Ethics and evidence-based medicine

In reply: Much of the literature about evidence-based medicine (EBM) has focused on the science of generating evidence, or the technical process of critically appraising and interpreting evidence for individual patients. In our article1 we opted to discuss EBM as a social activity with inherent potential for multiple manifestations. To describe EBM as a social activity is to emphasise how its definition, interpretation and application, and the ethical implications of those factors, are dependent on societal values and priorities — be they explicit or implicit.