Letters
Length of treatment
Three questions for prescribers
BMJ 2010; 341 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c5013 (Published 15 September 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;341:c5013
- Jeffrey K Aronson, clinical pharmacologist1,
- Robin E Ferner, consultant clinical pharmacologist2
- 1University of Oxford, Oxford OX3 7DQ
- 2School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine, University of Birmingham, Birmingham B15 2TT
- jeffrey.aronson{at}clinpharm.ox.ac.uk
Craig and colleagues suggest three questions to answer before introducing a therapeutic intervention:
•Does it do more good than harm?
•How intense should it be?
•For how long should it be given?1
The first question illustrates a difficulty with evidence based medicine, which is generally based on the results of studies in populations. These are not always relevant …
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