Evidence-Based Medicine Matters

Dr Alan Davies

Medical Director, GE Healthcare

Alison Lapper Pregnant, the 3-metre statue on the fourth plinth in London's Trafalgar Square up to late 2007 was, I thought, a wonderful celebration of life and womanhood. I was almost blind to her phocomelia. It also reminded me that the thalidomide tragedy drove the first Medicines Act and encouraged the tripartite approach of safety, efficacy and quality that underpins modern medical practice. But we realised later that this is not enough. It is not always about 'what can we do?' but is often, in medicine, when there are so many choices ' what should we do"? There are many reasons for choosing one particular treatment option over another. Scientific medicine requires that the evidence base increasingly helps us to make a decision that is grounded in fact and knowledge.