Evidence-Based Medicine and Bioethics: Implications for Health Care Organizations Clinicians and Patients

摘要

Since its beginning in the 1990s, enthusiasm for evidence-based medicine (EBM) has flourished. As its methodology becomes more sophisticated and its breadth expands, EBM increasingly is referred to in patient care, insurance coverage decisions, technology assessments, medical education, and health care policymaking. Despite this growth, the intersection of EBM and bioethics often is not explored.This article discusses the deontologic and utilitarian aspects of EBM and assesses EBM according to 4 bioethical principles: Respect for autonomy, beneficence, nonmaleficence, and justice. Strong ethical arguments support EBM as the best approach to patient care. However, practitioners and health care organizations must be aware that each principle involves complex issues that challenge EBM’s ethical values.