Evidence‐Based Decision Making: Patient–Physician Interface

The foundations for evidence‐based medicine were established over the centuries but the specific philosophies, concepts, definitions, and models have essentially evolved over the past few decades. In this chapter we discuss what evidence‐based medicine is and then discuss an approach to evidence‐based decision making. We use a clinical case to highlight the components of this approach which include: clinical state and circumstances, patients' preferences and actions, research evidence, and clinical expertise. This chapter provides an overview of core concepts.