As physicians, whether serving individual patients or populations, we always have sought to base our decisions and actions on the best possible evidence. The ascendancy of the randomized trial heralded a fundamental shift in the way that we establish the clinical bases for diagnosis, prognosis, and therapeutics. The ability to track down, critically appraise (for its validity and usefulness), and incorporate this rapidly growing body of evidence into one's clinical practice has been named ‘evidence-based medicine’5,6 (EBM).
RubermanWWeinblattEGoldbergJDFrankCWShapiroS.Ventricular premature beats and mortality after myocardial infarction. N Engl J Med1977; 297: 750–7
2.
MorganrothJBiggerJT Jr, AndersonJL. Treatment of ventricular arrhythmia by United States cardiologists: A survey before the Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial results were available. Am J Cardiol1990; 65: 40–8
3.
EchtDSLiebsonPRMitchellB, Mortality and morbidity in patients receiving encainide, flecainide, or placebo: The Cardiac Arrhythmia Suppression Trial. N Engl J Med1991; 324: 781–8
4.
ChalmersIEnkinMKeirseMJNC, eds. Effective Care in Pregnancy and Childbirth. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1989: Vol 2, pp 1471–6
5.
Evidence-Based Medicine Working Group. Evidence-based medicine: A new approach to teaching the practice of medicine. JAMA1992; 268: 2420–5
6.
SackettDLHaynesRBGuyattGHTugwellP.Clinical Epidemiology: A Basic Science for Clinical Medicine, 2nd edn.Boston:Little, Brown, 1991
7.
CovellDGUmanGCManningPR. Information needs in office practice: Are they being met?Ann Intern Med1985; 103: 596–9
8.
AntmanEMLauJKupelnickBMostellerFChalmersTC. A comparison of results of meta-analyses of randomized control trials and recommendations of clinical experts. JAMA1992; 268: 240–8
9.
RamseyPGCarlineJDInuiTS, Changes over time in the knowledge base of practising internists. JAMA1991; 266: 1103–7
10.
EvansCEHaynesRBBirkettNJ, Does a mailed continuing education program improve clinician performance? Results of a randomized trial in antihypertensive care. JAMA1986; 255: 501–4
11.
SackettDLHaynesRBTaylorDWGibsonESRobertsRSJohnsonAL. Clinical determinants of the decision to treat primary hypertension. Clin Res1977; 24: 648
12.
DavisDAThompsonMAOxmanADHaynesRB. Evidence for the effectiveness of CME: A review of 50 randomized controlled trials. JAMA1992; 268: 1111–7
13.
SibleyJCSackettDLNeufeldVGerrardBRudnickKVFraserW.A randomized trial of continuing medical education. N Engl J Med1982; 306: 511–5
14.
BennettKJSackettDLHaynesRBNeufeldVR. A controlled trial of teaching critical appraisal of the clinical literature to medical students. JAMA1987; 257: 2451
15.
ShinJHHaynesRBJohnstonME. Effect of problem-based, self-directed undergraduate education on life-long learning. Can Med Assoc J1993; 148: 969–76
16.
OxmanAGuyattGH. The science of reviewing research. Ann NY Acad Sci1993; 703: 125–34
17.
DickersinKShererRLefebvreC.Identifying relevant studies for systematic reviews. BMJ1994; 309: 1286–91
DavisDAThomsonMAOxmanADHaynesRB. Evidence for the effectiveness of CME. A review of 50 randomized controlled trials. JAMA1992; 268: 1111–17
20.
JohnstonMELangtonKBHaynesRB. Effects of computer-based clinical decision support systems on clinician performance and patient outcome. A critical appraisal of research. Ann Intern Med1994; 120: 135–42
21.
General Medical Council. Doctors of the Future. Recommendations On Undergraduate Medical Education. London: GMC, 1993
22.
Standing Committee on Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education. Continuing Professional Development for Doctors and Dentists. London: SCPM & DE, 1994
