Dear List Members
A message, and a confession, from your list owner
([log in to unmask])
Paul Ash emailed me this morning to ask whether it would be OK to post
that message to EBH. I must admit I hummed and hawed about it for a
while, before saying "Yes I think so", along with requesting a few
changes in the text.
Others can (and, it seems, are) articulating the reasons for this far
more eloquently than I ever would. Suffice to say that I don't think
that a profession should be excluded from a debate just because the
debate is "political".
However, in the best traditions of EBHC I am prepared to believe that I
could be wrong! For me, the list membership should have the strongest
say in what is an appropriate topic for discussion. Dr Shaneyfeld is
absolutely right to express his views regarding the appropriateness of
the topic for the list. Clearly, many others (not just UK residents)
have other views.
If anyone has any further strong feelings about whether or not this is
an appropriate topic for the EBH list, and fears "sticking their head
above the parapet", please feel free to email me directly at
[log in to unmask] I promise I will treat them
in confidence and get back to the list with an overview.
I do have one sincere request: Please do not direct your replies in
personal terms, or in terms that might be interpreted as a personal
attack. I understand that it is very easy to do in the heat of the
moment. But it is also very easy for such responses to be
misinterpreted, and for things to get out of hand. We've managed to run
this list for 15 years without a "flame war", so let's try to keep it
that way.
At the risk of teaching my granny to suck eggs, one handy hint is, if
you are in any doubt as to whether your email will upset, save it and
review it an hour later before sending it. (If only I followed this
advice when driving the car, my children would now have a far less
colourful vocabulary.)
Here's to continued respectful, professional discussions.
cheers
Douglas
Ami Banerjee wrote:
> Dr Shaneyfelt
>
> Your knee-jerk e-mail symbolises exactly what is giving the US
> healthcare system a bad reputation and bad coverage in the world media
> at the moment. Just like any other system and any other country, it
> should be open to criticism and that criticism should be
> evidence-based.
>
> As the world's largest economy and political power, America's state of
> health and state of healthcare is obviously of interest to other
> countries, and even more so in a globalised world. To tell a British
> person not to comment on the US healthcare is ridiculous and shows
> that you are not open to debate. In that case shall we say that UK
> scientists should not comment on research done in the US because it is
> not our business?
>
> There has been a lot of misinformed, vitriolic coverage of the NHS
> with no evidence base from both UK and US politicians and various
> commentators. That is why those of us who know about EBM and have the
> ability to read evidence impartially should speak out. If we did not
> speak out about injustices in other countries because "it was not our
> business" then we would live in a sorry state of affairs. Nobody is
> saying that the US should copy the NHS; it will develop its own
> context-specific solution to good healthcare for its population.
> However, as I said in a recent blog
> <http://trusttheevidence.net/ami-banerjee/us-health-reform>, there is
> evidence to show that the US system is not working.
>
> It is very hard to tease apart medicine from politics and perhaps the
> role of EBM should be to inform politicians and the public of the
> best-quality data and how to use it.
>
> Best wishes
>
>
> Ami Banerjee
>
>
>
>
>
> 2009/8/24 Shaneyfelt, Terry <[log in to unmask]>:
>
>> As an American- please stay out of our business. What do you people (UK)
>> care about what we do with our health care system? Asking people to sign a
>> petition for some outside group to “inform” congress in the US about the UK
>> system. That doesn’t sound biased in any way. Members of your own parliament
>> have urged that we don’t change our system.
>>
>>
>>
>> This board is supposed to be about EMB not politics.
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>>
>> From: Evidence based health (EBH)
>> [mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Ash Paul
>> Sent: Monday, August 24, 2009 8:50 AM
>> To: [log in to unmask]
>> Subject: Re: Combating misinformation about the NHS: do your bit for the NHS
>> which we are all proud of in the UK, inspite of its many faults!
>>
>>
>>
>> Dear colleagues,
>>
>> You might want to read this and sign this petition (it's the least we can do
>> for the NHS!!!!). Please forward it to all your colleagues and to people,
>> friends and family you know and trust in the UK:
>>
>>
>>
>> HiMovement for change led by Obama in the US is at risk of collapsing, in
>> part because of the powerful medical insurance lobby and right-wing
>> propaganda machine spreading lies about the British health care system. I
>> have just signed a petition urging the US Congress and American people to
>> ignore the propaganda about the health system in Britain and to turn the
>> debate away from fear and lies -- I thought that you would want to help set
>> the record straight too! Click the link to sign the petition:
>> http://www.avaaz.org/en/reform_health_care_uk/96.php?CLICK_TF_TRACK
>>
>> Regards,
>>
>> Ash
>>
>> Dr Ash Paul
>> Medical Director
>> NHS Bedfordshire
>>
>> 21 Kimbolton Road
>>
>> Bedford
>>
>> MK40 2AW
>>
>> Tel no: 01234795705
>>
>> Email: [log in to unmask]
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>
>
>
>
--
Mr Douglas Badenoch
Director, Minervation Ltd
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Edinburgh
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