Where EBM in EM Is and Should Be Going

This webinar will explore the history, present state, and future directions of evidence-based medicine (EBM) in emergency medicine through a lively exchange of perspectives among leading educators, researchers, and clinicians. The session will begin with a brief introduction on the origins of EBM and how early teaching efforts at McMaster, Oxford, and the New York Academy of Medicine, shaped its adoption in emergency medicine. The discussion will then turn to the concept of “classic EBM," defined as the integration of clinical expertise, best available evidence, and patient values, and whether it remains a teachable and pertinent framework for residents and faculty in 2025.

The conversation will move forward to the current landscape, addressing the role of systematic reviews, particularly the historical influence of Cochrane, and how evidence synthesis is evolving in an era of rapid knowledge generation, open-access tools, and competing information sources. Clinical practice guidelines, often considered the pinnacle of the evidence hierarchy, will be examined for both their opportunities and their vulnerabilities as emergency medicine grapples with issues of trustworthiness, reproducibility, and misinformation. Implementation science will also be highlighted for its ability to extend the reach of traditional EBM by ensuring evidence actually translates into practice, particularly in the complex and time-pressured workflow of the emergency department.

Looking toward the future, the panel will reflect on how evidence-based medicine can be more deeply embedded into emergency medicine workflows without adding to cognitive burden. A central theme will be the role of artificial intelligence in accelerating evidence synthesis and dissemination, balanced against the critical need for transparency, reliability, and clinical judgment. The panelists will also discuss how to prepare the next generation of emergency physicians to navigate this shifting evidence landscape, blending lessons from the past with new methods of teaching and applying EBM.

The session will close with future-focused reflections on what excites experts most about the evolving practice of EBM in emergency medicine. Audience members will be invited to participate in the discussion, posing questions or sharing comments in real time. Together, the panel and audience will consider how evidence-based medicine can remain grounded in trustworthy science while embracing new opportunities to improve patient care in the decade ahead.

Moderators and Panelists:

• Dan Mayer
• Eddy S. Lang
• Peter Wyer
• Mike Brown
• Chris Carpenter
• Ken Milne