St Emlyn’s - By Simon Carley - April 22, 2021
“Final thoughts
The decision to make a change in practice is only partly based on the quality of published evidence. The individual clinical decision, and thus the treatment given to the patient, is also influenced by our a-priori beliefs about the effectiveness of the therapy. All clinicians should be mindful of their own biases when interpreting the evidence base, and on subsequently making clinical decisions on whether to act upon it.
What this means for me is that whenever I read a paper, the question I should ask of myself is whether or not I am carrying personal beliefs that will bias my decision making (especially if I disagree with someone else). Hopefully this exercise will help me be a better clinician.”