[Evidence-based medicine]

Abstract

This paper presents the origins and the concepts in which the paradigm of a new line of clinical reasoning "Evidence Based Medicine", is based. We describe its basic components such as: problem-oriented clinical policy formulation; information retrieval distillation and synthesis of the medical literature; critical appraisal of the evidence and clinical application. Additionally, we describe them already well established, for promoting and Evidence Based Clinical Practice. We particularly focus on the so called "Cochrane Collaboration", an international initiative whose mission is to prepare, maintain and disseminate systematic and updated reviews of the effects of health care.