Includes bibliographical references (pages 193-223) and index.

Front Matter -- Introduction. The Philosophy of Evidence-Based Medicine -- What is EBM? -- What is Good Evidence for a Clinical Decision? -- Do Randomization, Double Masking, and Placebo Controls Rule out more Confounding Factors than their Alternatives?. Ruling out Plausible Rival Hypotheses and Confounding Factors: A Method -- Resolving the Paradox of Effectiveness: When do Observational Studies Offer the Same Degree of Evidential Support as Randomized Trials? -- Questioning Double Blinding as a Universal Methodological Virtue of Clinical Trials: Resolving the Philip's Paradox -- Placebo Controls: Problematic and Misleading Baseline Measures of Effectiveness -- Questioning the Methodological Superiority of ²́³Placebo²́⁴ over ²́³Active²́⁴ Controlled Trials -- Examining the Paradox that Traditional Roles for Mechanistic Reasoning and Expert Judgment have been Up-Ended by EBM. Transition to Part III -- A Qualified Defence of the EBM Stance on Mechanistic Reasoning -- Knowledge Versus Knowledge : Situating the EBM Position on Expert Clinical Judgment -- Conclusions. Moving EBM Forward -- References -- Index.

The philosophy of evidence-based medicine -- What is EBM? -- What is good evidence for a clinical decision? -- Ruling out plausible rival hypotheses and confounding factors : a method -- Resolving the paradox of effectiveness : when do observational studies offer the same degree of evidential support as randomized trials? -- Questioning double blinding as a universal methodological virtue of clinical trials : resolving the Philip's paradox -- Placebo controls : problematic and misleading baseline measures of effectiveness -- Questioning the methodological superiority of "placebo" over "active" controlled trials -- Examining the paradox that traditional roles for mechanistic reasoning and expert -- Judgment have been up-ended by EBM -- A qualified defence of the EBM stance on mechanistic reasoning -- Knowledge that versus knowledge how : situating the EBM position on expert clinical judgment -- Moving EBM forward.

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) has become a required element of clinical practice, but it is critical for the healthcare community to understand the ongoing controversy surrounding EBM. Seeking to address questions raised by critics, The Philosophy of Evidence-based Medicine challenges the over dependency of EBM on randomized controlled trials. This book also explores EBM methodology and its relationship with other approaches used in medicine.

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