EVALUATE
Evaluate Your Findings
The evening news reports that scientists have discovered an effective new treatment for arthritis pain. An article you found on the Internet says a surgical procedure will help prevent migraines. A friend emails you a link to a study about an experimental procedure to relieve low back pain.
How can you tell if these studies are legit? Even more importantly, what are the chances that the treatments described can help you? The answers to these six questions can help you decide.
How can you tell if these studies are legit? Even more importantly, what are the chances that the treatments described can help you? The answers to these six questions can help you decide.
1) Was the study performed on humans?Before treatments are ever tried on people, they are often tested in animals. While results in animals often provide important clues to human illnesses and treatment, the results are not always replicated in humans. Furthermore, regardless of how well the results eventually translate to human care, a procedure being tested in animals now is still probably many years away from being available from your doctor.
2) Where was the study published?A study published in a reputable medical journal has gone through an extensive review process. A study reported on a site that sells vitamins may not have been. When evaluating what you read on the Web, look at the website’s suffix (for example, .com, .edu, .gov, .org ). Sites ending with .com exist to sell a product or service, while the others belong to educational and government institutions and organizations. For links to listings of reputable medical journals, see the resource list.
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3) How many people were in the study?While a study with 10 or 15 people may produce useful findings, the findings from a study with 150 or 1500 – or more – participants are more likely to hold true for the whole population.
4) Who was studied?Even a large study with positive findings may mean little to you if the people studied were not like you. For example, a treatment studied primarily on men may not work the same for a woman. A procedure that helped adults may not be effective for a child or teenager. Many factors play a role in a treatment’s effectiveness. The findings are most meaningful to you if the study’s participants were similar to you.
5) Was there a control group?Randomized, controlled clinical trials are the best way to determine if a new treatment works or works better than an existing treatment. In these types of trials, participants are randomly chosen for a treatment group or control group. While the treatment group receives the treatment being evaluated, the control group receives a placebo (fake pill) or the treatment against which the new treatment is being compared. Neither the researchers nor the patients know who is receiving the actual treatment until the trial is over. That way, expectations cannot affect treatment response.
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6) Do other studies support these findings?Medical knowledge comes from many studies often conducted over many years. Study results are more likely to be reliable if they replicate or confirm results of previous studies. However, it is also important to note that all of the knowledge we have today and the treatments that have lengthened and improved lives began with a single finding. While it is important to approach medical studies critically, it is also important to remain optimistic. New treatments are coming!
Learn moreUnderstanding Health News -- This article from the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) offers insight into evaluating health reports in the news media, particularly for complementary therapies.
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