Recommended Initiatives
Important Issues
Recommended Initiative 2:
Evidence-Based Medicine
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Encourage the adoption of Evidence-Based Medicine (EBM) as the best available tool to make clinical decisions by promoting the use of digital technology and information systems; by supporting and assisting the development of a uniform health information system; and effectively executing the implementation of information technology, training and support to medical communities.
Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the conscientious and explicit use of current best evidence in making clinical decisions about the care of individual patients. * Practicing EBM means integrating best available evidence from systematic research ,individual clinical expertise, and expressed patient values to improve quality of care.
-Sackett, DL et al. Br Med J. 1996; 312:71
Benefit of Recommended Initiative 2
Everyone can benefit if the databases are relevant current, widely accessible and secure. Patients benefit from treatment by professionals who have greater access toi the current, collective wisdom of their peers. Patients also benefit from safety features that flag for conflicts based on data about their individual prescription regime, blood type or other particulars. All of these features reduce errors and, therefore, decrease malpractice risk and exposure. Patients and providers will see better results and payers will see decreased costs due to more efficient and intelligent use of resources. From a public health viewpoint, all benefit from tracking epidemics, diseases, conditions, practice patterns and resources that affect the larger population, and which may need to be addressed on a population basis.