He uses statistics as a drunken man uses lamp posts – for support rather than for illumination. – Andrew Lang I recently attended a conference […]
How Should I Do A Breast Exam?
One of the great limitations of physical exam is that many (if not most providers) don’t do it very well. I have previously recommended the […]
The Financial Impact of Not Utilizing Evidence-Based Medicine
The financial consequences of poor prescribing habits, as detailed in Which Drug Should I Prescribe?, are simply enormous. Recall that just one physician, making poor prescribing decisions […]
Which Drug Should I Prescribe?
Once the diagnosis is made correctly, the treatments begin. Selection of prescription drugs is one of the important (and costly) things that physicians do. How […]
Trends…
Recently, I made a disparaging comment about data that was not statistically signficant but rather was “trending” toward significance: There was an apparent “trend” towards fewer cases […]
How Do I Know If A Study Is Valid?
If you torture data for long enough, it will confess to anything. – Ronald Harry Coas Imagine that you’ve just read a study in the prestigious […]
Lessons Learned From Magnesium
How did our profession get so far down the wrong track regarding magnesium? Why is it today that most women in preterm labor are still […]
Magnesium (Part 3): To Prevent Cerebral Palsy
In Part 1, we learned about magnesium’s role in treating and preventing eclampsia. In Part 2, we discussed the mistakes made in using it as […]
Magnesium (Part 2): To Prevent Preterm Labor
It was a happy accident that magnesium was discovered to reduce the risk of seizures in women with preeclampsia with severe features; and it was […]
Magnesium (Part 1): To Prevent Maternal Seizure
In this three part series, we will look at the evidence behind magnesium sulfate for treatment of three problems in obstetrics: prevention of maternal seizures […]