Studies often overturn accepted medical practice, analysis finds

Studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine over one decade found that 128 interventions that had become established medical practice were less effective than older practices or practices that did not include intervention, research has found.

In the study, Vinay Prasad from the National Cancer Institute in Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues, reviewed 2044 original research articles published in the New England Journal of Medicine from 2001 to 2010, identifying those that tested a medical practice, such as a medication, a diagnostic test, or procedure. Their paper is published online by …