Rational Diagnosis and Treatment: Evidence-based Clinical Decision Making - Tapa dura

"Professor Wulff has provided a concise discussion of the philosophy of the clinician and the application of this philosophy to the bedside and the clinical research arena...It should prove valuable to physicians through their educational evolution." Annals of Internal Medicine "This is a good book. It will continue to be a success and blaze a trail away from the anti-intellectual, anti-scientific camp in which so many of the profession still find it easy to dwell." British Medical Journal Reviews of current edition: "This is a book to be enjoyed during a physician's free time. The relaxed format makes for an easy transition into a realm that is often viewed as unapproachable by many practising physicians....this text will be an eye-opening introduction to a rapidly evolving component of 21st century healthcare." Doody's Review Service/Autumn 2000 "This is a terrific book concerning some of the fundamental concepts of clinical decision making...Perhaps the best accolade Bandolier can give it is this: it goes into our holiday reading pile, because we want to read it again, more slowly, and more thoughtfully. It isn't a textbook to be picked at when you have a problem, but a book that can redefine the way you think about things" Bandolier/June 00 "With a fresh writing style that lacks the wooden quality of a translation or the energetic didactiscism of many rival texts, Rational Diagnosis and Treatment leaves the reader with a sense of triumph. This book is not just for medical students, it could engender renewed enthusiasm for both clinical practice and research in an exhausted and demoralised registrar or a burnt-out general practitioner tempted by the audit-free world of new-age quackery." Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine

The third edition of Rational Diagnosis and Treatment puts the practice of clinical medicine into perspective by arguing that clinical decision making should be built from first principles. By asking such questions as - How reliable are various sorts of data? How has disease classification evolved with knowledge? How does the diagnostic process narrow down options? How do randomness, luck and clinical trials come together? What is the nature of reason and reasoning and the true value of published literature? - fewer mistakes will be made by the practising physician and trainee. The main theme of the book stresses that, whenever possible, clinical decisions must be based on the best evidence from clinical research, but the authors also highlight the pitfalls of such research and the problems involved in extrapolating from groups of patients to the individual. This beautifully written book integrates the science and statistical approach of evidence-based medicine with the art and humanism of medical practice; distinguishing between data, sets of data, knowledge and wisdom, and the application of knowledge. Such an intellectually challenging book is ideal for both medical students and doctors who require theoretical and practical clinical skills to help ensure that they apply theory in practice.