Bad Medicine: Is Evidence What We Think It Is?

[PR4NOW]

A thoughtful post by Dr. Kelly Brogan with some rather startling stats. I am reminded of Diogenes's post awhile ago about "Why the Medical Establishment Opposes Change."

PR

kellybroganmd.com/bad-medic...

[bluebug]

Good article.

There have been a few articles including on the BBC website on how bad doctors are with statistics. This means their estimates of risks, disease incidents, side effects etc are completely wrong. This links in nicely with your article.

[cwill in reply to bluebug]

They might have wrong figures or they may simply not bother. My last two surgical procedures were intersting for many reasons but way off good practice re consent. Before I consent I need the facts and figures so that I make an informed decision. Both carried risks from the procedure itself that would have been catastrophic, described by the doctor as small risk. I asked for the incidence rate of that outcome for the procedure and was told he had no idea and they don't keep those figures. I know very well that they do and that such outcomes would be studied locally but obviously this doctor considered my understanding of the possible outcomes to be an irrelevance. My life my decision? Not without doctors that are unwilling to make sure that they have the relevant information and are prepared to discuss data with patients, together with admitting their bias etc. One doctor actually said 'do you really want to know this? It's rather scary!'

[bluebug in reply to cwill]

FFS if a patient is clued up enough to ask they are very likely intelligent enough to work out the figures.

[cwill]

Just got FFS. My notes might say my profession but do you notice that no one actually reads that so addresses everyone as if about 11? One doctor asked me why I knew medical jargon. Pointed out that I had been using it at work in hospital and university for over 25 years. That shut him up for quite a while rather than encouraging him to up his game.

[nightingale-56 in reply to cwill]

cwill I got asked if I worked in a hospital because of knowledge. But no, I just worked in Life Assurance and been around hospitals too much over the last 40 years. I did tell them that most of my knowledge was from TUK and the Internet though.

[greygoose]

Totally agree with the last paragraph!