NPR

Many Guidelines For Heart Care Rely On Weak Evidence

Less than 10 percent of cardiovascular guidelines to help doctors are based on the most carefully conducted scientific studies. A lot of the rest are based on much flimsier evidence.
Few medical guidelines for heart care are based on the highest-quality evidence.

Doctors turn to professional guidelines to help them identify the latest thinking on appropriate medical treatments, but a study out Friday finds that in the realm of heart disease, most of those guidelines aren't based on the highest level of evidence.

, the journal of the American Medical Association, that was released online ahead of print, finds that less than 10 percent of cardiovascular guidelines are based on the most carefully conducted. A lot of the rest are based on much weaker evidence.

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