There are a couple of social epistemological nasties lurking in the first paper I
looked at: "A couple of nasties lurking in evidence-based medicine". This is by
Jason Grossman, who seems to suffer from cognomen syndrome.
Grossman says:
"A number of interestingly dumb claims have become entrenched in prominent
versions of these more specific methodological doctrines. I look at just a
couple of example claims, namely:
1. Any randomised controlled trial (RCT) gives us better evidence than any
other study.
2. Confidence intervals are always useful summaries of at least part of the
evidence an experiment gives us about a hypothesis."
As Frances Gardner pointed out in her post, the rhetorical technique is to set
up a giant straw man.
Grossman's two claims are dumb because, if he wants to criticise, he ought to
know that:
The five steps of EBP were first described in 1992 and most steps have now
been subjected to trials of teaching effectiveness
1. Translation of uncertainty to an answerable question
2. Systematic retrieval of best evidence available
3. Critical appraisal of evidence for validity, clinical relevance, and applicability
4. Application of results in practice
5. Evaluation of performance
(I am quoting the "Sicily statement", which is freely available at
www.biomedcentral.com/1472-6920/5/1).
Steps #2 and #3 make it clear that putting EBM into practice requires finding
the best available evidence, and critically appraising it.
Grossman's paper is gross bollocks. He needs a course in critical appraisal and
a course in etiquette.
Michael
On Sun, 4 Jan 2009 14:47:45 -0500, Dan Mayer <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
>Hi everyone,
This looks suspiciously post modern. I'd love to read it and be able to
comment. However, I can't get on any of the articles. Anyone have access?
It costs $197 to purchase the issue and about $25 per article.
Dan
PS: Happy New Year
**********************************************************
******************
Dan Mayer, MD
Professor of Emergency Medicine
Albany Medical College
47 New Scotland Ave.
Albany, NY, 12208
Ph; 518-262-6180
FAX; 518-262-5029
E-mail; [log in to unmask]
**********************************************************
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>>> ask CWA <[log in to unmask]> 1/4/2009 2:14:19 PM >>>
Dear colleagues
FYI .
Happy 2009 !!
----- Original Message -----
From: <[log in to unmask]>Sent: Wednesday, December 17, 2008 3:18
PM
> Subject: Social Epistemology - informaworld new issue alert
>
>
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>> Dear Caroline >
>> Social Epistemology: A Journal of Knowledge, Culture and Policy Volume 22
>> Issue 4
>> (http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=issue&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new_issue_alert
,email)
>> is now available online at informaworld (http://www.informaworld.com).
>>
>> Special Issue:Evidence in Evidence-Based Medicine
>>
>> This new issue contains the following articles:
>>
>> The Rhetoric of Research Methodology, Pages 325 - 331
>> Authors: Jason Grossman; Joan Leach
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802567365
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=325&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> A Couple of the Nasties Lurking in Evidence-Based Medicine, Pages 333 -
>> 352
>> Author: Jason Grossman
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802566961
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=333&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> Evidence-Based Medicine Can’t Be*, Pages 353 - 370
>> Author: Adam La Caze
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802559438
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=353&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> Method as Argument: Boundary Work in Evidence-Based Medicine, Pages
371 -
>> 388
>> Author: Colleen Derkatch
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802559412
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=371&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> Battle in the Planning Office: Field Experts versus Normative
>> Statisticians, Pages 389 - 404
>> Author: Marcel Boumans
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802559453
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=389&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> Science, Legitimacy, and “Folk Epistemology” in Medicine and Law:
>> Parallels between Legal Reforms to the Admissibility of Expert Evidence
>> and Evidence-Based Medicine, Pages 405 - 423
>> Author: David Mercer
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802559420
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=405&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> The “EBM Movement”: Where Did it Come From, Where is it Going, and Why
>> Does it Matter?, Pages 425 - 431
>> Authors: Wendy Lipworth; Stacy M. Carter; Ian Kerridge
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802559446
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=425&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
>>
>> Minimum Message Length and Statistically Consistent Invariant
>> (Objective?) Bayesian Probabilistic Inference*From (Medical) “Evidence”,
>> Pages 433 - 460
>> Author: David L. Dowe
>> DOI: 10.1080/02691720802576291
>> Link:
>> http://www.informaworld.com/openurl?genre=article&issn=0269-
1728&volume=22&issue=4&spage=433&uno_jumptype=alert&uno_alerttype=new
_issue_alert,email
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