GP sceptics podcast 7: EBM Hijacked!

by Kat Ritchie

Just when you thought GP Sceptics put the E in evidence-based medicine, we pull the rug from underneath your trusting feet.

Western Australian GP Casey Parker, of Broome Docs fame, joins our twosome to become the ‘third nerd’ – a role which fits him like a cardigan and a new pair of glasses.

Casey delves into EBM’s dark recesses, where p-hackers subvert the concept of ‘significance’, and RCTs answer all the questions no one bothered asking.

Justin discusses a hot-off-the-press systematic review revealing the over-optimism of doctors.

And Liz? Liz invites us all aboard the EBM gravy train.

Bonus nerd points for any listener who comments below correctly describing when affect is a noun and effect is a verb.

This podcast is dedicated to the fond memory of the late Prof Gavin Mooney, editor of Evidence-based medicine in its place.

Thanks to Dr Kat Ritchie for her brilliant artwork.

References:

Dr Casey Parker hosts Broome Docs – full of educational podcasts for GPs!

Casey describes his site as, “a single place for all you time-poor doctors to come and get quality education, clinical tips and interact with one another without having to search all over the internet. As a busy GP I am more than happy to stand on the shoulders of academic giants, I find the good ones have a great way of keeping the complex simple – just the way I like it.”

Why Most Published Research Findings Are False Ioannidis J, PLOS Medicine 2005

Evidence-based medicine has been hijacked: a report to David Sackett Ioannidis J, Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 2016

Angiotensin–Neprilysin Inhibition versus Enalapril in Heart Failure  NEJM, 2014

Alltrials; All Trials Registered | All Results Reported

Clinicians’ expectations of the benefits and harms of treatments, screening, and tests: A systematic review Hoffmann T, Del Mar C, JAMA Internal Medicine 2017