This book on evidence-based medicine was developed in association with a course at the Albany Medical College for their longitudinal Comprehensive Care Case Study. The first edition was published in 2004. The mission of the Albany Medical College was to teach students how to become lifelong learners, and the goal of this book is to equip physicians to become critical consumers of medical literature. This is a most noble goal considering the fast pace of change in medicine. This is a book that every clinician can use in this era of the proliferation of the phrase “evidence-based.” It explains it and puts it in perspective. The acquisition of this skill must begin as medical students, honed through the residency years to become a habit by the time they become attending physicians. While there are some statistics in the book, these are presented extremely well so that they are not an impediment to success. The chapters are divided according to basic concepts —definitions of evidence-based medicine, study design, measurements, the concept of bias, and types of errors and scientific integrity. The book then moves into the use of diagnostic tests, practice guidelines, and meta-analysis. Topics are covered well, and compared to most statistics books, this one is a very easy read. An accompanying CD-ROM has exercises to reinforce what readers find in the book. It is well done, particularly with the calculators readily available for users.
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Vincent F. Carr (2011) studied this question.