Evidence-Based Medicine and Evidence Hierarchy

The concept of evidence-based medicine is considered one of the most important discoveries in the history of medicine that has subsequently changed everyday clinical practice. The concept of evidence-based medicine can be characterized by three central principles: (1) clinical experience, (2) patient values, and (3) the best available scientific evidence. One important aspect of evidence-based medicine is the critical evaluation of scientific evidence. There are several practical tools which have been created to facilitate and interpret the results of the evaluations. For instance, various instruments have been developed to assist investigators with systematic evaluation of the data as well as with data synthetization aiming for transparency. Additionally, the aim of evidence-based medicine is to facilitate the production of systematic reviews/meta-analysis as well as practical guidelines with the purpose of optimizing present and future clinical care. However, there are still some unresolved problems, such as how to implement the best available evidence in the clinical setting. Thus, the increased use of modern technology in terms of artificial intelligence is believed to have the potential to help us solve these types of obstacles as well as to help us create new evidence-based guidelines and standards. The aim of this chapter is to present principles of the movement of evidence-based medicine, provide information on practical assessment instruments, and share advice regarding the translation of evidence-based medicine into clinical practice.