Affiliations: [a] Knowledge and Encounter Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA | [b] Division of Preventive, Occupational and Aerospace Medicine, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA | [c] Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA | Center for Alzheimer's Research, Banner Sun Health Research Institute, Sun City, AZ, USA
Correspondence:
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Correspondence to: M. Hassan Murad, M.D., M.P.H., Knowledge and Encounter Research Unit, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN 55905, USA. Tel.: +1 507 284 3097; Fax: +1 507 284 0909; E-mail: [email protected].
Abstract: The two fundamental principles of evidence-based medicine indicate that a hierarchy of evidence exists and that evidence alone is never sufficient to make clinical decisions. Incorporation of factors other than evidence such as patients' values and preferences, clinical context, and resource allocation are essential factors for decision making. The knowledge of these principles orients the use of clinical care research by evidence users such as patients, clinicians, and policy makers; and also helps researchers create research protocols and agendas that produce evidence that fulfills the needs of these users. Examples of research in Alzheimer's disease are presented to illustrate how evidence is produced, appraised and utilized.
Keywords: Alzheimer's disease, evidence-based medicine, patients' values and preferences, quality of evidence, research methodology
