With vigorous development of the Evidence-Based Practice (EBP), systematic review as a reliable basis for decision making is becoming more and more important, especially in emergent and significant situation under the influence of various interferences. But there are many misunderstandings and fallacies in systematic review beyond medical field, which block the spread and application of systematic review in health system decisions. This paper takes the evidences of health intervention practice as examples, explores the functions of systematic review in health system decisions, tries to clarify these misunderstandings and fallacies, and so as to promote the development of systematic review.
This paper is to reveal how the traditional practice is being challenged by evidence-based medicine and it also indicates where does the best evidence come from, how to find and classify them. This paper will also show the clinicians how to practice evidence-based medicine, especially in the treatment of respiratory disease in a step by step fashion. Finally this paper will guide the Chinese physicians how to solve the commonly confronting problems in practicing evidence-based medicine.
Researches in evidence-based medicine have provided important evidence for family planning doctors to guide their clinical practice. With examples of clinical researches, the practical methods of evidence-based medicine in family planning service are discussed in this paper.
Evidence-based orthodontics has developed rapidly in recent years, but the lack of a good quality, clinical evidence base is a problem for orthodontic practice. All orthodontists should keep the concept of evidence-based medicine in mind during patient-oriented practice. This would help us to improve our practice and to make the best clinical decisions.
Objective By means of evidence-based clinical practice, to find more effective treatment for a hepatitis B related nephritis patient with renal failure. Methods The following databases as Up to Date (May 2011), The Cochrane Library (Issue 5, 2011), PubMed (1978 to 2011) and CNKI (1978 to 2011) were searched to identify systematic reviews and randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of treating hepatitis B related nephritis with glucocorticoid, immunosuppressor or antiviral therapies, and the quality of collected clinical evidence was evaluated by using GRADEpro software. Results The glucocorticoid or combined immunosuppressors was not recommended for existing adverse effects and not acting on the remission of hepatitis B related nephritis and reduction of proteinuria. However, the antiviral therapy used alone was recommended for acting on the remission of hepatitis B related nephritis and the reduction of proteinuria. In view of adverse effects and expensive price of interferon, the nucleoside analogue antiviral agent was suggested. Considering the renal toxicity of adefovir and tenofovir, and possible drug-resistance of lamivudine, the entecavir (0.5 mg qd) was finally selected with patient’s agreement, and the supporting therapies such as lowering blood pressure, and protecting the kidney and liver were adopted continually. After one month treatment, 24-hour urinary protein got reduced, serum albumin got increased, kidney function got stable, and hepatitis B virus DNA quantity got reduced. Conclusion For treating hepatitis B related nephritis with kidney failure, entacavir can reduce 24-hour urinary protein, raise serum albumin, stabilize kidney function and reduce hepatitis B virus DNA in a short term, but its long-term efficacy still requires further studies.
Objective Through studying a diabetic patient accompanied with pancreatic cancer by means of evidence-based clinical practice, to find out the relationship between diabetes mellitus and cancer and whether the long-acting insulin glargine increases the risk of cancer or not, which is regarded as a disputable hot issue at present. Methods Such databases as The Cochrane Library (Issue 3, 2010), OVID-EBM Reviews (1991 to Sept. 2010), MEDLINE (1950 to Sept. 2010) and CNKI (2000 to Sept. 2010) were retrieved to collect high quality clinical evidence, and the best therapy was formulated in accordance with the willingness of patients themselves. Results Eight randomized controlled trials (RCTs), four meta-analyses and one RCT meta-analysis were included. The evidence indicated that: a) Diabetes mellitus was kind of related to the occurrence of malignancies; b) There was no evidence at present showing the relationship between long-acting insulin glargine and cancer; c) Strictly controlling of blood sugar did not increase the risk of tumorigenesis, but hyperglycemia causing cancer was proofless; and d) Whether the diabetic patient with cancer should stop taking long-acting insulin glargine or not should require suggestions from specialists rather than patients themselves. Conclusion No evidence at present shows that tumorigenesis is related to diabetes mellitus, long-acting insulin glargine and strict controlling of blood sugar. It is necessary to require more evidence to decide whether the therapy should be adjusted or not for the diabetic patient with cancer who is in the process of glargine therapy.
Evidence-based psychotherapy is an idea and performance reform in the clinical practice of psychology which is influenced by evidence-based medicine. It proposes to integrate the best available evidence provided by researchers, the clinical expertise of practitioners, and the patient’s characteristics, cultures and preferences, so as to achieve the best treatment. The development of evidence-based psychotherapy can be divided into two stages: empirically supported treatments and evidence-based practice. This paper reviews existing problems as well as developing tendencies.
We searched randomized controlled trials, meta-analysis and systematic reviews from OVID-EBM Reviews which included ACP Journal Club, The Cochrane Library, and MEDLINE（1991 to 2005 ） to evaluate clinical effectiveness of pit and fissure sealants for caries. The resultsshowed that pit and fissure sealants were recommended to prevent caries of the occlusal surface. The effectiveness varied between the two types of sealants, in general, flowable resin composite had a more satisfactory retention than glass ionomer composite. Acid etch was helpful for less microleakage and more satisfactory retention. Mechanical air-abrasion with acid etch may have the best border seal, However, we were not sure of the effectiveness of Er：YAG laser, technique of dental drill preparation and splicing. More high quality clinical trials on pit and fissure sealants are still needed.