The medical care you receive should be based on the latest scientific evidence. Here’s how to make sure it is.

You can buy the newest model car. You can read the latest novel, or wear the latest styles. But when it comes to maintaining true quality of life, nothing beats getting health care that’s based on the latest, greatest evidence.

When the treatment you receive is “evidence-based,” that means a solid body of research has concluded the given treatment is highly recommended for someone in your situation.

Evidence-based medicine means getting the health care services you need right when you need them to ensure the best possible results. It also means not receiving unnecessary tests or treatments that are more likely to harm you than help you.

Informed Decisions
“It doesn’t matter what medical school doctors graduate from; it matters whether they use the best available evidence in making decisions for their patients,” explains Jean R. Slutsky, director of the Center for Outcomes and Evidence of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Md.

Unfortunately, prescribing many medications, medical tests, and other treatments doesn’t always reflect the evidence on how they should be used. Slutsky points out that if every doctor practiced evidence- based medicine, we would see similar trends in treatment all across the U.S. However, treatments for certain conditions tend to vary, not just from provider to provider, but also from region to region.

The Patient ’s Role
To help ensure the treatment you receive is evidence-based:

• Make your health care providers’ job easier: Provide all the information you can to help them make the right diagnoses and treatment decisions.
• Ask good questions. “Don’t try to second-guess your doctor,” Slutsky advises. “However, do inquire what the scientific evidence has to offer about any test or treatment being prescribed.”

  You might ask:

  • What are the benefits and risks of this treatment or medical test?
  • Why are you recommending this for me?
  • What will happen if I don’t have this treatment or medical test?
  • Are there other treatments I might consider instead?
• Become informed about your condition and its recommended treatments. Do some research at the library or on the Internet. Just be sure to consult reliable Web sites; these may include sites sponsored by nationally recognized nonprofit groups, such as www.americanheart.org, or by the U.S. government, such as http://medlineplus.gov.
• Compare the care your doctor is prescribing with what’s widely recommended according to the evidence.

  Be aware that certain medical tests are often overprescribed, particularly in people with no symptoms or related risk factors; for example, chest X-ray, urinalysis, full-body CT scan, complete blood count, and ECGs (electrocardiogram). Unless your condition or risk factors call for such tests, the risks or expense of having them are likely to outweigh the potential benefits.

• Ask for an explanation if you’re not receiving the recommended care, or you suspect the care you’re prescribed might be unnecessary. Yo personal risk factors or symptoms may call for the treatment plan, but it never hurts to ask. If the answer leaves you with doubts about the care you’re receiving, consider seeking a second opinion.
• Choose a physician with the right training and experience for your condition.
• Ensure any hospital you visit is accredited by The Joint Commission. Visit www.jointcommission.org to find out the hospital’s experience and success rates in treating your condition.
• Check online rating services, such as www.leapfroggroup.org or www.healthgrades.com, to ensure a hospital or doctor has received high marks for quality of care.

Helpful Resources

Questions Are the Answer: Get More Involved with Your Health Care. This practical resource of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) can help you build your own list of questions to ask based on the type of visit or health care decision you’ll be making before your next visit with your doctor. Check it out—and print out your personalized list—at www.ahrq.gov, search for “Questions are the Answer.”

Summary guides for consumers. You can review the evidence-based treatment for various conditions at the Web site of the AHRQ. Visit www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov, and click on “Summary Guides” (for consumers). There are guides for treatment of localized prostate cancer, gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD ), and osteoporosis; as well as guidelines for people taking medications for high blood pressure, depression, pain, rheumatoid arthritis, and more.

MedlinePlus Guide to Healthy Web Surfing. This service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health offers tips for safely researching medical conditions online. Visit http://medlineplus.gov and search for “Healthy Web Surfing.”

National Guideline Clearinghouse. This Web page provides links to many Internet sites featuring science-based health information. Go to the Patient Resources page at www.guideline.gov.

The main Web site of the National Institutes of Health links you to information on many health topics. Visit www.nih.gov.

Polly Turner spoke with Jean R. Slutsky, director of the Center for Outcomes and Evidence of the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality in Rockville, Md.

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