Evidence-based medicine

Few medical guidelines for heart care are based on the highest-quality evidence.

Health & Safety

Many Guidelines For Heart Care Rely On Weak Evidence

4:54pm March 15, 2019

by Richard Harris

Less than 10 percent of cardiovascular guidelines to help doctors are based on the most carefully conducted scientific studies. A lot of the rest are based on much flimsier evidence.

Atul Gawande's Aim For Health Care: 'Make It Simpler To Do The Right Thing'

2:28pm June 26, 2018

by Julie Rovner

The doctor and health care critic hopes to design a better system for more than 1 million workers at Amazon, Berkshire Hathaway and JPMorgan Chase. Data-driven solutions can improve outcomes, he says.

The notion that every dog or cat should be neutered at 6 months isn't based on evidence, says veterinarian Brennen McKenzie, author of The SkeptVet blog. It depends on the breed and other factors. Talk to your vet, he advises, about pros, cons and timing.

Pets Deserve Evidence-Based Medicine, Too, Says The SkeptVet

7:37am September 03, 2017

by Ingfei Chen

Veterinarian Brennen McKenzie writes The SkeptVet, a blog that pushes for evidence-based medicine instead of relying on tradition, anecdotes or pseudoscience in the treatment of cats and dogs.

Chart: Participants were much more likely to say the pain got better or went away if they made $50,000 a year or more.

Poll: Doctors Are Still Prescribing Lots Of Opioids For Low Back Pain

12:56pm May 19, 2017

by Nancy Shute

More than half of Americans suffer lower back pain each year, the latest NPR/Truven Health Analytics survey finds. And they're often not going for treatments recommended as safest and most effective.

It's sometimes hard to assess the value of health claims about yoga, but if it relieves some pain, that may be enough.

A Skeptic Fact-Checks Yoga's Health Claims And Goes With The Om

10:00am December 31, 2016

by Ann Finkbeiner

Yoga has been promoted as the cure for many ills, from diabetes to insomnia. Scientific proof is mixed. But this skeptic says if yoga makes climbing the stairs hurt less, that's good enough.

Nicholas Wildman and his mom, Mary, in 2015.

Are The Vaccine Court's Requirements Too Strict?

2:31pm June 05, 2015

by Anders Kelto

Before awarding compensation, the court wants a "preponderance of evidence" that a vaccine caused the injury. Some years, the nearly $4 billion fund earns more interest than it pays out in claims.

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Why Many Doctors Don't Follow 'Best Practices'

6:21pm April 24, 2015

by Anders Kelto

Doctors, it turns out, often don't follow evidence-based guidelines. One result? Unnecessary tests. Scientists who study this contrariness think they know why.

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Critic Faults Alcoholics Anonymous For Lack Of Evidence

9:34am March 30, 2015

by NPR Staff

Writer Gabrielle Glaser challenges the usefulness of Alcoholics Anonymous in April's issue of The Atlantic. The program's tenets aren't based in science, she says, and other options may work better.

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The physical therapist will advise, but you're going to have to do the work.

Farewell, Heating Pad: Physical Therapists Say It Doesn't Help

8:56am September 17, 2014

by Nancy Shute

Heating pads and other passive treatments don't do any good if the goal is gaining strength and mobility, according to the Choosing Wisely campaign. Instead, it's all about the exercise.