Abstract
This paper presents a strong criticism of the current enthusiasm for clinical randomised prospective studies in surgery. In the process, the author probes the 'intellectualism' or lack thereof in present day surgical attitudes. The subjects are examined against a framework of ethics and inescapable dilemmas. Ways of correcting the more obvious weaknesses are suggested. The manuscript is, and is meant to be, provocative and is particularly aimed at the academic audience served by this journal.
Full text
PDF
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- Baum M. Scientific empiricism and clinical medicine: a discussion paper. J R Soc Med. 1981 Jul;74(7):504–509. doi: 10.1177/014107688107400710. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Linder F., Forrest H. The propagation of Lister's ideas. Surg Gynecol Obstet. 1968 Nov;127(5):1081–1086. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Sacks H., Chalmers T. C., Smith H., Jr Randomized versus historical controls for clinical trials. Am J Med. 1982 Feb;72(2):233–240. doi: 10.1016/0002-9343(82)90815-4. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- Vere D. Controlled clinical trials: the current ethical debate. J R Soc Med. 1981 Feb;74(2):85–88. doi: 10.1177/014107688107400201. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]