A few months ago, I had to tell one of my attending physicians that he was wrong. His belief
was based on experience, but my assertion was based on evidence. This debate, and many …

The primary responsibility of the medical profession in any society is to relieve the suffering
of citizens (Cassell, 1991; Heath, 1995). For doctors, this responsibility incorporates the …

MY USE of the word" information" instead of" knowledge" is intended to stress that the
physician often has to act on evidence that cannot be classified as" scientific knowledge." My …

Should the patient know the truth? What patient, let us hasten to ask, and what truth? For it is
certain that there exists no general dictum or prescription for this troubled aspect of the …

The practice of evidence based medicine has changed the role of the physician from
information dispenser to gatherer and analyser. Studies and controlled trials that may …

Physicians sometimes question whether evidence-based medicine" is worth it." They
rightfully feel they have been doing a pretty good job right along. This does indeed seem to …

Dr. Garrison is a third-year resident in internal medicine who takes pride in helping patients
make educated decisions regarding their health care, informing them of recent research and …

The growth in research and in health care costs has made it important for clinicians to use
and critically appraise published evidence for their medical decisions. The evidence-based …

VOL. 48 NO. 1, JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2006 BC MEDICAL JOURNAL 17 voice of Osama
bin Laden on a scratchy tape. There is a wonderful line in the movie Wag the Dog when …

Better care for our patients comes largely from clinical research. Such research is possible
because of a union between a critically posed research question and the altruism of patient …