BMJ 1994;309:412 (6 August)

Letters

Outcomes research in clinical practice Descriptive studies are unhelpful

EDITOR, - In the issue that included an editorial discussing the importance of outcome research in clinical practice,1 the paper by D J Houghton and colleagues concluded that "general practitioners should no longer request sinus radiography" without measuring any outcomes at all.2

This was a descriptive study in which local general practitioners' knowledge of indications for sinus radiography was assessed. The authors extrapolated the fact that half the population have minor changes on such radiographs and concluded that the indications given were worthless. The requests perceived as due to patient pressure were dismissed on the grounds that general practitioners should invoke the college guidelines. Studies have shown that using the guidelines reduces the number of referrals,3 but in an age of patient's rights it is difficult to dissuade a demanding patient completely.

A more appropriate method would have been to examine the actual requests received by a radiography department and . . . [Full text of this article]


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Relevant Article

Using outcomes research in clinical practice
T Delamothe
BMJ 1994 308: 1583-1584. [Extract] [Full Text]

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