John Goodman does a nice job dissecting the many problems with the current concept of "evidence based medicine".
Often, the purported "evidence" is shaky. Or subject to commercial bias. Or applicable only to a subset of patients. Or simply lacking.
Yet doctors will be increasingly pressured to follow "evidence based" government practice guidelines (or risk not getting paid), even if that's not the appropriate care for the individual patient.
And note how the term "evidence based medicine" is carefully crafted to cast aspersions on any doctors who stray from those guidelines -- not-so-subtly implying that they are disregarding evidence or failing to practice according to sound scientific principles.
So beware the double-speak of "evidence based medicine".
(Read the full text of Goodman's post, "Cookbook Medicine". Link via Donna R.)
The blog of Freedom and Individual Rights in Medicine (FIRM)
