The 6 Most Dangerous Words to Use with Evidence Based Medicine

It is becoming quite common to hear the phrase “There is no evidence to suggest” when referring to many controversial topics within the field of medicine.

I have done it, I have heard plenty of others do it, and I am sure we will all hear it from time and time again. The problem with this phrase is that it is very ambiguous and does not tell us the whole story.

EBM Six Most Dangerous Words by Cameron Faller

When making this statement, many individuals may interpret the findings completely wrong leading to poor or consequential decisions.

Most of the research developed and reported comes with an inherent amount of uncertainty. By making this statement, you are essentially trying to mask that uncertainty with reports that the objective data is fully conclusive.

Clinical decision making not only entails the best available evidence, but also depends on our clinical expertise and patient values. When data is inconclusive, do not be quick to undervalue the other two realms as many clinical decisions are made daily without high quality evidence.

If data is truly inconclusive, consider these four alternate statements to use that best describe the actual results of the evidence.

👉Scientific evidence is inconclusive, and we don’t know what is best

👉Scientific evidence is inconclusive, but my experience or other knowledge suggests ‘X’

👉This has been proven to have no benefit

👉This is a close call, with risks exceeding benefits for some patients but not for others.

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