Cochrane's Brake:: Randomized Clinical Trials & the Doctor's Pen

Much of American healthcare is expensive, wasteful (sometimes harmful) and lacking in appropriate scientific validation before widespread adoption. While profit-seeking and administrative overhead are contributing to it's failings, the leastdiscussed cause is the absence of appropriately designed and executed clinical trials the provide the "gold standard"means of testing safety and effectiveness for 80% of care. The present text acquaints the reader with the historical, psychological, scientific and systemic impediments to reforming the system. "The whole purpose of Science is tokeep from fooling yourself." (Richard Feynman). Read more