BMJ  2004;329:988-989 (30 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.329.7473.988

Editorial

Evidence based policy making

Is about taking decisions based on evidence and the needs and values of the population

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Evidence based medicine or evidence based clinical practice is the judicious application of best current knowledge to the condition and values of the individual patient. Evidence can also be used for groups of patients or populations and the terms used to describe these activities vary from one document to another, sometimes being called evidence based health care, evidence based management, evidence based public health, or evidence based policy making. An example of evidence based policy making is the United Kingdom's decision to introduce screening for Down's syndrome.^{1 2} The common feature to all these debates is the use of evidence to make decisions about groups of patients or populations.

Evidence based policy making sets the context in which evidence based clinical practice can take place. If the policy is not to offer screening for breast cancer to women under the age of 50, the clinician does not have to interpret the . . . [Full text of this article]

Institute of Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7LF (muir.gray@ihs.ox.ac.uk)

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Rapid Responses:

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Cause and effect are often less clear and too late

Tim Wilson
bmj.com, 2 Nov 2004 [Full text]

Policy making in the NHS

Daphne I Austin
bmj.com, 15 Nov 2004 [Full text]

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