Just a Paradigm: Evidence-Based Medicine in Epistemological Context

Solomon, Miriam (2009) Just a Paradigm: Evidence-Based Medicine in Epistemological Context. In [2009] SPSP 2009: Society for Philosophy of Science in Practice (Minnesota, June 18-20, 2009).

Abstract

This paper is a critical review of the many criticisms that have been made of evidence-based medicine (EBM), by philosophers and others. It allows that EBM is a powerful technique for particular domains of application, but notes that there is a suprising and not fully understood unreliability of EBM in practice. Evidence hierachies will not have much credibility until and unless this unreliability is addressed. EBM is also just one part of research methodology, and the recent rise of translational medicine is seen as a compensatory emphasis on other methods of research