Vol.96 No.1 contentsPRACTICA OTO-RHINO-LARYNGOLOGICA
Vol. 96 No. 1 January 2003
Applying Evidence Based Medicine to
Clinical Otolaryngology
Juichi
Ito
(Kyoto University)
Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) is a term widely used among practitioners of clinical medicine. Furthermore, the Ministry of Health and Labour Welfare has strongly supported the use of EBM in day clinics since 1998.
The Ministry established guidelines based on EBM for 47 common diseases. In the field of Otolaryngology, nasal allergy, otitis, and chronic sinusitis were included in this guideline. The process of evaluating clinical evidence in medical research papers is as follows. 1) Areas of uncertainty in day clinic practice are determined. (Doubts or reservations among day clinic practitioners are addressed) 2) Medical research papers are carefully studied and referred for confirmation. 3) Each paper is evaluated according to the standard of evidence considered appropriately by the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research (AHCPR). 4) Clinical evidence is analyzed, and treatment is adapted for Japanese patients.
After rigorous evaluation of clinical evidence, it has become possible to set guidelines for the treatment of certain diseases.
Key words : EBM, clinical Otolaryngology, guideline, common diseases