Evidence-based medicine

Abstract This chapter summarizes the principles and application of evidence-based medicine (EBM) in clinical practice, integrating scientific evidence, clinician experience, and patient preferences. It describes trial types, including case series, cohort, case–control, randomized controlled trials, crossover studies, systematic reviews, and meta-analyses. Concepts such as blinding, bias, statistical measures, normal distribution, contingency tables, sensitivity, specificity, likelihood ratios, risks, and errors are explained, alongside calculations for key metrics. The process of critical appraisal is outlined, with emphasis on assessing study validity, minimizing bias, and applying findings to Emergency Medicine. All of the information maps to the RCEM Basic Sciences syllabus, making it relevant to Emergency Medicine practice and the examination.