The Southern Medical Journal (SMJ) is the official, peer-reviewed journal of the Southern Medical Association. It has a multidisciplinary and inter-professional focus that covers a broad range of topics relevant to physicians and other healthcare specialists.

SMJ // Article

Editorial

The Challenge of Evidence-Based Medicine

Authors: Ishak A. Mansi, MD, FACP, Daniel E. Banks, MD, MS

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is the judicious use of current best evidence with sound methodology and appropriate application to patient care.1 EBM has been widely accepted by medical schools and postgraduate medical education as a cornerstone in both medical education and medical practice. It has been incorporated into the curricula of many medical schools and residency programs. The Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, the national accrediting body for training programs, and the Liaison Committee on Medical Education, the accrediting body for medical schools, have indicated the importance of EBM in medical education. Learners are introduced early to the idea that their success as a physician is related to their ability to continue to learn and their ability to practice medicine using the best available information (evidence). Practitioners also can benefit from applying EBM in their daily professional lives. It is this clinically integrated approach to EBM in the everyday practice of medicine that is likely to bring about changes in skills, attitudes, and behavior, which may ultimately benefit patient care.2,3 Here, we discuss some of the perceived challenges to the successful practice of EBM and briefly discuss some resolutions to these challenges.

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