Early published definitions of evidence-based medicine described a focus on which activities?

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Using the best available evidence to guide care centers on three core activities: identifying relevant research, critically appraising its validity and applicability, and summarizing the findings so they can inform clinical decisions. This sequence captures how early definitions described evidence-based medicine—actively seeking high-quality information, judging its trustworthiness and relevance, and distilling it into a usable form for practice. While meta-analyses are valuable tools for combining study results, they are one method of synthesis, not the sole focus of the original concept. Translating guidelines into practice and measuring patient satisfaction are important parts of care, but they address implementation and outcomes rather than the initial process of finding and evaluating evidence.