There are four basic questions you should ask yourself to evaluate the promised benefits of a medical treatment or procedure, according to researchers at the Center for the Evaluative Clinical Sciences at Dartmouth Medical School: What is the assertion? If true, would you care? Who stands to benefit from the assertion? How good is the evidence, that is, does it come from multiple studies (or just one) and how good are those studies?
For example, if a study showed a drug helped lower blood pressure, but also caused other complications, it may not be as good as it sounds, said Dr. Elliott Fisher, a professor at Dartmouth Medical School, and a researcher with the Veterans Administration Medical Center in White River Junction, VT.
The Dartmouth team has boiled down its tips for evaluating medical information onto a little plastic card that fits in a wallet. You can get a card free by e-mailing cecsweb@dartmouth.edu, or calling 603-650-1684. I’ve got one right on my desk.
“Although the card was intended to help doctors looking at medical studies, it would be great, if every American carried one” to use when reading newspapers or watching TV, Fisher said. “The card makes you think clearly about what someone is trying to tell you. If you are uncertain, don’t leap to the conclusion that you should take this new drug.”
Dr. Peter Pronovost, medical director of the center for innovations in quality patient care at Johns Hopkins applauded the idea of having easy-to-use cards available to teach patients to think critically about medical information. The challenge, he said, will be to get patients to use them.
The take-home message is that you don’t have to be a medical statistician to sort through complicated medical claims. A few common sense questions — and a hefty dose of skepticism — will stand you in good stead.