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. 1996 Mar 30;312(7034):819–821. doi: 10.1136/bmj.312.7034.819

Evidence based general practice: a retrospective study of interventions in one training practice.

P Gill 1, A C Dowell 1, R D Neal 1, N Smith 1, P Heywood 1, A E Wilson 1
PMCID: PMC2350715  PMID: 8608291

Abstract

OBJECTIVES--To estimate the proportion of interventions in general practice that are based on evidence from clinical trials and to assess the appropriateness of such an evaluation. DESIGN--Retrospective review of case notes. SETTING--One suburban training general practice. SUBJECTS--122 consecutive doctor-patient consultations over two days. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES--Proportions of interventions based on randomised controlled trials (from literature search with Medline, pharmaceutical databases, and standard textbooks), on convincing non-experimental evidence, and without substantial evidence. RESULTS--21 of the 122 consultations recorded were excluded due to insufficient data; 31 of the interventions were based on randomised controlled trial evidence and 51 based on convincing non-experimental evidence. Hence 82/101 (81%) of interventions were based on evidence meeting our criteria. CONCLUSIONS--Most interventions within general practice are based on evidence from clinical trials, but the methods used in such trials may not be the most appropriate to apply to this setting.

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Selected References

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