I read this paper looking to see how God had managed to bias the
results in her favour. The authors did the work in the deep south,
tobacco growing country and tobacco is never mentioned in the
asessment of patients admitted to the coronary care unit. However
the unprayed over group of patients had a higher incidence of
pulmonary disease. Could this have any significance or does prayer
only work if you don't smoke?
Oliver Samuel
Toby Lipman wrote
>However you could take an evidence-based view and look at:
>Byrd RC Positive therapeutic effects of intercessory prayer in a
>coronary care population. Southern Medical Journal 1988;81:826-9
>
>This is an RCT of 393 patients admitted to a coronary care unit who were
>randomised to either be prayed for (by a "born again" Christian or
>similar) or not. The doctors and patients were blinded as to who was in
>the intervention group. 57 patients had refused consent to be entered
>into the trial.
>There were significant differences in congestive heart failure,
>administration of diuretics, cardiopulmonary arrest, pneumonia,
>antibiotics and intubation/ventilation in favour of the intervention
>group. However there was no difference in 21 other "events" between the
>two groups. On a scoring system of "good" "intermediate" and "bad"
>outcomes, the intervention group also did significantly better. I can't
>help thinking there is something dodgy in this, but on the results
>presented in the paper I can't see what.
Oliver Samuel fax: +44(0)171-419 4622
24 Lancaster Grove London NW3 4PB phone:+44(0)171-419 4624
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|