tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post327335292820890484..comments2023-08-21T02:57:37.362-05:00Comments on Dr. Wes: Scientific Medical Journals and the MediaDrWeshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-11537874805451630142009-12-18T09:31:35.439-06:002009-12-18T09:31:35.439-06:00Margaret, you make some good points, but I don'...Margaret, you make some good points, but I don't think what you propose is practical. In contrast to physicians and other subscribers to medical journals, the actual number of journalists who take part in the embargo system is very small, and the system is generally able to police itself. Clearly there is no way to effectively enforce an embargo to physicians or subscribers only for an Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15450909170449497797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-62755648980771346122009-12-18T09:00:23.483-06:002009-12-18T09:00:23.483-06:00I am going to weigh in with Dr Wes here.
I for o...I am going to weigh in with Dr Wes here. <br /><br />I for one feel that practicing docs deserve access to these journal articles before the media gets to them. Rarely are these stories so urgent that they need to be rushed to press. At this point, we docs first see data through the lens of the media before we get to read and formulate our own opinion on the data. <br /><br />The media has no Margaret Polaneczky, MD (aka TBTAM)https://www.blogger.com/profile/16555722791007332247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-35706931731412688502009-12-17T21:28:07.019-06:002009-12-17T21:28:07.019-06:00Hi again, Wes,
I'm not sure we're going t...Hi again, Wes,<br /><br />I'm not sure we're going to make much progess here! It seems to me that there's a whole lot about the entire medical system that's really bothering you, but I'm not sure if you're helping your point of view by sort of attacking the entire system indiscriminately.<br /><br />I'd be really curious to know what specifically about this paper, and Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15450909170449497797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-73454382914425359422009-12-17T15:03:49.342-06:002009-12-17T15:03:49.342-06:00Larry-
Sorry about the delay getting back to you....Larry-<br /><br />Sorry about the delay getting back to you. (Afib ablations have a way of doing that.) While the embargo system may have its place, in my opinion, people who subscribe to medical and scientific journals should have first dibs at the content. Marketing should always be secondary to medicine or science.<br /><br />Look at this study reported. It was sponsored by GSK, one of theDrWeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-22184552671038063882009-12-17T06:54:41.751-06:002009-12-17T06:54:41.751-06:00Dr Wes--
But wait a minute: now you've straye...Dr Wes--<br /><br />But wait a minute: now you've strayed from one topic to the next. It's one thing to say that policy-related articles in the NEJM have a political bias, it's another thing to say that the entire embargo system is part of a larger political bias. I don't think you should let your disagreement with one type of article in one journal cloud your discussion of all Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15450909170449497797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-62536536287697909682009-12-17T05:58:20.121-06:002009-12-17T05:58:20.121-06:00Larry-
If you really believe there's somethin...Larry-<br /><br /><i>If you really believe there's something more nefarious going on then I think you will need to document this in a much more rigorous way.</i><br /><br />FYI, I have commented before on the political ramifications of opinion pieces by Congressional members <a href="http://drwes.blogspot.com/2006/05/politics-and-new-england-journal-of.html" rel="nofollow">appearing</a> in DrWeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-10947602751280482942009-12-16T23:42:54.936-06:002009-12-16T23:42:54.936-06:00Dr. Wes, I think you are right on with this commen...Dr. Wes, I think you are right on with this comment. I have followed AHA for a long time since they received a large donation and suddenly started the "stroke attack" movement- -pushing a treatment that at the time over 50% of ER docs thought was dangerous into the zone of "standard of care". If we can't connect the dots, we are not looking. You are right on here.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-58346660584581335842009-12-16T22:35:20.452-06:002009-12-16T22:35:20.452-06:00Dr Wes,
I honestly don't believe there's ...Dr Wes,<br /><br />I honestly don't believe there's a "political" angle to this whole issue. It's very easy to look at one paper or one incident and read all kinds of meaning into it. Overall, the main motivation for most journals and scientific societies is simply to get their names in the papers and to raise their visibility. If you really believe there's something Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15450909170449497797noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-85252181023424205912009-12-16T20:55:58.582-06:002009-12-16T20:55:58.582-06:00Larry-
I also think Dr Wes misunderstands the rea...Larry-<br /><br /><i>I also think Dr Wes misunderstands the real purpose of the embargo system. It's not a perfect system, but it does allow genuine, accredited journalists a chance to write better balanced and thoughtful articles than would otherwise be possible in the context of a short deadline. </i><br /><br />Thanks for your thoughtful comments, but I cannot help but wonder why only DrWeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17438019699222125477noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-73689128407780853682009-12-16T20:24:13.143-06:002009-12-16T20:24:13.143-06:00Even well done studies have their limitations in a...Even well done studies have their limitations in applicability. <br /><br />In this master of the obvious' opinion, look no further than the over application of ICD therapy garnered from SCD-Heft and MADIT II trials. These trials enrolled specific patient cohorts with limited co-morbid illnesses, but yet, what came of this was low EF=ICD. It almost validated the predatory implant docs.<br DrJohnMhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13912535474668244521noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-1034017084478366252009-12-16T17:46:08.734-06:002009-12-16T17:46:08.734-06:00I'd also like to know why the AHA charges heal...I'd also like to know why the AHA charges health care professionals to read their journal articles, or take the "Learn: Rapid STEMI ID" course.<br /><br />Aren't they a not-for-profit company with a mission to fight heart disease? They act like a for-profit corporation that puts money first and the mission second.<br /><br />Every time someone asks me for money to sponsor them Tom Bhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18291404904437933272noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-18943510.post-42175293988537103932009-12-16T17:39:00.000-06:002009-12-16T17:39:00.000-06:00As a professional medical journalist for more than...As a professional medical journalist for more than 25 years please allow me to respond.<br /><br />1. I don't know the specifics of this particular episode but in general you should never be able to see a newspaper report about a journal article without the article being available online. That's the way the embargo system works. (It's a little different at medical meetings, though.) Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15450909170449497797noreply@blogger.com