Uppsala Reports Long Reads – Philosophy of science meets patient safety

Most of us want healthcare to be both patient-centric and evidence-based. But are those two goals compatible? Can we tailor healthcare to our unique circumstances­, while relying on the average statistical measurements that scientific evidence is based on? Emerging ideas in the philosophy of science are challenging a rigid reliance on evidence-based medicine and offering a more nuanced understanding of patient safety.

This episode is part of the Uppsala Reports Long Reads series – the most topical stories from UMC’s pharmacovigilance magazine, brought to you in audio format. Find the text version here.

Tune in to find out:

• What causal dispositions are
• Why pharmacovigilance would benefit from a new approach to causality
• How to promote trans-disciplinary approaches to medical inquiry

Want to know more?

Here are a few reading resources to get you started:

• The CauseHealth Risk and Safety project is bridging pharmacovigilance and philosophy of science
• Causal evidence and dispositions can improve our understanding of causality in medicine and public health
• Medical scientists and philosophers worldwide appeal to expand the notion of “evidence”
• Patient experiences can enhance the quality and safety of healthcare, say the authors of the Erice Call for Change

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