Is Evidence Available?

According to G. Michaud,

"Most primary therapeutic clinical decisions in 3 general medicine services are supported by evidence from randomized controlled trials. This should be reassuring to those who are concerned about the extent to which clinical medicine is based on empirical evidence. This finding has potential for quality assurance, as exemplified by the discovery that a literature search could have potentially improved these decisions in some cases." 

(Michaud G, 1998)

The Study Data: of 145 cases and clinical decisions analyzed:

• 31 could be supported by a randomized controlled trial 

• 65 were supported by a head-to-head trial (not a placebo-controlled trial) 

• 23 were supported by case-control or cohort studies 

• 4 were supported by case series reports 

• 22 could not be supported with a study from the literature 

 

We now go to EBM Issues