What doesn't work and how to show it
BMJ 2004; 328 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.328.7438.473 (Published 26 February 2004) Cite this as: BMJ 2004;328:473- Phil Alderson (palderson@cochrane.co.uk), associate director,
- Trish Groves (tgroves@bmj.com), senior assistant editor
- UK Cochrane Centre, Oxford OX2 7LG
- BMJ
Ineffectiveness is hard to prove and accept
Archie Cochrane, the British epidemiologist, posed three key questions to ask about a healthcare intervention: “Can it work?” “Does it work in practice?” and “Is it worth it?”1 It would be great if the answers to these were always positive, but life isn't like that. The possible answers might be classed as “yes,” “not sure,” and “no.” The rules for deciding “yes” are relatively clear and well known, but less has been written about deciding that something doesn't work. This theme issue looks at examples of interventions that don't appear to work, the dilemmas of trying to decide between an answer of “not sure” and “no,” and what to do when we are not sure.
Doust and …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.