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Evidence-based medicine from a social science perspective
1PhD, MPhil, AB, Associate Professor of History, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. hstevens@ntu.edu.sg
Background:
Since the emergence of evidencebased medicine (EBM) in the 1980s, social scientists – including historians, sociologists, anthropologists, political scientists and philosophers – have attempted to reckon with the movement’s origins, implications and consequences.
Objectives:
This paper reviews the social science literature related to EBM and attempts to draw some conclusions for the future improvement of EBM.
Discussion:
The paper divides the discussion of evidence-based into three critiques: the ‘statistics’ critique, the ‘cookbook’ critique and the ‘neo-liberal’ critique. Incorporating social sciences approaches into clinical education and clinical research will be critical to the future development and success of EBM.
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