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Evidence Based Medicine

  • Reference work entry
Encyclopedia of Database Systems

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Synonyms

Evidence based practice; Scientific medicine

Definition

Evidence based medicine (EBM) is the “conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients” [1].

Key Points

Although medical practice is historically based on observation and best attempts at scientific method, early medical practices often involved trial and error or observations of one or a few cases. In the last century, advances in research, experience, technology, and communications have moved medicine more towards practice based on established evidence.

Individuals especially responsible for promoting, developing, describing, and discussing EBM have included Archie Cochrane, David Sackett [4], and Gordon Guyatt [2]. The international Cochrane Collaboration [3] has emerged to continue to advance EBM throughout the world. This and several other organizations, such as the US Preventive Services Task Force [1], have assembled, analyzed, and graded...

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Recommended Reading

  1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). 2007. Available online at http://www.ahcpr.gov/clinic/uspstfix.htm (accessed Aug 30, 2007).

  2. Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group. Evidence-based medicine. A new approach to teaching the practice of medicine. JAMA. 268(17):2420–2425, 1992.

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  3. The Cochrane Collaboration. The Cochrane Collaboration. 2007. Available online at http://www.cochrane.org/ (accessed Aug 30, 2007).

  4. Sackett D.L., Rosenberg W.M., Gray J.A., Haynes R.B., and Richardson W.S. Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn’t. BMJ. 312(7023):71–72, 1996.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Michael Weiner

Authors
  1. Michael Weiner
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. College of Computing, Georgia Institute of Technology, 266 Ferst Drive, 30332-0765, Atlanta, GA, USA

    LING LIU (Professor) (Professor)

  2. Database Research Group David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science, University of Waterloo, 200 University Avenue West, N2L 3G1, Waterloo, ON, Canada

    M. TAMER ÖZSU (Professor and Director, University Research Chair) (Professor and Director, University Research Chair)

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© 2009 Springer Science+Business Media, LLC

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Weiner, M. (2009). Evidence Based Medicine. In: LIU, L., ÖZSU, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, Boston, MA. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-39940-9_156

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