Well done, Michael Power!
There is something in what you say but I am not sure that I would call these
examples of EB speak. I remember seeing stuff like this when I qualified,
more than 2 decades ago.
Don't associate EBP with poor recommendations - leave that to our detractors
:-)
B/W, Kev Hopayian
-------on 23/10/07 09:50, Michael Power at [log in to unmask] wrote:
> Does EBM-speak endanger common sense?
>
> Example 1.
> "Use a 21-guage needle (green) in women who weigh more than 90kg."
>
> This recommendation is appropriate for a brainless robot.
> In plain English, the common sense recommendation for a thinking human
> would be "Use an adequately long needle if you have to give an
> intramuscular injection through a thick layer of adipose tissue."
>
> Example 2.
> "We don't know if other osmotic laxatives such as magnesium salts , or
> phosphate or sodium citrate enemas are effective."
>
> There is a simple cure for this piece of ignorance: take a dose of epsom
> salts and see what happens. Or, submit a grant application for a
> doubleblind, placebo controlled RCT.
>
> Example 3.
> "Macrogol 3350 26 g daily was significantly more effective than
> 20 g lactulose daily".
>
> In practice, the dose of a laxative is adjusted to achieve the desired
> effect. So, comparing fixed doses of different laxatives provides
> information that is more likely to be useful for marketing than for the
> patient or practitioner. Most of the evidence on laxatives is at this
> level.
>
> If you have any other examples where common sense has been sacrificed to
> the form of EBM-speak, please send them to me. I am building a collection.
>
> Thoughts on the aetiology and treatment of hypocommonsentia would also be
> welcome.
>
> Michael Power
> Clinical Knowledge Author, Guideline Developer and Informatician
> Clinical Knowledge Summaries Service www.cks.library.nhs.uk
> Sowerby Centre for Health Informatics at Newcastle Ltd www.schin.co.uk
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