EBM is a term fostered by Dr. Gordon H. Guyatt (a Hamilton, Ontario internist) and colleagues [JAMA, 1992]. According to The Centre for Evidence-based Medicine < > , it is the "conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. The practice of evidence-based medicine means integrating individual clinical expertise with the best available external clinical evidence from systematic research."

This Forum is about "Pharma Aiding Clinicians to Improve Patient Outcomes," a debate worth having. It is clear that the pharmaceutical industry does want clinicians to achieve better patient outcomes and there are soft examples of companies educating clinicians on how best to use their drugs and so forth. Not good enough; as a clinician, I want more. I see a more intimate relationship in the offing, one not based on financial incentives but rather on a patient-by-patient basis that would benefit the doctor, patient and pharma. That symbiotic, consultative relationship is the objective of this forum. Of course there are challenges, but it can be done. Let's call it 'Applied, Post-marketing Care'.