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. 2002;10(3):243-59.
doi: 10.1023/A:1022995623172.

Evidence-based medicine and quality of care

Donna Dickenson  1 , Paolo Vineis
Affiliations

Evidence-based medicine and quality of care

Donna Dickenson et al. Health Care Anal. 2002.

Abstract

In this paper we set out to examine the arguments for and against the claim that Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) will improve the quality of care. In particular, we examine the following issues: 1. Are there hidden ethical assumptions in the methodology of EBM? 2. Is there a tension between the duty of care and EBM? 3. How can patient preferences be incorporated into quality guidelines and effectiveness studies? 4. Is there a tension between the quality of a particular intervention and overall quality of care? 5. Are certain branches of medicine and patient groups innately or prima facie disadvantaged by a shift to EBM? In addition we consider a case study in the ethics of EBM, on a clinical trial concerning the collection of umbilical cord blood in utero and ex utero, during or after labour in childbirth.

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