"academic detailing"

 From the _Marketplace_ radio segment, "A new prescription for 
marketing drugs," for 23 Feb. 2010:

	"The summary that Kristin presents is produced by Harvard.
	But you can tell someone's worked hard to make it seem not so
	Ivy League. The idea behind academic detailing is to present
	the most respected research using the snazzy marketing of the
	drug companies. It's glossy and colorful, with bullet points
	and simple charts easy to reference for a busy doctor."	

with complete text transcript and audio podcast available at:

http://marketplace.publicradio.org/display/web/2010/02/23/pm-counter-detailing/


Who knew that such basic ID (bullet points!) could be so seductive? ;-)

Doesn't anyone out there read the primary literature any more?

Not even the abstract for a study?

Yes, it is tough to see clearly through what Henry Petroski (_The 
Essential Engineer: Why Science Alone Will Not Solve Our Global 
Problems_) calls

	"the windshield-wiper effect ... frequently seen in the
	health sector, with one study finding that a substance is
	good for us and another that it is bad."

But when even physicians can't (won't?) exercise critical judgment 
about "the most respected research" used to treat patients, I think 
patients are in real trouble.


On the up side, there *are* pockets of rebellion within the medical 
ranks. E.g.,

http://pharmedout.org/

And for a more critical perspective on Harvard Medical School, see

	"Harvard, Heal Thyself (Why Journalism Matters)"
	A column by Eric Alterman, published in the 28 Sept. 2009
	edition of _The Nation_

available online at

http://www.thenation.com/doc/20090928/alterman


Deborah
_____

Deborah Taylor-Pearce
[email protected]

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