The Importance of Clinical Research/Evidence Based Medicine

By Minimally-Invasive Spine Surgeon, John Peloza, M.D.

As we navigate the future of the healthcare system in America, one thing is a constant. Patients want access to quality healthcare. In the business of spine care, where more than 80% of Americans will suffer from major back pain at some point in their lives, quality care is imperative.

This means offering patients real solutions to their back problems and helping them make informed decisions. This is where the importance of clinical research and Evidence Based Medicine, or EBM comes in. EBM is what we practice at the Center for Spine Care and have for more than 15 years.

EBM is a systematic approach using scientific methods to determine which treatments work best for specific conditions. There is a specific methodology to not only prove the treatment works or not, but also to grade the quality of the studies. EBM is essential to clinical decision making, along with significant clinical experience.

At the Center for Spine Care, we have been involved in FDA trials and clinical research for years and have tracked our own patient outcome data for all of our surgical procedures. Because we know our outcome data, we can help our patients make informed decisions and understand the value (outcome and cost) of their care.

So, if you have back pain, ask your spine specialist for his or her clinical outcomes data. Don’t accept that “all patients get better with this treatment.” Ask to see the data. It could make a real difference for you.

John Peloza, M.D., is a minimally invasive spine surgeon and Medical Director of the Center for Spine Care. Dr. Peloza is a pioneer in minimally-invasive spine technologies, a clinical researcher, and patient advocate.

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