Doctor's Orders

Originally I had another post written and in the can, but an article on Forbes today ( which you can read here) prompted me to write something else.The questions posed in this article are ones we ourselves have been asking, and it’s refreshing to see medical professionals prodding for the same answers.

Anyway, the article is a speech given by Harlan Krumholz at a workshop sponsored by the Institute of Medicine. The subject of this particular talk surrounds the need for transparency and openness among the medical community, particularly when it comes to clinical research data.  Essentially, Krumholz is talking about how people who make healthcare decisions everyday, on both a macro and micro level, are not getting a fully informed picture when it’s time for them to make a decision. The author mentions several situations (such as concerns over the safety of Vioxx or Avandia) forcing companies and researchers to release information about test pools and other data that greatly impacted the FDA’s decision making.

His question is, why isn’t this data available all of the time? If it’s critical enough that it can sway opinion, do health officials and consumers not have a right to know everything they possibly can about the medication they take? The treatments they sign up for?

Lately, it seems more and more articles are popping up in the medical field discussing the need for  greater transparency, and for knowledge to be shared instead of closely guarded. We couldn’t agree more,  and we find it interesting ( not to mention hopeful) that people in both camps are beginning to think this way as well. Information relating to people’s healthcare treatment, as well as the non-profits and corporations that control the funding to these projects, should be laid out on the table for everyone to see.

We’ll report on this if any new information develops. I encourage you all to read the article at your leisure.

Until Next Time

–Nick