Is the NHS getting better or worse?: Just who gets to choose which data will matter?

doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7431.107-a

BMJ 2004;328:107 (10 January), doi:10.1136/bmj.328.7431.107-a

Letter

Is the NHS getting better or worse?

Just who gets to choose which data will matter?

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—Smith's editorial asks an important question aboutwhether the NHS is getting better.¹ He places a lot of faithin gathering better data about the workings of the NHS to helpus answer this question.

However, this approach begs the question of "what would theappropriate data be?" And behind that is the intensely politicalquestion of, "Just who gets to select the data?"

Data have the facade of being somehow neutral and objective.Data may be seen as factual, and figures may seem to add up.However, the real smoke and mirrors trick has already been laidby the person who has chosen the frames of reference aroundwhich data are to be selected. We may have been set up by thisframe to react in a predictable way, even before any data arepresented.

Behind even the simplest data someone in the background is choosingto . . . [Full text of this article]

Peter Davies, general practitioner

Mixenden Stones Surgery, Halifax HX2 8RQ npgdavies@blueyonder.co.uk