We threw the guidelines at her

Without clinical guidelines we'd be lost. We'd have no map to navigate the extraordinary quantity of clinical research, or mechanism for judging its quality and value. Evidence-based medicine (EBM) is beholden to those who collate, appraise, and distil new information into clear recommendations. However, simply following guideline recommendations is not sufficient to be able to claim one is practising EBM. Careful, caring, and person-centered application of guidance is required to ensure patients benefit from, and are not harmed by, health care.