Pediatrician networks and evidence-based medicine

The need for Evidence Based Medicine (EBM) paradigm in medical practice is becoming greater. Consequently the determinants of the adoption of evidence-based guidelines are of increasing interest. The aim of the paper is to verify the existence of a “network effect” on the awareness and frequency of use of evidence-based guidelines among paediatricians. We focus on the causal relation between a paediatrician's centrality in the network of paediatricians and guidelines adoption. Interactions and knowledge exchanges may affect the frequency of use of evidence-based guidelines. This effect may have important implications for local health unit managers, for professional associations, and for the final customers themselves: families and children.