RESEARCH - Quality and completeness of medical literature questioned in two new studies

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Quality and Completeness of Medical Literature Questioned in Two New Studies

O'Riordan

September 10, 2009 – Two recently published studies cast some

unfavorable light on the current quality and completeness of medical

literature, with one showing that less than half of registered studies

are published in medical journals [1], and the other showing

questionable discrepancies between the registered and reported

clinical outcomes [2].

Dr ph Ross (Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York), the lead

investigator of the study showing that just 46% of studies registered

on the National Institutes of Health (NIH)–funded website

ClinicalTrials.gov ever make it as a published paper, told heartwire

that the findings are very alarming.

" The research should send shockwaves through the research community,

as it shows us that while it's all well and good to practice

evidence-based medicine, we don't have all the evidence, " said Ross.

" In terms of following guidelines and understanding the right

treatment approach, we actually don't have all the evidence at hand to

make those decisions. This is a really shaky foundation. On top of

that, the stuff that is being published might not even reflect the

studies as they were designed. "

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Read the full article here:

http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/708712

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