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Causation and evidence-based practice: an ontological review.
Roger Kerry1, Thor Eirik Eriksen, Svein Anders Noer Lie
1Department of Philosophy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK. roger.kerry@nottingham.ac.uk
Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
|September 22, 2012
Summary
This study re-evaluates causation in evidence-based practice (EBP) for healthcare. It proposes a new dispositionalist view of causation, seeing it as complex and context-sensitive, to improve clinical and research applications in healthcare.
Area of Science:
- Philosophy of Science
- Health Care Research
- Medical Ethics
Background:
- Causation is fundamental to healthcare practices and understanding research.
- Current frameworks in evidence-based practice (EBP) categorize research methods by epistemological strength.
- Existing accounts of causation in EBP may limit clinical and scientific progress.
Purpose of the Study:
- To define and evaluate the current understanding of causation within EBP.
- To propose an alternative ontological framework for causation in healthcare.
- To enhance both clinical application and scientific research in health care.
Main Methods:
- Conceptual analysis of causation in the context of EBP.
- Evaluation of existing evidential frameworks used in healthcare research.
- Development of a dispositionalist model of causation.
Main Results:
- Current EBP frameworks offer a limited view of causation.
- A dispositionalist ontology, viewing causes as complex and context-sensitive tendencies, is presented.
- This alternative model is proposed as a superior framework for healthcare.
Conclusions:
- Rethinking causation is crucial for the advancement of evidence-based practice in health care.
- A dispositionalist approach offers a more nuanced and functional understanding of causality.
- This revised understanding can improve healthcare's clinical and research endeavors.
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