Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Medical practices unsupported by good science are often reversed. This phenomenon has been described as a 'medical reversal'. A medical reversal occurs when newer research finds an established medical practice to be less effective than originally claimed. An example of a reversal is the routine prescribing of hormones to otherwise healthy women after menopause. Physicians initially recommended hormones to prevent heart disease, but this was later found to be ineffective because of better scientific research. The objective of this research is to identify the factors that contribute to reversed medical practices. To do this, 960 randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that have been summarized for the education of health professionals will be used. Each RCT will be labeled independently by two physicians as (1) reversed or (2) not yet reversed. Then, from each study factors such as, but not limited to sample size, effect size, industry sponsorship will be extracted. Then, the extent to which these factors are linked to the phenomenon of medical reversal will be determined. Identifying the factors associated with reversal of medical practices will enhance decision-making and improve the education of future health professionals.