Anecdotal Evidence versus EBM
Patient Uniqueness

Author: Gianpiero Pescarmona
Date: 02/12/2012

Description

The expression anecdotal evidence refers to evidence from anecdotes. Because of the small sample, there is a larger chance that it may be unreliable due to non-representative samples of typical cases. Anecdotal evidence is considered dubious support of a claim ; it is accepted only in lieu of more solid evidence. This is true regardless of the veracity of individual claims.

Patient is unique (read: anecdotal) so why he should be treated as similar to ....?

“Anecdotal Evidence”: Why Narratives Matter to Medical Practice, 2006

When anecdotes fit a deep biochemical model they are no longer anecdotes but evidences of biochemical model fitness.

Biochemical network are made by physical agents that are always linked by causal relationship, even if you don't know them.

When the network is very complex to test the predictive power of simple hypothesis on a large number of subjects usually fails because of the large number of factor involved but not recorded. ICT allows at acceptable costs collection of huge amount of data.
When an anecdotal info, collected by chance, lighten a new causal node, this node is added to the network and checked for other instances. And so one until the vast majority of the events become predictable.

The only correct experimental evidence is the never ended one, and evolutionary like life.

How to combine EBM, Narrative Medicine, Personalized Medicine?

how many types of evidence exist with the today ICT pervasiveness??

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