Evidence-based medicine

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• Format Texts
• Language/s English
• Target Audience Self-directed learning
• EBM Stage 0 - Why EBM?, 1 - Asking focused questions, 2 - Finding the evidence, 3 - Appraising evidence, 4 - Decision making, 5 - Evaluating your performance
• Duration 5-15 mins
• Difficulty Intermediate

Key Concepts addressed

• 3-2a Do the outcomes measured matter to you?
• 2-2a Reviews of fair comparisons should be systematic
• 1-2e Comparisons are needed to identify treatment effects

Details

Introduction

Lisa has serious pain following surgery. The doctor has to choose between tablets, according to external clinical evidence, and injection according to personal clinical experience and patient preferences. The doctor knows that according to external clinical evidence, tablets containing morphine would be the best choice. However, a common side effect of the anaesthesia given to Lisa during surgery is vomiting. This means that if Lisa is given a tablet and starts vomiting, the tablet will be brought up and she will get no pain relieving effect. The doctor and Lisa know from experience that Lisa is likely to start vomiting within 30 minutes after anaesthesia has ended. Therefore, the doctor decides to give Lisa an injection containing morphine instead.

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