What’s a claim?

In the context of health care and health science, the term “claim” is not just any assertion: it tends to suggest a particularly self-serving idea. If it could be used as a bullet-point in a sales pitch, it’s a claim. If you propose something that makes you (or your profession) look better, or get paid more, it’s a claim. And claims need to be backed up, in proportion to just how good they are for the claimant.