The Limitations of Evidence Based Practice for Emergency Medicine

Abstract

Evidence based practice (EBP), also known as evidence based medicine, has been suggested as a more suitable basis for decision-making in clinical practice than the traditional ‘expert' based approach. Central to EBP is the application of evidence (as found in the published literature) to an individual clinical problem. EBP, however, has limitations that may raise questions regarding its applicability to particular types of clinical situations including many of the problems encountered in Emergency Medicine. This article discusses the background and limitations of EBM and suggests some ways that the principles can be incorporated into Emergency Medicine practice.