Evidence-based Medicine
Editorial | “Peeling off musculoskeletal labels: sticks and stones may break my bones, but diagnostic labels can hamstring me forever”
11 May, 2021 | 08:59h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Grateful to share our new @BJSM_BMJ editorial @KarimKhan_IMHA @DrLouiseTulloh
Peeling off musculoskeletal labels: sticks and stones may break my bones, but diagnostic labels can hamstring me forever
📄🔓 https://t.co/5LAEUNK6d2#PreventingOverdiagnosis #TooMuchMedicine pic.twitter.com/ZD0CyxmGHp
— Daniel Friedman (@ddfriedman) May 6, 2021
Drugs tested in low- and middle-income countries are often not available for use in these countries even after a few years.
10 May, 2021 | 00:54h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Sharing benefits and burdens of clinical research? Or not…
Of 70 countries enrolling pts. for new-drug trials, 7% got market access to the drugs they helped test <1 year after FDA approval, 31% did so at 5 years. Lowest access in Africa & Middle East🤨https://t.co/p2uCP43hOG pic.twitter.com/cqsucO1kxP
— Søren M Bentzen (@SorenBentzen) May 6, 2021
WHO calls for pharma transparency in clinical trial data reporting.
10 May, 2021 | 00:39h | UTCWHO Calls For Pharma Transparency In Clinical Trial Data Reporting – Health Policy Watch
WHO Statement: Joint Statement on transparency and data integrity International Coalition of Medicines Regulatory Authorities (ICMRA) and WHO
Commentary on Twitter
Wide and open access to clinical data for new medicines and vaccines will help build trust and the expand access @WHO @US_FDA @EMA_News @CDSCO_INDIA_INF @MoHFW_INDIA @ICMRDELHI @JeremyFarrar @Chikwe_I @jarottingen @pahowho https://t.co/1OACILbdh6
— Soumya Swaminathan (@doctorsoumya) May 7, 2021
Opinion | Covid-19: Sputnik vaccine rockets, thanks to Lancet boost
7 May, 2021 | 08:31h | UTCCovid-19: Sputnik vaccine rockets, thanks to Lancet boost – The BMJ
Commentary on Twitter
Journals risk being used in place of regulators when they publish studies of novel vaccines that have not yet been authorised by a major regulator @DoctorChrisVT unpicks the story of the Sputnik V vaccine https://t.co/lYf7l0lXcy
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) May 6, 2021
Perspective | The weird science of the placebo effect keeps getting more interesting
7 May, 2021 | 08:17h | UTCThe weird science of the placebo effect keeps getting more interesting – Vox
COVID has pushed medical research into remote trials, benefiting patients and scientists
5 May, 2021 | 08:38h | UTC
CONSORT extension for the reporting of randomized controlled trials conducted using cohorts and routinely collected data (CONSORT-ROUTINE): checklist with explanation and elaboration
4 May, 2021 | 08:25h | UTC
Debate: Should masks be worn outdoors?
30 Apr, 2021 | 08:21h | UTCShould masks be worn outdoors? – The BMJ
Commentaries: Experts debate on wearing masks outdoors – News Medical AND Do masks need to be worn outdoors? – Advanced Science News
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Who do so many of us go off about outdoor masking?
Because if governments can show its people that it's taking #COVID19 seriously by focusing on outdoor masking while ignoring the living and working conditions driving so many infections, we'll get nowhere.#endpandemictheatre
— Stefan Baral (@sdbaral) April 29, 2021
How the UK found the first effective Covid-19 treatment — and saved a million lives (about the RECOVERY trial and the effects of Dexamethasone)
28 Apr, 2021 | 08:36h | UTCHow the UK found the first effective Covid-19 treatment — and saved a million lives – Vox
Related: Covid-19: The Inside Story of the RECOVERY Trial AND Covid: The London bus trip that saved maybe a million lives – BBC
Scientists say the rush to do Covid research led to a whole lot of waste
28 Apr, 2021 | 08:34h | UTCScientists Say The Rush To Do COVID Research Led To A Whole Lot Of Waste – NPR
Original Article: How COVID-19 has fundamentally changed clinical research in global health – The Lancet Global Health
Related: Data Show Panic and Disorganization Dominate the Study of Covid-19 Drugs (other commentaries on the subject)
See also: The Lancet Series: Clinical Trials in Global Health
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
Quantity > quality? The magnitude of #COVID19 research of questionable methodological quality reveals an urgent need to optimise clinical trial research—but how?
A new @LancetGH Series discusses challenges and solutions. Read https://t.co/z4SluR3yuh 1/5 pic.twitter.com/94RRVT0qhF
— The Lancet (@TheLancet) April 16, 2021
Viewpoint | Incorporating Adult Evidence into Pediatric Research and Practice: Bayesian Designs to Expedite Obtaining Child-Specific Evidence
27 Apr, 2021 | 09:28h | UTC
Opinion | Real-world data, not predictions, should drive decisions on Covid-19 and school opening
27 Apr, 2021 | 08:26h | UTCReal-world data, not predictions, should drive decisions on Covid-19 and school opening – STAT
Commentary from the author on Twitter
Real-world data, not predictions, should drive decisions on Covid-19 and school opening with @elbeezuchdt @citizen_oregon: Concept is simple. Schools are half/closed due to alarmist inaccurate models. Use real-world data to drive our decisions on kids.https://t.co/HfZl8IAVXq
— Monica Gandhi MD, MPH (@MonicaGandhi9) April 23, 2021
Opinion | What it Means to be a Medical Conservative
25 Apr, 2021 | 21:06h | UTCWhat it Means to be a Medical Conservative – Stop and Think
COVID vaccines and kids: five questions as trials begin
23 Apr, 2021 | 08:37h | UTCCOVID vaccines and kids: five questions as trials begin – Nature
Related perspective: Do Kids Really Need to Be Vaccinated for Covid? Yes. No. Maybe. – Undark
Viewpoint | Remote Research and Clinical Trial Integrity During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic
23 Apr, 2021 | 08:34h | UTCRemote Research and Clinical Trial Integrity During and After the Coronavirus Pandemic – JAMA
Opinion | Platform Trials — Beware the Noncomparable Control Group
22 Apr, 2021 | 08:44h | UTCPlatform Trials — Beware the Noncomparable Control Group – New England Journal of Medicine
Large clinical trial to study repurposed drugs to treat COVID-19 symptoms
21 Apr, 2021 | 06:59h | UTCLarge clinical trial to study repurposed drugs to treat COVID-19 symptoms – NIH News Releases
Clinical trial completion rates decline during COVID-19 pandemic
20 Apr, 2021 | 05:59h | UTCClinical trial completion rates decline during COVID-19 pandemic – Penn State
Original study: Assessing the Impact of COVID‐19 on Registered Interventional Clinical Trials – Clinical and Translational Science
Perspective | Ivermectin is the new Hydroxychorloquine
16 Apr, 2021 | 06:28h | UTCIvermectin is the new Hydroxychorloquine – Science-Based Medicine
Study shows practitioners overestimate the probability of disease before and after testing
14 Apr, 2021 | 01:44h | UTCAccuracy of Practitioner Estimates of Probability of Diagnosis Before and After Testing – JAMA Internal Medicine (free for a limited period)
Commentary: Physicians, Probabilities, and Populations—Estimating the Likelihood of Disease for Common Clinical Scenarios – JAMA Internal Medicine (free for a limited period)
Commentary on Twitter
How good are doctors at diagnosis?
This is the most relevant paper I have written. Not perfect but addresses a huge issue I think could change medicine if acknowledged
…it has changed how I think about diagnosishttps://t.co/4ZtoD3F4rF @JAMAInternalMed @drjohnm
1/n— Dan Morgan (@dr_dmorgan) April 12, 2021
Viewpoint | Industry-Sponsored Speaker Programs—End of the Line?
14 Apr, 2021 | 01:36h | UTCIndustry-Sponsored Speaker Programs—End of the Line? – JAMA
A guide to Plan S: the open-access initiative shaking up science publishing
9 Apr, 2021 | 03:11h | UTCA guide to Plan S: the open-access initiative shaking up science publishing – Nature
Related: Open-access Science Funders Announce Price Transparency Rules for Publishers (several resources on the subject) AND A new mandate highlights costs, benefits of making all scientific articles free to read – Science
Perspective | Evidence isn’t Everything – Evidence-based medicine and statin decision-making
8 Apr, 2021 | 08:41h | UTCEvidence isn’t Everything – Evidence-based medicine and statin decision-making
Commentary on Twitter
My latest substack on using EBM for medical decisions.
Mike, a middle-aged active person, has been told to take a #statin
Should he?
Mentions in the post — @AndrewFoy82 @LuisCLCorreia @ProfDFrancis @DrJHoward @RogueRad @ProfHayward https://t.co/XJ6eBQ7Zj7
— John Mandrola, MD (@drjohnm) April 7, 2021
Exceedingly rare side effects reported with AstraZeneca vaccine in the UK – 22 cases of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis with low levels of platelets out of 18 million vaccinated individuals
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:45h | UTCCovid-19: Seven UK blood clot deaths after AstraZeneca vaccine – BBC
Original report: Coronavirus vaccine – weekly summary of Yellow Card reporting – Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency
Related opinion: Undermining the AstraZeneca jab is a dangerous act of political folly – The Guardian
“Based on current experience, the expected benefits of both COVID-19 vaccines in preventing COVID-19 and its serious complications far outweigh any known side effects”
Opinion | How to lose friends and alienate people? On the problems of vaccine passports
5 Apr, 2021 | 01:42h | UTCHow to lose friends and alienate people? On the problems of vaccine passports – The BMJ Opinion
Related: Resistance from health experts and business owners could doom ‘vaccine passports’ even before they launch – STAT AND How Vaccine Passports Will Worsen Inequities In Global Health – Microbiology AND Vaccine certificates: does the end justify the means? – The Lancet Microbe AND Covid-19 vaccine passports will harm sustainable development – The BMJ Opinion AND Covid-19 vaccine passports and vaccine hesitancy: freedom or control? – The BMJ Opinion AND “Vaccine Passport” Certification — Policy and Ethical Considerations – New England Journal of Medicine AND Interim position paper: considerations regarding proof of COVID-19 vaccination for international travellers – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter
"All in all, there are reasons to conclude that vaccine passports for basic activities may actually undermine vaccine rollout by disincentivising the very populations who most need incentivising" @ReicherStephen @ProfJohnDrury https://t.co/UL9qfFiOcA
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) April 2, 2021