Poison management protocol

Abstract

Evidence-based medicine (EBM) to expand its application from medicine to the allied health professions is "the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients". EBM seeks to evaluate the strength of the evidence of risks and benefits of treatments and diagnostic tests. This helps clinicians predict whether a treatment will do more good than harm. Evidence quality can be assessed based on the source type, as well as other factors including statistical validity, clinical relevance, currency, and peer-review acceptance. EBM recognizes that many aspects of health care depend on individual factors such as quality- and value-of-life judgments, which are only partially subject to quantitative scientific methods. Application of EBM data therefore depends on patient circumstances and preferences, and medical treatment remains subject to input from personal, political, philosophical, religious, ethical, economic, and aesthetic values.