TY - JOUR
T1 - A categorization and analysis of the criticisms of Evidence-Based Medicine
AU - Cohen, Aaron Michael
AU - Stavri, P. Zoë
AU - Hersh, William R.
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank Dr. Mark Helfand for his extensive comments and helpful review during the writing of this article. This work was supported by NIH Grant number 2 T15 LM07088-11 from the National Library of Medicine.
PY - 2004/2
Y1 - 2004/2
N2 - The major criticisms and limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) appearing in the literature over the past decade can be summarized and categorized into five recurring themes. The themes include: reliance on empiricism, narrow definition of evidence, lack of evidence of efficacy, limited usefulness for individual patients, and threats to the autonomy of the doctor/patient relationship. Analysis of EBM according to these themes leads to the conclusion that EBM can be a useful tool, but has severe drawbacks when used in isolation in the practice of individual patient care. Modern medicine must strive to balance an extremely complex set of priorities. To be an effective aid in achieving this balance, the theory and practice of EBM must expand to include new methods of study design and integration, and must adapt to the needs of both patients and the health care system in order to provide patients with the best care at the lowest cost.
AB - The major criticisms and limitations of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) appearing in the literature over the past decade can be summarized and categorized into five recurring themes. The themes include: reliance on empiricism, narrow definition of evidence, lack of evidence of efficacy, limited usefulness for individual patients, and threats to the autonomy of the doctor/patient relationship. Analysis of EBM according to these themes leads to the conclusion that EBM can be a useful tool, but has severe drawbacks when used in isolation in the practice of individual patient care. Modern medicine must strive to balance an extremely complex set of priorities. To be an effective aid in achieving this balance, the theory and practice of EBM must expand to include new methods of study design and integration, and must adapt to the needs of both patients and the health care system in order to provide patients with the best care at the lowest cost.
KW - Evidence-Based Medicine/trends
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U2 - 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2003.11.002
DO - 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2003.11.002
M3 - Article
C2 - 15036077
AN - SCOPUS:1242296229
SN - 1386-5056
VL - 73
SP - 35
EP - 43
JO - International Journal of Medical Informatics
JF - International Journal of Medical Informatics
IS - 1
ER -