ABSTRACT
This textbook aims to help primary care clinicians in their practice of musculoskeletal and sports medicine. With the intent of summarizing the highest quality evidence, authors of this chapter have been asked to present the information and conclude all chapters, when possible, in the form of a standardized evidence-grading system. Evidence-grading systems have been advocated by many in the evidence-based medicine (EBM) movement as an attempt to validate the quality of evidence as it pertains to particular clinical questions. The objective of this chapter is to review the purpose of the EBM movement with a focus on the rationale behind the evidencegrading systems. We will discuss the benets and limitations of evidence-grading systems and also refer to controversies surrounding the proper role of evidence in the context of patient care (Table 1.1).
