Evidence-based medicine

How our information is produced: Our methods

"Evidence-based" means: supported by scientific evidence and proof. Most people who are interested in evidence-based health information already know this. Yet: How is our evidence-based health information actually produced in detail? What individual steps are necessary? Who reviews or tests the contents? How does the information stay up-to-date? We explain our methods using an easy-to-read diagram.

Read more here to find out about how we produce evidence-based information


The basic principles of evidence-based medicine

Do you know the trick with the spoon in the top of the champagne bottle? A spoon put into an opened champagne bottle is supposed to keep the champagne fresh and bubbly for longer. How can you test if that is true? And what has that got to do with evidence-based medicine?

Read more here about the basics of evidence-based medicine


Why is it important for people to be "randomized" in trials?

The story of an important large randomized trial from 1954 shows the importance of "randomizing" people in trials. The trial tested the use of high levels of oxygen in incubators for preterm babies and found that it was causing blindness in many babies. This was used for many years without being adequately tested.

A cautionary tale of medically-caused blindness


Is it possible to find out in trials whether a treatment has a benefit based solely on measured data?

Readings like blood pressure or cholesterol levels are important in the field of medicine. But can they also predict how a particular treatment affects events that are critical to patients, like heart attacks or broken bones?

You can read more here about the use of readings in testing treatments