Professional societies of doctors, surgeons or physiotherapists are more likely to recommend against treatments provided by others, our new research shows.
New international research shows one in four physiotherapists provide treatments that aren’t based on evidence. These treatments aren’t likely to cause harm, but they might waste patients’ time.
Some emergency doctors are already using acupuncture to relieve patients’ pain. Now a new study shows when it works, when it doesn’t and how emergency departments of the future might use it.
Terrifying accounts of surgery 200 years ago remind us how far general anaesthesia has come. Yet we still know little about how anaesthetics alter consciousness.
Guidelines galore suggest how we can take care of ourselves in concert with our doctors. Here’s why it’s not as easy as it may seem (and how those guidelines get written)
Holistic dentistry claims to promote overall wellness rather than simply treating disease. But the lack of evidence for the alternative therapies underpinning it are cause for concern.
After a long period of expansion in the number of children living in out-of-home care, most modern child protection systems around the world have been labouring to prevent such placements. Instead, they’re…
The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recently completed a review of the evidence for homeopathy’s effectiveness and, after analysing systematic reviews of clinical trials, concluded…
Ever been unable to sleep because you can’t switch off that stream of thoughts that seems to flow incessantly, mercilessly through your head? When your mental noise distracts you from the task at hand…
If you look at the shelves of most Australian community pharmacies or browse the pages of local internet pharmacies, you’ll see numerous examples of products making claims that can’t be supported by scientific…
The evidence gleaned from medical research directly affects the decisions made about health care in Australia, driving everything from clinical practice guidelines, to which health interventions will and…
PANACEA OR PLACEBO – A weekly series assessing the evidence behind complementary and alternative medicines. Aromatherapy is based on the idea that aromatic substances, usually the essential oils of plants…
Did you hold your nose and take your daily dose of fish oil this morning? Or perhaps you opted for an odour-free capsule? Well, you’re not alone. Around one in four Australians take fish oil supplements…
Professor of Bioethics & Medicine, Sydney Health Ethics, Haematologist/BMT Physician, Royal North Shore Hospital and Director, Praxis Australia, University of Sydney
Monika Merkes
Honorary Associate, Australian Institute for Primary Care and Ageing, La Trobe University
Director, Evidence and Methods, National COVID-19 Clinical Evidence Taskforce; Associate Professor (Research), Cochrane Australia, School of Population Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University