Meaning and measurement: an inclusive model of evidence in health care

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Abstract
Evidence‐based approaches are assuming prominence in many health‐care fields. The core ideas of evidence‐based health care derive from clinical epidemiology and general internal medicine. The concept of evidence has yet to be analysed systematically; what counts as evidence may vary across disciplines. Furthermore, the contribution of the social sciences, particularly qualitative methodology, has received scant attention. This paper outlines a model of evidence that describes four distinct but related types of evidence: qualitative‐personal; qualitative‐general; quantitative‐general and quantitative‐personal. The rationale for these distinctions and the implications of these for a theory of evidence are discussed.