In the early 1990s, a new concept was coined: ‘evidence-based medicine’ (EBM). After a remarkably short time, EBM was virtually all-pervasive in medicine and healthcare throughout the world. Even outside the domain of healthcare, the new concept became fashionable, for example in the shape of (pleas for) ‘evidence-based management’ and ‘evidence-based policy’. In short, ‘evidence-based’ developed into one of the mantras of the current era.
This book uses history as a tool to gain insight into the highly influential, but also elusive and multifaceted phenomenon of EBM. As such, A Doctor’s Order is a ‘must read’ for patients, professionals, managers and policy makers in healthcare as well as for anyone who is interested in understanding the present socio-political order.
About the author
Timo (T.C.) Bolt is a Dutch historian of science and medicine. He finished his PhD on the history of EBM at UMC Utrecht in 2015 and is now assistant professor of medical history at Erasmus MC in Rotterdam.
