Evidence-Based Medicine

Origin
The origin of evidence-based medicine (EBM) traces back to the mid-19th century. The Cochrane Collaboration and Britain's Centre for Review and Dissemination, a formal English-based program, is one of the leaders in developing evidence-based medicine. In the United States, the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR) has developed many clinical guidelines to direct the EBM movement.

Definition
Evidence-based medicine, as defined by Sackett (1996), is the "conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about care of individual patients." Evidence-based medical practice has five components identified by Steves (2004):

• defining a clinically relevant question
• searching for the best evidence
• appraising the quality of the evidence
• applying the evidence to clinical practice
• evaluation of the process