Trends
in Medicine: Turning to the Evidence
News
accounts of the latest medical research are hard to miss with coverage in
magazines, newspaper health sections, radio, and television. While some of
these studies may seem arcane, many are the basis for knowing which
medical treatments are effective for patients and which are not.
Doctors
and health care professionals are attempting to help patients make sense
of the overload of health information by gathering, evaluating, and
sharing well–tested, proven medical research. This process of bringing
the best available evidence from scientific research to patient care is
known as evidence-based medicine (EBM). The emphasis with EBM is on
applying research to medical care: when there is evidence that a treatment
works and benefits the patient, it is practiced; where there is evidence
that a treatment has not benefited the patient, is ineffective, or
harmful, it is not practiced; and where there is not enough evidence,
healthcare professionals should proceed carefully.