Category
Covering medical studies
-
Blaming moms: How miscommunication on epigenetics is a threat to women’s health
Laura Pemberton was in labor and ready to give birth at her home in Florida when a sheriff arrived at…
-
Clearing the air on a WHO study
Last week, I encountered yet another example of why it’s so important to always read the whole study — not…
-
Ore. reporter uses data to expose the risks of home births
While beauticians and tattoo artists are regulated in the state of Oregon, midwife certification is voluntary and, even then, the…
-
What reporters need to know about side effects and drug studies
Recently, Dr. Ben Goldacre (@bengoldacre), a prominent critic of drug studies, wanted to find out how often side effects reported by…
-
Adjusted risk pool has some rethinking cervical cancer rates
What if experts wanted to figure out the rate of tonsil cancer, but forgot to exclude all the people who’d…
-
Countering the fog of research
The military uses the phrase “the fog of war” to describe the miscalculations and botched decisions that get made in…
-
The press release that fell and hit its head
Recently, an editor sent me a study to cover on concussions in teenagers. At least, that’s what we thought the…
-
How to be smart about socioeconomic status in studies
Medical study authors routinely claim to have “controlled” for socioeconomic status. That kind of sweeping assertion should set off alarm…
-
Researchers ‘owe’ the public information about financial ties #ahcj14
When writing about medical studies, reporters should always ask researchers about any financial relationships with drug companies or device manufacturers.…
-
•
Task force makes recommendations on cognitive screenings
The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force issued recommendations on Tuesday on the value of routine cognitive screening for older adults,…