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Understanding Evidence-Based Rheumatology pp 1–12Cite as

Evidence-Based Medicine in Rheumatology: How Does It Differ from Other Diseases?

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Abstract

Evidence-based medicine, surely with us since the Enlightenment, has assumed a more restricted definition during the latter half of the 20th century, as pertaining primarily, if not exclusively, to data from randomized controlled clinical trials. Clinical trials in rheumatic diseases differ from those in many chronic diseases such as hypertension or diabetes in the absence of a single “gold standard” biomarker to apply to each individual patient. Therefore indices are needed to characterize patient status and recognize changes over time, which include data from a patient self-report questionnaire as well as specific features of a physical examination, in addition to traditional laboratory tests. These indices reflect the importance of information from a patient history and physical examination rather than biomarkers in the diagnosis and management of rheumatic diseases. Therefore, rheumatic diseases do not conform to the biomedical model, the dominant successful paradigm, and rheumatic diseases incorporate a more modern biopsychosocial model, which necessitates that rheumatologists be well-versed in accurately measuring signs, symptoms and outcomes.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Rheumatology, Rush University Medical Center, 1611 West Harrison Street, Chicago, IL, 60612, USA

    Theodore Pincus MD

  2. Division of Rheumatology, Department of Medicine, Cerrahpasa Medical Faculty, University of Istanbul, Istanbul, Turkey

    Hasan Yazici MD

Authors
  1. Theodore Pincus MD
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  2. Hasan Yazici MD
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Istanbul University, Beyazit, Istanbul, Turkey

    Hasan Yazici

  2. New York University School of Medicine, NYU Hospital for Joint Diseases, New York, New York, USA

    Yusuf Yazici

  3. Department of Biostatistics, L-Biostat, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium, and Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands

    Emmanuel Lesaffre

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© 2014 Springer International Publishing Switzerland

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Pincus, T., Yazici, H. (2014). Evidence-Based Medicine in Rheumatology: How Does It Differ from Other Diseases?. In: Yazici, H., Yazici, Y., Lesaffre, E. (eds) Understanding Evidence-Based Rheumatology. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08374-2_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-08374-2_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-08373-5

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-08374-2

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

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