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| THE SCANDAL OF POOR MEDICAL RESEARCH |
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BMJ Volume
308, 29 January 1994, Page 283 - 284 |
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We needless
research, better research, and research done for the
right reasons |
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What should
we think about a doctor who uses the wrong treatment,
either willfully or through ignorance, or who uses the
right treatment wrongly (such as by giving the wrong
dose of a drug)? Most people would agree that such behaviour
was unprofessional, arguably unethical, and certainly
unacceptable. |
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What then
should we think about researchers who use the wrong
techniques (either willfully or in ignorance), use the
right techniques wrongly, misinterpret their results,
report their results selectively, cite the literature
selectively, and draw unjustified conclusions? We should
be appalled. Yet numerous studies of the medical literature,
in both general and specialist journals have shown that
all of the above phenomena are common. This is surely
a scandal. |
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DOUGLAS
G ALTMAN |
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Head |
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Medical
Statistics Laboratory, |
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Imperial
Cancer Research Fund, |
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London
WC2A 3PX. |
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