Comments on: The politics of cancer screening make entrenched beliefs hard to change http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/01/politics-cancer-screening-entrenched-beliefs-hard-change.html Wed, 15 Feb 2012 00:27:00 +0000 hourly 1 By: Michael Kirsch, M.D.http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/01/politics-cancer-screening-entrenched-beliefs-hard-change.html#comment-122553 Michael Kirsch, M.D. Mon, 04 Jan 2010 18:53:40 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=41910#comment-122553 Mammogate showed that comparative effectiveness research and implementation will be a much steeper climb than we imagined. A vertical climb, perhaps? Mammogate showed that comparative effectiveness research and implementation will be a much steeper climb than we imagined. A vertical climb, perhaps?

]]> By: ken covinskyhttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/01/politics-cancer-screening-entrenched-beliefs-hard-change.html#comment-122551 ken covinsky Mon, 04 Jan 2010 17:08:15 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=41910#comment-122551 It is really too bad the USPSTF didn't spark a more useful public discussion of the risks and benefits of cancer screening. The media seemed to play right into the inflammatory rhetoric and lost an opportunity to help the public better understand what cancer screening can and can't do. One thing that gets lost in all this is that the USPSTF did not actually say women age 40-49 should not get mammograms. They did say the balance of risks and benefits did not justify a recommendation for universal screening and advocated for informed individualized decision making.In a <a href="http://www.geripal.org/2009/12/overwhelming-relief.html" rel="nofollow">post on GeriPal</a>, Dr. Sei Lee points out that the public tends to greatly overestimate the benefits of screening and greatly underestimate the risks---to the point that some patients who suffered harms from screening, and did not benefit at all, may actually believe they were helped by screening. It is really too bad the USPSTF didn’t spark a more useful public discussion of the risks and benefits of cancer screening. The media seemed to play right into the inflammatory rhetoric and lost an opportunity to help the public better understand what cancer screening can and can’t do. One thing that gets lost in all this is that the USPSTF did not actually say women age 40-49 should not get mammograms. They did say the balance of risks and benefits did not justify a recommendation for universal screening and advocated for informed individualized decision making.

In a post on GeriPal, Dr. Sei Lee points out that the public tends to greatly overestimate the benefits of screening and greatly underestimate the risks—to the point that some patients who suffered harms from screening, and did not benefit at all, may actually believe they were helped by screening.

]]> By: BladeDochttp://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2010/01/politics-cancer-screening-entrenched-beliefs-hard-change.html#comment-122548 BladeDoc Mon, 04 Jan 2010 15:53:26 +0000 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/?p=41910#comment-122548 The more government in medical care, the more politics. It will get worse. The more government in medical care, the more politics. It will get worse.

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