Testing Treatments: Better Research for Better Healthcare

doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7556.1516

BMJ 2006;332:1516 (24 June), doi:10.1136/bmj.332.7556.1516

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Testing Treatments: Better Research for Better Healthcare

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

What characterises a great doctor? A list of required qualitiesmight well include a wealth of clinical experience, brilliantdiagnostic and other technical skills, and a wonderful bedsidemanner. Most people would hope for, or even expect, such featuresin anybody labelled as an exemplary clinician. But how manywould suggest another, much less glamorous but essential marker—knowledgeableignorance?

Imogen Evans, HazelThornton, Iain Chalmers

The British Library, £12.95,pp 224 ISBN 0 712 3 4909 X

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This oxymoronic term refers to an acute awareness of and readinessto admit personal and profession-wide uncertainties about keyhealthcare questions and dilemmas. It encapsulates an attitudeseen in all the best doctors. These are the people who do notpretend to know all the answers. When out of their depth, theyhappily seek advice or assistance from colleagues. They lookup drug doses rather than half remembering them. And, crucially,. . . [Full text of this article]

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Ike Iheanacho, editor

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin Ike.Iheanacho@which.co.uk