What is evidence-based medicine?
The British Medical Journal defines evidence-based medicine as “the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.”
Health care experts estimate that only 20% of medical practices are based on rigorous research evidence, according to a recent article in the journal Patient Care. But, acceptance of the practice is gaining momentum across the industry, and is improving the health care experience for consumers, physicians and other health care professionals.
Medical practice not based on sound scientific evidence is linked to the nearly 1 million medical errors, and nearly 100,000 deaths each year, according to a 1999 report from the Institute of Medicine.
Donald Berwick, the CEO of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement told Congress that more than 95% of medical errors are “system errors,” such as the 30% of children who receive excessive antibiotics for ear infections and the 20% to 50% of surgical operations that are unnecessary each year.
In response, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) appropriated $50 million to research patient safety. Many health leaders have also urged hospitals to elevate and regulate the role of the medical librarian, the hospital’s information expert, to find and share the correct data.
The American Medical Association, the American Association of Health Plans, and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality have set up a National Guideline Clearinghouse database of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for the wider health care spectrum. It is available online at: http://www.guideline.gov/
