Hospitalist: What health journalists should know

R. W. Donnell, an Arkansas hospitalist with a long-running blog and a few burrs in his saddle, has outlined what amounts to an exam for health care journalists. It’s based on the assumption that journalists should have some prerequisite knowledge before tackling difficult scientific issues. But, instead of just grumbling about the “lay press,” the man who calls himself “Dr. RW” takes the next step and actually writes the first draft of such an exam. As you might expect, it’s an eclectic document.

Photo by thegirlsmoma via Flickr

Most of the questions address specific pieces of scientific knowledge and vocabulary, presumably the bits that Donnell has found to be most difficult for journalists, including:

• Scientific method
• DNA vs. RNA
• Define and distinguish: humoral immunity, cell mediated immunity, innate immunity, acquired immunity
• Describe Medicare’s prospective payment system and the financial conflict of interest it causes

Mixed in with the pop-quiz style questions are a few broader queries that seem to be staples of just about any AHCJ gathering, as they point to the fundamental dilemmas of the profession:

1. Explain the hazards of examining scientific questions in the arena of public debate.
2. Explain why scientific progress does not lend itself to sound bite reporting or “news of the day” journalism.

Likewise, there are others that should be familiar to any member who’s heard one of AHCJ’s leading voices deliver an introduction to health journalism:

• Define: relative risk reduction, absolute risk reduction, number needed to treat.
• Explain the difference between clinical significance and statistical significance in clinical trial results.
• Explain why consideration of biologic plausibility is important in the evaluation of health claims and why evidence based medicine often fails when biologic plausibility is not taken into account.

In the end, he admits that the list “is by no means comprehensive or even realistic,” and invites others to contribute. It’s a goofy mix of questions, but I’d be surprised if I was the only one who was mentally grading himself throughout the entire exercise.