Evidence or anecdote?

How do we treat wheezing infants? Evidence or anecdote.

Consultant paediatricians were questioned about their management of wheezing disorders in infants. Salbutamol was the preferred bronchodilator for recurrent wheeze, whereas ipratropium was preferred in viral bronchiolitis. Doses of both medications varied widely. Both inhaled and oral corticosteroids were considered by most respondents. Practice does not clearly follow guidelines or evidence an...

Moving from anecdote to evidence.

Evidence-based medicine and the anecdote: Uneasy bedfellows or ideal couple?

Over the past 30 years, there has been a resurgence in the use of storytelling and narrative in medicine. At first glance, the trend to incorporate art forms into medicine appears to run counter to the rise of the more objective and positivist evidence-based medicine movement. In the present article, the authors provide examples of the use of storytelling and narrative in medicine, describe the...

Who needs chest physiotherapy? Moving from anecdote to evidence.

At the beginning of this century, paediatrics was an art. Skills were learnt from a mentor, picking up tips and anecdotes while standing at your master’s side. Now, as practitioners of child health in the final years of this same century, life has changed. Anecdote and word of mouth have lost credibility and are replaced by scientific scrutiny and the rigour of evidence from carefully controlle...

Easter Island: historical anecdote or warning for the future?

Two standard solutions for the ‘Malthusian Trap’ involve institutional reforms and technological progress. Using Easter Island as an example, we investigate the hypothetical role that technological progress and population management reform might have played in preventing the collapse of the island’s civilization. The model includes a composite manufactured good and a composite harvested renewab...