A doctor’s order. The Dutch Case of Evidence-Based Medicine (1970-2015)

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.

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.