Effectiveness And Efficiency: Random Reflections on Health Services

Originally published in 1972, Archie Cochrane's classic text has had a profound influence on the practice of medicine and on the evaluation of medical interventions. He was the first to set out clearly the vital importance of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in assessing the effectiveness of treatments, and his work led directly to the setting-up of the Cochrane Collaboration, now a world-wide endeavour dedicated to tracking down, evaluating and synthesising RCTs in all areas of medicine. The message contained in this book is as relevant to clinicians, healthcare managers and policy-makers now as it was in the 1970s.