Evidence-based medicine has already adapted and is very much alive

Abstract

Greenhalgh et al 1 argue that the COVID-19 pandemic has uncovered a need for a shift in the evidence-based medicine (EBM) paradigm in which mechanistic evidence is also used as a complementary source for decision-making. Their justification is based on limitations of evidence hierarchies, which prioritise meta-analyses and randomised controlled trials (RCTs)1; and the urgency, threat and complexity of a pandemic. However, in defence of EBM, we present a counter argument.