Rege:
I offer the following for discussion.
If that means I am against egoism, power, control,
| domination, and manipulation that has been perpetuated by western
| philosophy for the past century - then that is me!!
I do not think the west holds exclusivity in this area.
|
| I don't think there is anything wrong with reductionist thinking. I just
do
| not think it is the only way.Just like I don't think that quantatative
| research, RCT's, or evidence-based research is the only way.
|
I agree to an extent, at what point do you support the use of quantitative
research and when do you not? When is it appropriate and when is it not? Too
often I have seen people enthusiastically promote the results of a RCT when
it supports their point of view. Those same people will then trash the RCT
when it doesn't fit their view or it challenges their belief.
| I got into this frey to suggest that there are other ways we need to look
| at the things we say that do not work (based on traditional research),
when
| in actuality there are those practitioners who know they work but are
| unsure why. That's all.
|
I am struck by the frequent pronouncements by many of my colleagues that
they "know it works" yet do not have evidence beyond anecdote. I would offer
that we do not "know" anything until we do the research, even then we only
"know" more than we did, not everything.
Yesterday there was a piece in my local newspaper about a mansion in town.
The mansion was built by a wealthy physician in the late 1800's. He made his
money by selling a concoction called "Dr. Miller's Discovery." Claims it
could treat most things. In one sense over the last 100 + years we
(medicine) have come far from the days of Dr. Miller. In another sense we
haven't. Medicine has shown that on the whole when research is applied
morbidity, mortality and disability are reduced. I would hope that if Dr.
Miller were alive today he would take some of his millions and do the
research. The sad truth is that he could still sell his concoction and make
millions because he "knows" it works.
Perhaps we should set a time line for practitioners to follow. For every
"new" treatment that is promoted the promoters has five years to do/fund the
research or stop promoting the treatment. We as a profession should have no
tolerance for our colleagues getting rich on the speaking circuit year after
year without the research to support their beliefs. Nor should we have
tolerance for academic physical therapy institutions who promote treatment
approaches that have been shown not to be efficacious.
If you "know" it works prove it.
Food for thought.
*******************************************************
Douglas M. White, PT, OCS
Physical Therapist, Consultant
191 Blue Hills Parkway
Milton, MA USA 02186
P: 617.696.1974
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http://DouglasWhite.tripod.com
| >
| Rege Turocy, DHCE, PT
| Assistant Professor
| Department of Physical Therapy
| Rangos School of Health Sciences
| Duquesne University
| Pittsburgh, PA 15282
| 412/396-5545
|