Susan writes:

>Dear all:
>
>I fear that the standards in medical science must have descended 
>considerably if the BMJ "Opinion piece" is considered a review. 
>That was not a review, it was spin, pure and simple.  Let me repeat. 
>It was NOT a study, it was NOT a review, it WAS spin.


I have had some discussion on a journalist's list about what this 
piece was. I explained it was not a study, or a review, and still 
less new research, and I had a moan that my colleagues in the media 
were persisting in calling it what it wasn't.

One of them posted 'ok, Heather, let's call it an 'analysis' because 
that's what the BMJ call it.'

And sadly, this *is* what the BMJ called it - and it is absolutely 
not an 'analysis' either.

I think there should be room in  professional lives for musings and 
wonderings - professionals should be able to say 'I know 
such-and-such a study said X, but you know I wonder if they 
considered Y, and what about that paper that came out about Z.....and 
you know, it's remarkable they seem to be unaware of Q, and while I 
know study P had limitations, I wonder if it was repeated with 
another sample if we'd find something enlightening about the 
topic....'

But the place for this sort of thing is a *dinner party*, not the 
pages of a medical journal in the slot marked 'analysis' .

If you are going to put dinner party musings on paper, then apply a 
bit of academic rigour, please. And if you want to write about your 
musings, please don't allow your institution to inform the world's 
media about it, 'cos you *know* what the fall out will be, surely? 
You know, don't you, that HCPs in the front line get their health 
messages from newspapers, just like parents do?

I am still getting daily alerts in my inbox from websites and 
newspapers around the world about this 'new research' .

Heather Welford Neil
NCT bfc, tutor, UK
-- 
http://www.heatherwelford.co.uk

http://heatherwelford.posterous.com

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