Towards evidence-based medicine for paediatricians

What could it be? It is often the case we would like to know what the chances of different types of diagnosis are, or the chance of a scan finding something or some things with a presentation. These types of questions can be answered in an ‘evidence-based’ way, but they rarely are even thought about let alone addressed. Their appraisal should follow the same model as others; does the paper produce valid findings? Are they meaningful and important? How far is the paper from the population or patient I am thinking of—too far to be helpful? Validity is best gained from an appropriate population, evaluated with fair diagnostic standards and if subgroups proposed, done without data dredging or microblading. Importance is partly about the certainty any ranking or proportions can get—these relate largely to numbers—and how if there were ‘wobbles’ in the ordering this might make a difference. The...

Source: Archives of Disease in Childhood - April 18, 2024 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Phillips, B. Tags: ADC Archimedes Source Type: research