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Smith W. Hartley
President, Chief Editor
Editor's Desk - Sept/Oct 2011
Greetings,
Healthcare Journal of Baton Rouge has
never made the claim of “medical journal.”
We’ve published some medical and
scientific research, but I’ve always been
optimistically skeptical about any research’s scientific
process. Apparently, I’m not alone in my concerns and
these concerns are substantiated. A recent Wall Street
Journal article provided an interesting account of the
surge of mistakes in scientific studies reported in the
usually credible medical journals.
To properly conduct scientific studies requires extensive
peer-review. This peer-review process, however,
needs to come under better scrutiny. According to
Thompson Reuters Web of Science, an index of 11,600
peer-reviewed journals, the number of retracted published
papers is up 15-fold since 2001.
England’s The Lancet has come under notable fire for
retractions ranging from the MMR vaccine and its link
to autism to their well-publicized study called “Corporate”
on combining ACE inhibitors with a drug called
ARB to reduce blood pressure while minimizing kidney
damage. Later the study was called “the result of fraud
or incompetence” by Dr. Horton, The Lancet’s editor.
With so much private and government money invested
in research, the pressure to produce results is
intense. Researchers know the prestige and perks that
come from significant published findings. However,
this pressure may have swung the pendulum too far,
resulting in mistaken or manufactured findings published
in the most respected journals.
The Lancet, New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA,
etc. are all rightly considered excellent resources of scientific
findings. But, as medical providers, one must always
consider the real possibility that sometimes the
studies are somewhat flawed or just outright wrong.
These trusted sources, in my opinion, still remain trusted.
I am just suggesting cautious consideration and
keen judgment with your own instincts is a healthy approach
to any research.
Insist that your scientific sources hold to the highest
scientific standards of protocol and peer-review. As we
all know, the information we have is often our patients’
greatest asset.
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