Paul Hsieh, MD writes:
Two recent articles in the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times have exposed a little-known but growing problem of sloppy science and ethical misconduct in medical research that could be dangerous to American patients. …
Under ObamaCare, physicians will be increasingly pressured with financial carrots and sticks to adhere to centralized “practice guidelines” established by “comparative effectiveness research.” But any such practice guidelines are only as good as the underlying science.
Even worse, the investigators in the New York Times piece found that, “The higher a journal’s impact factor… the higher its retraction rate.” Some of the most prestigious medical journals (such as the New England Journal of Medicine) had the highest retraction rates. Yet these are supposed to be the most authoritative sources for practice guidelines. …
Just as Americans have become increasingly skeptical of “global warming” policy proposals based on questionable government-funded climate science, they should be skeptical about mandatory medical practice protocols based on increasingly questionable government-funded medical research.
Read the whole article: PJ Media » Government-Funded Medical Research Is Hazardous to Your Health.