Evidence Based Medicine

All medical practice is supposed to draw on the most up to date and complete evidence to have the greatest chance of being effective. It is only in recent years that a discipline has developed that seeks to make explicit and systematic use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. Indeed, evidence-based medicine (EBM) offers a challenge to the traditional culture and practice of medicine, particularly as it is attractive to policymakers anxious to achieve better performance while maintaining tight control of health service expenditure.

This book enables practitioners and administrators alike to obtain a clear view of what EBM is and helps them to assess its value and limitations. Written by a freelance science and policy commentator, this book:
* explains what EBM is and isn't,
* describes the challenge it poses to traditional medical practice,
* introduces the key figures in the development of EBM,
* discusses the growth of government interest and the response of the National Health Service,
* details the main sources of EBM information in the UK, such as the Centre for Reviews and Dissemination and the Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine, with locations of Internet sites where appropriate,
* indicates the problems facing EBM in practice, including the implications for medical education and training, and for libraries, and
* reflects on the subject from the patient's perspective.

There are over 180 annotated references and full author, corporate body, and subject indexes. As a result, this book is an essential purchase for policymakers and health administrators, medical practitioners, researchers, educators, and medical librarians. Although it has a particular focus on the UK, it will be relevant to these audiences in other countries as well.