Evidence-Based Medicine Toolkit
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the conscientious, explicit, and judicious use of the current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. We ask authors to explicitly rate the level of evidence for key recommendations on diagnosis and treatment whenever possible so readers will have a better understanding of the strength of the recommendations. Readers, in turn, should understand the ratings and the significant impact they can have on their practice. The following information is provided for readers who want to learn more about EBM, and for authors preparing manuscripts for publication.
| Strength of Recommendation | Definition | Implication for Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Strength of Recommendation: A | Definition: Recommendation based on consistent and good quality patient-oriented evidence | Implication for Practice: You should do this unless there is a compelling reason not to. |
| Strength of Recommendation: B | Definition: Recommendation based on inconsistent or limited quality patient-oriented evidence | Implication for Practice: You should strongly consider doing this. |
| Strength of Recommendation: C | Definition: Recommendation based on consensus, usual practice, opinion, disease-oriented evidence, and case series for studies of diagnosis, treatment, prevention, or screening. | Implication for Practice: The evidence that this improves patient outcomes is weaker for this recommmendation. |
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