MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'fallacies'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:50:01 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5139649&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F08%2Ffrom-senior-clinician-down-under.html A poster who wishes to remain anonymous, a Senior Clinician in the state of Victoria, Australia, added this comment to my March 2011 post on 'anecdotes.' (That post was entitled "Australian ED EHR Study: An End to the Line "Your Evidence Is Anecdotal, Thus Worthless?".)He makes a critical point I think has gotten lost in the HIT domain (emphases mine): Anonymous August 15, 2011 9:26:00 PM EDT said... Anecdote and Medicine. We are actually talking about two different things here. 1. Anecdotal reporting of a new and potentially exciting finding in Medicine is NEVER a reason to widely implement a new treatment or procedure. It represents the lowest category of evidence in any systematic review In any orthodox system of medicine in the developed world a new intervention would not be r... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5139649 Wed, 17 Aug 2011 22:25:00 +0100 5139649 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4902388&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F06%2Fus-government-prosecutor-now-defends.html We have discussed a few examples of the revolving door, involving government officials who dealt with health care issues leaving to eventually take jobs for for-profit health care corporations.  The latest, and most vivid example of the revolving door was just in an article by Duff Wilson in the New York Times:Michael K. Loucks was arguably the nation’s most influential prosecutor of health care fraud.He racked up numerous convictions and mega-settlements in nearly a quarter-century, using whistle-blowers and secret grand juries to pressure major pharmaceutical and health companies into ending illegal practices like kickbacks to doctors and misuse of blockbuster drugs. Once described as a cross between a firebrand preacher and a charismatic litigator, Mr. Loucks burnished a reputati... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4902388 Mon, 06 Jun 2011 21:35:00 +0100 4902388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4862629&cid=t_315643_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2011%2F05%2F25%2Fthe-critical-thinker-academy-2-interview-with-kevin-delaplante%2F This is part two of a two-part interview of Kevin deLaplante, a professor of philosophy and founder of The Critical Thinker Academy. Check out part one here. What is your favorite book on critical thinking? I often get requests for book recommendations. It’s hard because critical thinking requires so many different kinds of skill development, and no single book is going to cover everything. Also, people are usually interested in specific issues or topics, and once I know what those are it’s easier to recommend sources. My “starter kit” recommendation is to pick a good introductory book on basic argumentation and fallacies written from a logic/philosophy perspective, plus a good introductory book on the psychology of reasoning and decision making (something in the “biases ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4862629 Wed, 25 May 2011 13:58:39 +0100 4862629 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4813213&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F05%2Flogical-fallacies-to-defend-ceos-from.html There is now quite a kerfuffle over the US Department of Health and Human Service's threat to to stop doing business with the CEO of Forest Laboratories.  As we noted here, his company pleaded guilty to obstruction of justice and misbranding, and agreed to pay a $313 million fine.  The major allegations by the government were that the company marketed antidepressants to children when they had only previously been approved for adults. Their marketing tactics allegedly included suppressing negative studies, and paying physicians to prescribe the drugs. The kerfuffle involves a number of ostensible authorities and pundits defending the CEO, and challenging the government's attempts to hold him responsible for his company's actions.  The kerfuffle also provid... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4813213 Tue, 10 May 2011 22:22:00 +0100 4813213 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4670079&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Flogical-fallacies-in-support-of.html The kerfuffle over the huge golden parachute given the departing CEO of an ostensibly non-profit Massachusetts health insurer/ managed care organization continues to evolve (see posts here and here), providing some new insight into governance problems afflicting health care organizations.  One of the issues that aroused initially aroused concern was that Massachusetts Blue Cross Blue Shield paid the members of its board of trustees substantial amount, an unusual practice for a non-profit organization.  Board members who feel they owe their pay to the CEO they are supposed to be overseeing might be particularly inclined to over pay that same CEO.Nonetheless, the Boston Globe just reported that other non-profit Massachusetts health insurers were defending their payme... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4670079 Sat, 02 Apr 2011 01:26:00 +0100 4670079 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536027&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F03%2Fonce-more-with-feeling-another-defense.html Despite increasing recognition of the adverse effects of health care professionals' and health care institutions' conflicts of interest on health care, such financial relationships continue to have their prominent defenders.  The latest example was an article in Medscape General Surgery by Frank J Veith MD, entitled "Physicians and Industry: Fix the Relationships, but Keep Them Going."  Dr Veith is a prominent vascular surgeon who "received numerous awards and honors as a leader, outstanding teacher, and innovator in vascular surgery," according to New York UniversityWe have noted before how defenders of conflicted professionals and professional societies often employ logical fallacies to support their arguments.  Some recent examples were discussed here,... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536027 Tue, 01 Mar 2011 19:10:00 +0100 4536027 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4265628&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F12%2Fwhy-i-shouldnt-read-non-systematic.html I usually resist looking at non-systematic review articles in medical journals, but because the title interested me, and things seem to be getting slow this holiday season, prompted by an update email from the American Journal of Medicine, I looked at Ram CVS. Beta-blockers in hypertension. Am J Cardiol 2010: 106: 1819-1825. (Link here.)The Ram Article in Praise of Vasodilating Beta-BlockersThe article focused on the results of meta-analyses:Concerns have also been raised by meta-analyses in which β blockers were reported to have a suboptimal effect on reducing stroke risk and increasing the risk for new-onset diabetes compared with other antihypertensive agents.The article discussed several meta-analyses in which beta-blockers, [a specific class of blood pressure lowering drugs] but most... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4265628 Thu, 16 Dec 2010 21:22:00 +0100 4265628 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4133610&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F11%2Fthere-you-go-again-richard-epstein-says.html Richard Epstein, a professor at the New York University and University of Chicago law schools, isjust authored a report on the perils of conflict of interest rules.  In his blog, "The Libertarian," he summarized his beliefs that strict conflict of interest (COI) rules and restrictions on pharmaceutical marketing "spell lower rates of innovation and slower dissemination of new products."  Prof Epstein is extremely prominent.  The Manhattan Institute, of which he is a fellow, claimed, "Professor Epstein's influence is profound: he is one of the three most cited law professors in the United States and the most cited professor writing largely in private law." Thus, it is disturbing that it appears that his objections are based on a series of&nb... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4133610 Thu, 04 Nov 2010 21:55:00 +0100 4133610 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946400&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F09%2Flogical-fallacies-in-defense-of-million.html We recently posted about the latest example of generously paid health care leaders, million dollar plus hospital CEOs in the Baltimore area (here).  Such stories are appearing more often in the media, and increasingly generating skeptical, anguished, or angry responses.  Defending Millionaire Hospital CEOsSo it should be no surprise that the defenders of rich hospital CEOs are starting to rally.  The Baltimore Sun published two letters defending the million dollar plus compensation received by many local hospital CEOs.  But what arguments they made.First, let us examine in detail  the arguments made by Carmela Coyle, "president and CEO of the Maryland Hospital Association."  She opened with this description of hospitals as organizations:Famed management expert... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946400 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 16:23:00 +0100 3946400 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3603591&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Forganic-food-is-it-better-for-you%2F2010.05.27 In 1952 Martin Gardner, who just passed away this week at the age of 95, wrote about organic farming in his book Fads and Fallacies in the Name of Science. He characterized it as a food fad without scientific justification. Now, 58 years later, the science has not changed much at all. A recent review of the literature of the last 50 years shows that there is no evidence for health benefits from eating an organic diet. The only exception to this was evidence for a lower risk of eczema in children eating organic dairy products. But with so many potential correlations to look for, this can just be noise in the data. Another important conclusion of this systematic review is the paucity of good research into organic food –- they identified only 12 relevant trials. So while there is a lack of ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3603591 Thu, 27 May 2010 12:00:08 +0100 3603591 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3453856&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F04%2Feverybodys-doing-it-health-care-leaders.html There were two examples in the recent news about how health care leaders employ logical fallacies to advance their positions.Caritas Christi / CerberusWe posted recently about the proposed takeover of the not-for-profit Caritas Christi hospital system by the Cerberus Capital Management private equity firm. We proposed skepticism about the idea. For-profit hospitals have not been shown to provide better, cheaper, or more accessible care than not-for-profit hospitals. There is reason to worry that a private-equity firm would put margin ahead of mission. The Boston Herald interviewed Dr Ralph de la Toree, the current CEO of Caritas Christi, who would continue to run the health system after the takeover. Asked about the role of Cerberus,De la Torre dismissed concerns t... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3453856 Thu, 08 Apr 2010 18:36:00 +0100 3453856 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765978&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Flogical-fallacies-in-defence-of.html Roy Poses' post "Again, Defending Conflicts of Interest with Logical Fallacies" and a similar piece by Dr. Howard Brody over at Hooked: Ethics, Medicine, and Pharma were written by them with no foreknowledge by me of their planning, writing, or posting. I state this up front, because I have a very important observation to add after reading them.The name of the subject of those posts, Dr. Larry Hirsch, seemed immediately familiar to me, for good reason:Dr Hirsch was an employee at Merck & Co from 1988-2006 and managed the Medical Communications Department [at VP level - ed.] for clinical research publications from late 2001 to mid-2006.He was VP of Clinical Drug Development, Clinical Trial Registration and Publication, as per his LinkedIn bio.I was Director of Published [i.e., scientifi... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765978 Fri, 04 Sep 2009 00:23:00 +0100 2765978 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2765979&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F09%2Flatest-version-of-argument-that-we-are.html Discussion) portion of the article was it mentioned that the authors had served as paid expert witnesses for plaintiffs’ attorneys in rofecoxib litigation. The terse disclosure statement seems at odds with JAMA’s stated policy in its Instructions for Authors that financial COI disclosure must be complete. Regardless, the information provided hardly conveyed that, as of January 2007, Krumholz had received more than $300,000 for his consulting from plaintiffs’ attorney Mark Lanier (no relationship to Mayo Clinic Proceedings Editor-in-Chief William L. Lanier, MD), which only became public in a letter to the editor of BMJ that responded to a previous article critical of Merck by Krumholz et al.Krumholz’ remuneration seems substantial until it is compared to that of another coauthor of ... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2765979 Thu, 03 Sep 2009 21:30:00 +0100 2765979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2610914&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F07%2Fagain-logical-fallacies-in-defense-of.html In conclusion, the first published rebuttal of Rothman and colleagues' suggestions for ensuring the independence of professional medical associations from outside vested interests was not based on evidence, but on logical fallacies rather than clear reasoning, and failed to disclose its authors' relevant financial relationships. We will see if anyone can make a better attempt.References1. Rothman DJ, McDonald WJ, Berkowitz CD et al. Professional medical associations and their relationships with industry. JAMA 2009; 301: 1367-1372. (Link here.)2. Bove AA. President's page: relations with industry: thoughts on claims of a broken system. J Am Coll Cardiol 2009; 54: 177-179. (Link here.)3. Somers VK, White DP, Amin R et al. Sleep apnea and cardiovascular disease: an American Heart Association/... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2610914 Thu, 16 Jul 2009 17:12:00 +0100 2610914 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2398639&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F05%2Fattacking-crusaders-against-conflicts.html An editorial appeared in the latest edition of Nature Medicine that suggested "crusaders" are making much too much fuss over insignificant "competing financial interests." [Anonymous. A really serious conflict. Nature Medicine 2009; 15: 463-4]The Editorial's ArgumentsInstead of regarding all conflicts of interest as part of a "monolithic scourge," it suggested we should only attack them in two specific situations.Bad Conflicts of InterestThe first is when it leads to falsification of research data:If there is one reason we need to worry about CFIs [competing financial interests], it is because they could lead to misconduct whenever a researcher has a financial incentive to fabricate data. So, if a clinical trial goes ahead on the basis of fraudulent preclinical work or if a drug is approve... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2398639 Fri, 08 May 2009 18:15:00 +0100 2398639 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1502510&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F06%2Fstrawmen-red-herrings-and-liver.html We recently posted about the strange case of four Japanese men, allegedly affiliated with Yakuza criminal organizations, who received liver transplants from the UCLA Medical Center, apparently with some alacrity. All likely paid full list prices for their procedures, and two later donated $100,000 each to the medical center. The case raised concerns by several notables (including Senator Charles Grassley, and Professor Arthur Caplan) about the integrity of the transplant system. Presumably these concerns were based on suspicions that the four may have received a higher priority than others on the list. More concerns should have been raised after it was revealed that shadowy characters threatened a reporter who started to investigate the case in Japan, and the reporter's family (see post he... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1502510 Mon, 09 Jun 2008 19:44:00 +0100 1502510 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1420404&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fanother-conflicted-defense-of-conflicts.html It seems to be the season for defenses of financial relationships among medical academics and health care corporations to appear in the media. The latest example appeared last week in the Boston Globe as an op-ed [Shaywitz DA, Auseillo DA. Scientific research with an asterisk. April 29, 2008.]Like other articles in this genre, the authors incorporated a number of logical fallacies into their arguments.In particular, they attacked a series of straw-men. Consider, to start,The notion that academic researchers who partner with industry are intrinsically tainted reflects a misunderstanding of the importance and quality of industry research, and the role industry plays in bringing new drugs to the patients who need them.The straw-man above is in italics. The argument is much more broad than mos... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1420404 Mon, 05 May 2008 18:33:00 +0100 1420404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1418468&cid=t_315643_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F05%2F03%2Fcatapulting-to-conclusions%2F Because you can get there so much faster if you use a big machine to throw you right over annoying factual hurdles in your way. I’ve been meaning to dissect this issue for over a week, but a lot of things have been happening over here. A recent news story has prompted a lot of discussion, [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1418468 Sat, 03 May 2008 18:29:57 +0100 1418468 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1305836&cid=t_315643_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F03%2F16%2Ftwo-more-species-of-fallacies%2F After you’ve become familiar with a variety of stupid political arguments or with spotting pseudo-science, you find yourself making a mental game of it: Name That Fallacy. It’s gratifying to know that there are terms for the sorts of things that used to “make your brain all hurty” because you knew they were [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1305836 Sun, 16 Mar 2008 02:12:33 +0100 1305836 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1276048&cid=t_315643_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2008%2F03%2F04%2Ffacts-arent-enough%2F “Wow, you take more pills than me,” hubby remarked as I filled up my daily pill-minder for the next week. I paused for a couple seconds and then answered, “That’s a bit misleading — you take more inhalers.” A bit later, I added, “Besides, a couple of those pills are just calcium supplements, and [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1276048 Tue, 04 Mar 2008 04:40:58 +0100 1276048 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1174881&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Flogical-fallacies-and-discussion-of.html On the DrugWonks blog, blogger Robert Goldberg seemed terribly perturbed about Health Care Renewal, and me in particular. In the last week, he devoted two posts to disagreeing, to use a polite term, with me and this blog, and threw in parenthetical comments about me and this blog in two other posts. It is not exactly clear what I wrote that set him off. He never linked to particular posts, or quoted anything I actually wrote. My best inference is what most recently raised his ire was this post about conflicts of interest related to two public pronouncements by influential health care not-for-profit organizations urging patients and physicians not to abandon Zetia and Vytorin.His posts are entitled "Beware of All Innovations, Especially New Ones," "Sanctimony About Vytorin's 'Secret' Panel,... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1174881 Thu, 24 Jan 2008 16:14:00 +0100 1174881 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1169619&cid=t_315643_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F01%2Fumdnj-monitor-alleged-no-research.html We have done a long series of posts about the troubles at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ), the largest US health care university. The university now is operating under a federal deferred prosecution agreement under the supervision of a federal monitor (see most recent posts here, here, here, here and here.)We had previously discussed allegations that UMDNJ had offered no-bid contracts, at times requiring no work, to the politically connected; had paid for lobbyists and made political contributions, even though UMDNJ is a state institution; and seemed to be run by political bosses rather than health care professionals. (See posts here, and here, with links to previous posts.) A recent development (see post here with links to previous posts) was that UMDNJ appa... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1169619 Tue, 22 Jan 2008 21:47:00 +0100 1169619 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=983933&cid=t_315643_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F10%2F28%2Fskepticism-about-cynics%2F When commenting on a previous post of mine, andreashettle asked, I’m curious: how DO you help students understand the difference between blanket cynicism and healthy, balanced, thoughtful, analytical skepticism? I don’t ordinarily teach. I’m in a different field. But I’ve done a little tutoring and teaching in the past. And sometimes I run into a student (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=983933 Sun, 28 Oct 2007 01:14:05 +0100 983933 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=756743&cid=t_315643_109_f&fid=35088&url=http%3A%2F%2Fqw88nb88.wordpress.com%2F2007%2F07%2F25%2Fdiabolical-dialogues%2F A big part of my frustrations with the social realm are the crazy bits that keep surfacing in dialogues, like rocks that keep surfacing from a nicely tilled field. One of those crazy bits are the unstated, inferential messages with which neurotypical people fill their conversations. You ask a nice, straightforward question, and you get [...] (Source: Andrea's Buzzing About:) Andrea's Buzzing About: blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=756743 Wed, 25 Jul 2007 13:16:40 +0100 756743