Should evidence or sound clinical reasoning dictate patient care?

Abstract

Orthopaedic manual physical therapy (OMPT) practice incorporates an evidence-based practice (EBP) model, including research integration, clinical expertise, and patient values and circumstances. Contemporary EBP focuses on written words in peer-reviewed research manuscripts, frequently de-emphasizing other critical components. While EBP was originally developed to increase use of epidemiology and statistics in clinician practice, it was never intended to de-emphasize the clinician’s expertise or a patient’s biology, beliefs, and values