Definitely ringing bells, Vivian... I also note the irony that the authors of the Annals of Internal Medicine paper are from Johns Hopkins, which is where the death of a study participant happened back in 2001 despite available information noting the dangers of the substance being studied (see http://newsbreaks.infotoday.com/nbreader.asp?ArticleID=17534).
Perhaps it could be required, before IRB approval or publishing, for authors to show that they consulted a librarian, at least for studies that involve human subjects (and perhaps, too, other mammalian subjects as well...).
This also reminds me of Dr John Ioannidis's work questioning the credibility of research studies (described in this Atlantic article that was brought to the attention of MLA-Philadelphia chapter members recently by our colleague Cynthia McClellan, http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-science/8269/).
I intend to send the Annals paper out to various folks around the hospital...
Thanks, Jo-Anne!
Lydia Witman
Clinical Librarian
Pennsylvania Hospital
800 Spruce Street
Philadelphia, PA 19107
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Phone: 215-829-3596 | Pager: 215-422-0467 | Fax: 215-829-7155
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-----Original Message-----
From: McCallum, Vivian [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 5:30 PM
Subject: Re: "No matter how many randomized clinical trials have been done on a particular topic, about half the clinical trials cite none or only one of them."
I just read through this once, but it's ringing some bells in terms of how we participate in teaching article appraisal skills...choosing the best evidence. Has anyone else had this reaction, and/or taken the thought further?
I'll have to read it again to be more specific...
Vivian McCallum, MLS, B.A.
Clinical Librarian
Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children
Child Development & Rehabilitation Evidence Centre
3644 Slocan Street
Vancouver, BC V5M 3E8
ph. (604) 453-8300 ext. 8233
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Fax: (604) 453-8301
-----Original Message-----
From: Medical Libraries Discussion List [mailto:] On Behalf Of Aspri, Jo-Anne
Sent: Monday, January 17, 2011 1:45 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: "No matter how many randomized clinical trials have been done on a particular topic, about half the clinical trials cite none or only one of them."
This job just keeps getting more and more interesting... http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/18/health/research/18cite.html
It concludes "There are several steps along the way to a published paper where researchers might be asked about already published papers on the same topic. Those who finance the research, the ethics committees that review some studies and the journals that publish the studies all could ask the investigators how they assured themselves they had found prior relevant results" but ...
"none of those groups feel any official responsibility."
Jo-Anne Aspri, MLS | LIBRARY | Kent Hospital | 455 Toll Gate Road | Warwick, RI 02886 | 401.737.7010 x1309 | jaspri AT kentri.org
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