Have you heard of the term “evidence based medicine”? What exactly does that mean? Is it important? If so, why?
The term “evidence based medicine” is used in many settings, but definitions can vary. Essentially the name pretty much gives away what it means. Evidence based medicine is medicine that comes from some kind of research or study or observation. Most practitioners believe that when they practice medicine, they should be using medications, techniques, procedures, etc. that have been proven to help. Another important piece of evidence they like to use is safety, because obviously providers do not want to increase any pain or suffering for their patients.
When it comes to evaluating all of the information, not all evidence is created equally. Most practitioners will consider evidence from prospective randomized controlled clinical trials to be the “gold standard”, while retrospective and observational data are considered less credible. However, over the years, a lot of questions have come into how research and study is done and reported. When reporting results, a lot of bias can be presented, and sometimes there can be large conflicts of interest that might make things look better or worse than they really are.
That being said, this makes trusting any information harder, but that is the main point I want to get across – all evidence, no matter where it comes from, should be questioned. Sometimes prospective randomized controlled clinical trials are very beneficial, but sometimes observations found with just one patient can be beneficial too. When facing depression, it’s important to think about what might work for you, from both a benefit and safety standpoint, regardless of where the information may be presented. Ultimately, this is a discussion between you and your provider, but challenge your provider to consider all of the different types of evidence that may be out there.