Evidence-based medicine and clinical trials

Optimal treatment of disease processes requires an objective assessment of clinical trial data in addition to careful patient monitoring. For multiple sclerosis (MS), the available treatments have been sufficiently evaluated in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS), and physicians should treat MS patients to the standard of care recommended by the National Multiple Sclerosis Society and/or the American Academy of Neurology. In some cases, recommendations must be made in the absence of definitive clinical trial data. Physicians should understand the limitations of recommendations of this type and still apply a combination of careful clinical evaluation, assessment of patient and disease factors, and an objective evaluation of whatever clinical trial data are available when treatment decisions are made.