Science-based medicine and improving patient safety and quality of care
The last couple of weeks, I feel as though I may have been slumming a bit. After all, comparatively speaking it’s not that difficult to take on claims that homeopathy benefits fibromyalgia or Oprah...
View ArticleDid Facebook and PNAS violate human research protections in an unethical...
Ed. Note: NOTE ADDENDUM I daresay that I’m like a lot of you in that I spend a fair bit of time on Facebook. This blog has a Facebook page (which, by the way, you should head on over and Like...
View ArticleIn the Spirit of Choosing Wisely
Oh, loneliness and cheeseburgers are a dangerous mix. – Comic Book Guy Same can be said of viral syndromes and Thanksgiving. My brain has been in an interferon-induced haze for the last week that is...
View ArticleMore Lyme ‘Guidelines’
I noted with understanding that the Doubtful News can’t take it anymore. The relentless tsunami sewage slurry of pseudo-science (who says I can’t alliterate?) has worn her down. She is: currently...
View ArticleChoosing Wisely: Changing medical practice is hard
One of the hardest things to do in medicine is to change practice in the face of scientific evidence that what you're doing isn't working. Quacks never change, but medicine does. The change might be...
View ArticleOn “integrative medicine” and walking and chewing gum at the same time
Evidence matters. Science matters. However, when advocates of "integrating" quackery into medicine via the vehicle of "integrative medicine" invoke weak science and poor quality evidence in...
View ArticleThe fine line between quality improvement and medical research
As I’ve mentioned before, the single biggest difference between science-based medicine (SBM) and what I like to call pseudoscience-based medicine, namely the vast majority of what passes for...
View ArticleReporting results from clinical trials is vital for science-based medicine
Clinical trials must report on their outcomes, irrespective their results. Doctors and their patients need all the information, not just the good news stories, to make informed decisions. The post...
View ArticleAnother Anti-GMO Paper Retracted
Retraction Watch is a great website. As the name implies, it focuses on a key aspect of quality control in science, the retraction of scientific papers that have already passed peer-review and were...
View ArticleAre medical errors really the third most common cause of death in the U.S.?
A regurgitation of existing data suggested that medical error is the third leading cause of death in America. Is it true? Spoiler alert! No. No it's not. While medical error can and should be reduced,...
View ArticleDo pill organizers help or hurt?
In order for medication to work, getting a prescription filled isn’t enough. You have to actually take the medication. And that’s where you (the patient) come in. Estimates vary based on the population...
View ArticleHow accurately do physicians estimate risk and benefit?
A new study suggests that physicians tend to overestimate the benefits of treatments, tests, and screening tests, while also underestimating harms. The post How accurately do physicians estimate risk...
View ArticleIf you feel better, should you stop taking your antibiotics?
A recent paper suggests that patients would be better off stopping antibiotics when they feel better, instead of completing the entire amount prescribed. Could this approach reduce antibiotic overuse...
View ArticleZombie Science
Retractions of scientific studies do not always mean that the studies die a deserved death. Sometimes they live on as zombie studies, continuing to be cited by other researchers and having an effect on...
View ArticleCAM use leads to delays in appropriate, effective arthritis therapy
A preference to use CAM before seeking medical advice may be harming patients with inflammatory arthritis. The post CAM use leads to delays in appropriate, effective arthritis therapy first appeared on...
View ArticleRigor Mortis: What’s Wrong with Medical Science and How to Fix It
Medical research has been plagued by less-than-rigorous practices and a culture that rewards quantity over quality. In a new book, Richard Harris identifies the problems, proposes solutions, and offers...
View ArticleThe Elephant in the Compounding Pharmacy
Contaminated products from compounding pharmacies have harmed and even killed patients. Quality control measures are being implemented, but there is a bigger problem: the injudicious use of untested...
View ArticleThe effort of integrative medicine advocates to co-opt the opioid crisis to...
Last week, I wrote about how advocates for quackery were trying, and succeeding, at persuading state Medicaid agencies to pay for acupuncture for pain. This week, I discuss how they are promoting the...
View ArticleWhere Are We With the Replication “Crisis”
The replication problem is not as bad as the sensational reporting has suggested. But it is still a legitimate issue that needs to be addressed. The post Where Are We With the Replication “Crisis”...
View ArticleBouffant caps versus skull caps in the operating room: A no holds barred cage...
Over the last few years, AORN and the American College of Surgeons have been battling it out over AORN's 2014 guideline that has increasingly led to the banning of the surgical skull cap in the...
View ArticleShould Evidence-Based Medicine Be Replaced by Interpersonal Medicine?
An opinion piece in the New England Journal of Medicine complains about the limitations of evidence-based medicine (EBM) and recommends a new approach they call "interpersonal medicine." In my opinion,...
View ArticleCharlatans for Christmas
A novel by Robin Cook is a great read with a medical theme. It brings up some serious questions about quality control and medical education. The post Charlatans for Christmas first appeared on...
View ArticleDirect to Consumer Telemedicine’s Flaws
Telemedicine is here, probably to stay, but with its arrival come new problems. The post Direct to Consumer Telemedicine’s Flaws first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.
View ArticleNepotistic Journals
Research identifies another potential bias in scientific publishing - nepotistic journals. The post Nepotistic Journals first appeared on Science-Based Medicine.
View ArticleCOVID-19 puts the spotlight on an unexpected racial disparity in health care
Evidence increasingly suggests that pulse oximeters, the little finger clips that measure blood oxygen, overestimate the blood oxygenation in Black patients. It's a problem that's been discussed a long...
View ArticleGeriatric Preventive Medicine Appointments Covered by Medicare
Medicare offers free preventive medicine visits for those over 65: the Welcome to Medicare visit and the Annual Wellness Visit. Increased awareness of these benefits would improve health care, save...
View ArticleRetracted papers about COVID-19 are more highly cited than they should be
Earlier this month a study showed that papers about COVID-19 that are retracted tend to be cited far more than average and continue to be heavily cited after retraction. Clearly, scientific publishing...
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