Evidence‐based medicine and rational rationing

There has been significant investment in NHS research and development aimed at strengthening the knowledge base of decision‐making. But evidence‐based health care is no panacea. What is effective or ineffective is vigorously contested. Nor does evidence‐based decision‐making offer a tidy solution to matters of a more sensitive political nature. In particular, it is not a solution to the rationing dilemma.