Evidence-based medicine and geriatric psychiatry.

The vast amount of clinical information available today and the difficulties that clinicians have in applying this information have given rise to interest in evidence-based medicine. An additional impetus for the development of the evidence-based medicine movement has been the increasing recognition that much of medical practice is not evidence-based. This article presents a brief overview of the principles of evidence-based medicine and its historical development, discusses some common criticisms of evidence-based practice, and illustrates its application to address a clinical problem. Suggestions are also provided for clinicians interested in developing evidence-based medicine skills.