The reasons why doctors traditionally take so long to question dogma are complex

“I cannot help but wonder how such a situation came to develop… If I had been told by a physician, no matter how senior, that infants don’t feel pain, I would never have believed it. What constitutes the difference between my reaction and that of the thousands of physicians who did believe it?” Jill Lawson, 1988

JILL Lawson was one of the leaders of the parents’ campaign of the mid 1980s to shield infants from surgical pain.

In a letter published in the New England Journal of Medicine she questioned why doctors did not react as individuals to such an incomprehensible assertion.

The reasons why doctors traditionally take so long to question dogma are complex but we are known to be a rather conservative group of people. As late as 1974, experiments were still being conducted to ascertain whether infants felt pain.
http://www.mjainsight.com.au/view?post=charlie-teo-let%E2%80%99s-extend-our-compassion&post_id=8674&cat=comment

Drug trial results must be made public

A team of public health experts has called for the release of all clinical drug trial results for independent analysis following a “frustrating” three-year battle for access to data on controversial flu drug Tamiflu.
The team, which includes Bond University Professor of Public Health Chris Del Mar, says that in the case of Tamiflu – stockpiled by many countries at enormous cost to taxpayers – drug companies, drug regulators, and public health bodies such as the World Health Organisation have all made discrepant claims about its clinical effects.
Despite a recent review that raised questions about the efficacy of Tamiflu, the drug remains on the World Health Organisation’s List of Essential Medicines.


On several occasions in recent years, health bodies in Japan have raised concerns about the side-effects of Tamiflu after children who were taking the drug apparently committed suicide or harmed themselves.
“We are worried about the side-effects of [Tamiflu], which have been inconsistently reported,” Professor Del Mar said.
http://theconversation.edu.au/drug-trial-results-must-be-made-public-6358

most surgeons do not have a clear understanding of their short-term outcomes for the majority of procedures they perform

The public would probably be surprised to know that most surgeons do not have a clear understanding of their short-term outcomes for the majority of procedures they perform.

Of even greater concern is the lack of data on long-term outcomes associated with surgical interventions.

Many surgeons argue that they are too busy and do not have the time and resources to conduct this sort of follow-up. This is not entirely without foundation, but it does seem difficult to defend a stance that says “I will continue to work feverishly at the operations I do but not assess how successful my results are”.

Guy Maddern (ASERNIP-s): No excuse for poor surgical outcomes

MJA INSIGHT, 8 August 2011