Overview of EBM

Question 1

What are factors that can be avoided with EBM?

Answer 1

-Waste of money
-Exposing people to powerful drugs, treatments, and surgeries unnecessarily
-Adverse effects unbalanced by positive
benefit

Question 2

What is required to recommend pharmacotherapy?

Answer 2

-Evaluating efficacy
-Evaluating safety
-Risk-Benefit Analysis
-Cost-Benefit analysis

Question 3

What has to be proven by EMB?

Answer 3

-that the drug works

-whether an intervention has made a difference and how great the difference is

Question 4

A 70-year-old female (BP 174/86) is treated
with a drug that lowers BP and the risk of
stroke is reduced by 44%

If the risk of having a stroke in this type of patient
is 2.5% over 4 years
What does 44% represent?

Answer 4

44% is the relative risk -> so 44% of 2.5% = 1.1%
So it went down from 2.5% to 1.4%
-> 1.1% is the absolute risk reduction

Question 5

What is the most common definition of EBP taken by Dr. David Sackett?

Answer 5

The use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of the individual patient

-> Using clinical expertise + taking the best available clinical evidence into consideration

Question 6

What factors should be considered in the decision-making process for patients?

Answer 6

Best research
Clinical expertise
Patient values

Question 7

Steps of EBM

Answer 7

1. Start with the patient
2. The question
3. The resource
4. The evaluation
5. The patient
6. Self-evaluation