Evidence Based Medicine—How to Practice and Teach EBM

David L Sackett, W Scott Richardson, William Rosenberg, R Brian Haynes Churchill Livingstone, £14.99, pp 250 ISBN 0 443 05686 2

The health reforms in Britain during the 1990s have brought with them a profusion of buzz words and ideas—from the “purchaser-provider split” to the “primary care led NHS.” The most challenging innovation, however, is presented by the concept of evidence based medicine. The first forgivable response of any doctor to this seeming jargon is likely to be “Well, of course—that's what I always do,” but these words may well be accompanied by a glazed, if not shifty, look in the eyes. The second response, perhaps more thoughtful and certainly more honest, will be a degree of confusion: “What does it really …