The care of the nation is top of the list when it comes to evidence based medicine. Whether it is an individual’s mental state or their physical being, evidence based medicine is of utmost importance in ensuring people’s future health. Through clinical research, conducted by both medical and scientific professionals, evidence based medicine is able to assess the effectiveness and non-effectiveness of treatments, as well as the cost of such treatments, and work to generally improve people’s health. This is a discipline that requires those of utmost professionalism, as it is such an important process in the future health of the nation, and there is no doubt that the research conducted will make a real difference to the treatment processes used in the future.


When did evidence based medicine originate?

Evidence based medicine can be found as far back as the 1940s. However, it was in 1972 that the concept first came into play, originated by Professor Archie Cochrane, in his book, Effectiveness & Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services. This was the foundation for evidence based research, and in 1992 a facility was funded by the UK government, with the aim of performing randomly controlled tests on health services.

From those early days, when methodical and clinical testing was still growing in merit, the practice of evidence based medicine has expanded and developed into the leading body in the systematic testing of medical treatments. Without the critical appraisal and unbiased approach of such research, the medical practice would surely be a very different arena.

What is evidence based medicine?

Evidence based medicine is a methodological and systematic approach, which is of immense importance to the treatment of patients. It involves treatment processes being clinically tested, not only to discover what benefits such treatment has, but also to find what consequences there are of using such treatment. It is also the case that evidence based medicine should aim to discover what treatments are cost-effective, in order for medical physicians to offer the best treatment available, but at a good price.

This is all done in controlled settings and through unbiased procedures. Without such research, the medical arena would not contain treatments that have been clinically tested to their limits, and also, medical professionals would not be so trusting of the care they give to their patients.

Why is evidence based medicine so important?

Without the guidance of evidence based medicine the governing bodies of several countries would only have a limited understanding of the benefits and consequences of treatments, and would be just as unknowing of each treatment’s cost-effectiveness. The NHS, private clinics and other medical institutions would not be able to offer such life changing treatments, which can help to battle medical conditions ranging from cancer, asthma and other serious illnesses.

However, the research conducted by evidence based medicine will not only play a major part in the treatment patients are given, but will also give physicians the chance to apply medical treatments for the individual, catering for their specific needs and requirements. There is also the small matter of evidence based medicine playing a part in the guiding principles and procedures that medical organisations use.

The guiding principle of ‘Netting the Evidence’

Netting the evidence is an extremely useful resource online, for those involved in and wishing to further their knowledge of evidence based medicine. It provides a list of resources on evidence based medicine, and this will help others to understand its workings. It will also work to improve the networking of organisations involved in the practice of evidence based medicine, in aim of extending its impact upon the testing and analysis of medical treatments.

Personal input, such as an individual’s negative adverse drug reaction, is a good source of information. However, in comparison to evidence based medicine, which has been conducted in systematic settings and several times over, it falters and does little to assure a medical professional’s opinion of which treatment they should use. Evidence based medicine should always be placed above an individual’s natural intuition and the less informed opinions of medical colleagues.

Netting the Evidence understands this and desires that this is always the case. We appreciate how important evidence based medicine is to the future of medical practices and treatments, which is why this online resource has been made available, and presented in such a simple manner. We believe systematic and clinical research is the only way medical treatments are to be thoroughly understood, and we believe that you do too.