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Interpretive Bias In Acupuncture Research? A Case Study, Neil E. O'Connell, Benedict M. Wand, Ben Goldacre

Health Sciences Papers and Journal Articles

Acupuncture is one of the most widely used and broadly researched of the complementary and alternative therapies, but high quality trials generally show no benefit over sham acupuncture. Many would view this result as evidence of ineffectiveness for this intervention.

This discussion paper focuses on the report of one large multi-centre randomised controlled trial of acupuncture for chronic low back pain in the lay and academic press, the ensuing discussion, and its impact on both clinical practice and service provision.

We suggest that interpretive bias has affected reporting, leading to questionable conclusions and advocacy in favour of this form of …

Comorbidity And Repeat Admission To Hospital For Adverse Drug Reactions In Older Adults: Retrospective Cohort Study, Min Zhang, C D'Arcy J Holman, Sylvie D. Price, Frank M. Sanfilippo, David B. Preen, Max K. Bulsara

Medical Papers and Journal Articles

Objectives: To identify factors that predict repeat admission to hospital for adverse drug reactions (ADRs) in older adults.

Design: Population based retrospective cohort study.Setting: All public and private hospitals in Western Australia.

Participants: 28 548 patients aged 60 years with an admission for an ADR during 1980-2000 followed for three years using the Western Australian data linkage system.

Results: 5056 (17.7%) patients had a repeat admission for an ADR. Repeat ADRs were associated with sex (hazard ratio 1.08, 95% confidence interval 1.02 to 1.15, for men), first admission in 1995-9 (2.34, 2.00 to 2.73), length of hospital stay (1.11, 1.05 …