Evidence-based medicine is when clinical advice or decsions are based on established empirical studies or other forms of scientific evidence. At first it seems as though all modern medicine would fall under this category, but there are many areas, for example in psychiatry, where the level of individual difference and complexity of problems makes this kind of evidence hard to gather, or, it may be argued, inappropriate. Given the range of conditions and symptoms, it is impossible for a doctor or other medical practitioner to keep up to date or remember all the evdience that is published. This is one of the ways that expert systems can be an invaluable part of medical practice.
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