Intended for healthcare professionals

Rapid response to:

Letters Gynaecological examinations

Author’s reply

BMJ 2011; 342 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.d1786 (Published 23 March 2011) Cite this as: BMJ 2011;342:d1786

Rapid Response:

Re:Who decides, the Specialist and Expert, or the GP?

KG Taylor clearly hasn't read - or perhaps hasn't understood - what
Spence has written.

Is Spence not saying precisely that argument from authority should be
questioned, and argument from evidence favoured? And that the GP is
different from gynaecology: the prior probability of serious pathology is
much lower; and the positive predictive value of the presenting symptoms
are so low as to render invasive examination inappropriate?

Taylor has not addressed these points, and has simply restated the
argument from authority put by earlier correspondents.

Competing interests: No competing interests

06 April 2011
Peter M English
Consultant in Public Health
Surrey