JAMA : the journal of the American Medical Association
-
Clinical decisions should be based on the totality of the best evidence and not the results of individual studies. When clinicians apply the results of a systematic review or meta-analysis to patient care, they should start by evaluating the credibility of the methods of the systematic review, ie, the extent to which these methods have likely protected against misleading results. ⋯ Confidence depends on the risk of bias in the body of evidence; the precision and consistency of the results; whether the results directly apply to the patient of interest; and the likelihood of reporting bias. Shared decision making requires understanding of the estimates of magnitude of beneficial and harmful effects, and confidence in those estimates.
-
Are antiepileptic drugs associated with reduced pain intensity in patients with neuropathic pain or fibromyalgia? ⋯ In treating diabetic neuropathy and postherpetic neuralgia compared with placebo, gabapentin and pregabalin are associated with a modest increase in the number of patients experiencing meaningful pain reduction. In treating fibromyalgia, compared with placebo, pregabalin alone is associated with a small increase in the number of patients experiencing meaningful pain reduction. There is insufficient evidence for other antiepileptics.