New Edition
The new edition of Testing Treatments, while building on the success of the first edition published 5 years ago, incorporates some extensive revision and updating.
New chapters have been added to show how screening for disease can sometimes do more harm than good, and how over-regulation of research can work against the best interests of patients.
A new chapter towards the end of the book illustrates how robust evidence from research can be drawn together to shape the practice of healthcare in ways that allow treatment decisions to be reached jointly by patients and clinicians.
As with the first edition, however, the new edition urges everyone to get involved in improving current research and future treatment, and outlines practical steps that patients and doctors can take together to do this. Read more about the new edition, and about the four authors.
How to get the second edition
As with the first edition of the book, the full text of the new edition is available for free download from this website. The paperback and ebook editions can be purchased from the publisher – Pinter and Martin – or from Amazon.
The first edition of Testing Treatments is still available in the languages listed on the right, and the Arabic translation of the Second Edition is now available (فحص المعالجات Full text in Arabic, PDF, 2.7 MB). Other translations of the new edition will be added to www.testingtreatments.org from the beginning of 2012.
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Thank you for your book – recommended by Ben Goldacre.
Being unemployed at present I can’t afford to buy a hardcopy yet, but I will add the title to my list of books to buy.
Keep up the good work, I am an advocate of evidence-based medicine and evidence-based management.
I just don’t get the alternative – folklore and wishful thinking seem to be too unreliable to me.
Thanks.
Glyn
I used to think about “evidence based” medicine and wonder what valid alternative there could be. But actually folklore can be quite reliable. Over 1000s of years we now know which mushrooms are edible. Stevia the new “natural” sweetener is almost certainly safe since it’s been used by Paraguayans for 700 years and we would have become gradually aware of any nasty effects it might possess.
Hi Fred,
I think there is some truth in what you say – I am definitely more cautious about new medications, say, than those that have been around for years where we have at least had an opportunity to find out about adverse events etc.
I went to a delightful talk by Iain Chalmer’s at Science Oxford last week where he was asked about whether homeopathy had ever been properly tested in a trial. Iain replied that there was an excellent trial undertaken in 1835 which demonstrated it to be ineffective but went on to comment that, had he needed medical treatment back in the 19th Century, he would have gone to a homeopath because “orthodox” medical treatment such as purging and blood-letting actually did more harm than good.
I think that it is important that we test all interventions using unbiased methods like those described in the book “Testing Treatments” whether they be old, new, “established practice” or the latest whim. I want evidence to inform my choices.
(By the way, I later looked up about the trial to which Iain referred – it is really interesting and can be found at:
http://www.jameslindlibrary.org/illustrating/articles/inventing-the-randomized-double-blind-trial-the-nuremberg-salt)
Awesome. I only hope our “medical professionals” will reccommend this book to the people we all “care for” and the people we “dare for” because we and they, need to know, and all of us need to know what drives our “belief system.” We cannot make positive change without understanding and I submit we might need to change before we ever understand. I think this book will be accepted and support that change. Moreover, I hope this book makes us all think critically. Not something most of our systems support, sorry to say.
Ben Goldacre says:
“This book should be in every school, and every medical waiting room. Until then, it’s in your hands. Read on.”
You can read his review here: http://www.badscience.net/2011/10/new-edition-of-testing-treatments-best-lay-text-on-evidence-based-medicine/
Ben Goldacre makes several errors when discussing the odds ratio vs Jaadad score graph in the homeopathy section of “Bad Science”
Can you be more specific Fred? I am sure if there are errors on his blog Ben will be keen to fix them.
This book should be obligatory reading for anyone involved in healthcare decisions – either as doctor, nurse, manager, politician and especially for any patient concerned about their treatment options.
Not many people understand topics risk, statistics and design of experiments – this is an easy guide.
I have had a quasi-managerial role in the NHS for some years and am now involved as a local Councillor as well – I strongly recommend.
[...] Testing Treatments book (available free online) [...]
This book is good as a primer for anyone new to how and why treatments should be and are tested. It also provides a useful reminder to those already involved that there is a complex range of influences that need to be unpicked: nothing should be taken at face value. Testing Treatments is a well balanced and thought provoking read – may those thoughts turn into questions…
[...] Testing Treatments: Better research for better healthcare Imogen Evans, Hazel Thornton, Iain Chalmers, Paul Glasziou With the addition of Queensland’s Paul Glasziou, this second edition discusses how to ensure research into medical treatments best meets the needs of patients. The chapter Earlier is not necessarily better covers a Naked Doctor pet theme of the benefits and harms of screening tests. [...]