There has recently been a lot of discussion revolving around bias and medical education. Many people are asking the question, “What level of bias is appropriate?” Is it possible to educate students and clinicians without and be completely free of bias? After all, we’re only human. Or, do we do our best to identify and address bias in a way that is fair, objective, and evidence-based? As we try to rid ourselves of bias, we can’t help but to discover that our brains are naturally biased. We all know this, but we can’t help ourselves since we’re all human. Others are asking, “Is all bias bad?” Is there an appropriate level of bias that is good, acceptable, and appropriate? The sad reality is that we’ve all seen examples of bad or inappropriate bias in the medical field. The bad apples are rotting the bunch, but I don’t think that the entire basket has been lost yet. Read more →

It seems that as of October 1, 2008, Medicare will no longer be reimbursing hospitals for eight conditions that befall patients who are hospitalized, and that might have been reasonably prevented using certain evidence-based measures.

These eight conditions include:

* Pressure ulcers (bed sores)
* Objects left in patients during surgical procedures
* Falls suffered by patients while in hospital
* Blood incompatibility Read more →

I spend my days poring over medical research reports and databases, looking for high-quality evidence to build compelling arguments. And, when it comes to mind-body treatment modalities, I can’t find it. I’m not sure I want what it will take to get it, either.

I find small studies that lack control groups or testing for statistical significance. I find review articles that end like this: “More trials are needed” or “Future research… must be more rigorous in the design and execution of studies and in the analysis and reporting of results.” Read more →