plastic surgeons must determine the associated risks, benefits, and costs of these options when incorporating these advances into their armamentarium. This article will discuss the elements of treatment effectiveness by applying the principles of evidence-based medicine to therapeutics. Current efforts to measure plastic surgery outcomes are evolving and rely on case series and retrospective cohort studies. This review will highlight the basic evidence-based medicine concepts and how they can potentially be applied to understand best practices in plastic surgery.
authors.affiliation: Ann Arbor, Mich. From the Section of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, The University of Michigan Health System.
authors.forename: Jennifer F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Waljee
authors.forename: Bradley P
authors.initials: BP
authors.lastname: Larson
authors.forename: Kevin C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Chung
mesh_terms: D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D057186:Comparative Effectiveness Research; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D006801:Humans; D011300:Preoperative Care; D019651:Plastic Surgery Procedures; D018570:Risk Assessment; D016896:Treatment Outcome