Trisha Greenhalgh|Rosamund Snow|Sara Ryan|Siân Rees|Helen Salisbury
Six ‘biases’ against patients and carers in evidence-based medicine
University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford|University of Oxford
evidencebased medicine ebm maturing early focus epidemiology embrace wider range disciplines methodologies heart ebm patient whose informed choices long recognised paramount however good evidencebased care choices discuss six potential biases ebm may inadvertently devalue patient carer agenda limited patient input research design low status given experience hierarchy evidence tendency conflate patientcentred consulting use decision tools insufficient attention power imbalances suppress patients voice overemphasis clinical consultation focus people seek obtain care rather hidden denominator seek cannot access care reduce biases ebm embrace patient involvement research make systematic use individual personally significant evidence take interdisciplinary humanistic view consultations address unequal power dynamics healthcare encounters support patient communities address inverse care law