La medicina basada en evidencias / Evidence-based medicine

ABSTRACT

The need to improve the quality of health care and to contain its costs has become mandatory. Simultaneously we are confronted by a growing body of clinical information, most of it irrelevant. This paper discribes the origin and methods of Evidence-Based Madicine, a new alternative to the usual ways of medical information. The recent development of computarized data bases in permitting the rapid location of relevant clinical information concerning specific questions on diagnosis, therapy or prognosis. Critical analysis is then used to determine the validity of the evidence obtained, which can be employed in clinical decision making. The future role of Evidence-Based Medicine in education and clinical practice seems highly promissory