Editing 2530: Clinical Trials
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==Explanation== | ==Explanation== | ||
− | + | {{incomplete|Created by MEDICAL PROCEDURE STEP DERF - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | |
− | The purpose of clinical trials in medicine is to make sure that a new medicine works and doesn't have serious side-effects. One example of the dangers of failing to make sure that it doesn't have serious side effects is {{w|thalidomide}}, which caused a lot of birth defects. In a clinical trial, the effect of a treatment is compared to the effect | + | The purpose of clinical trials in medicine is to make sure that a new medicine works and doesn't have serious side-effects. One example of the dangers of failing to make sure that it doesn't have serious side effects is {{w|thalidomide}}, which caused a lot of birth defects. In a clinical trial, the effect of a treatment is compared to the effect to a placebo to make sure it has a benefit. |
− | Before the invention of clinical trials, people | + | Before the invention of clinical trials, people didn't know whether medicines actually worked. Although a some herbs and medicines were stumbled upon, most medicine was no better than a placebo. A lot of medical treatments such as trepanation and bloodletting not only had no benefit, but were very likely to be harmful. |
− | + | At the time that this comic was published, the world was in the middle of the {{w|COVID-19 pandemic}} for which a number of treatments had been suggested. Given the medical, social and economic impact of this pandemic, many felt the need for an urgent answer. Many of these were based on new ideas (step 1) and led to some degree of public approval (step 2), leading to the demand to immediately deploy these treatments in medical practice (step 4). The missing Step 3 - proving the net benefits of taking that particular medicine - has led to great concern about knee-jerk demands for ineffective and/or dangerous treatments, alongside the rejection of treatments and precautions with actual supportive evidence behind them but often decried as "fake news" for spurious reasons. Deployment of an ineffective treatment, even if it's harmless, still wastes resources (the cost of a medication, the time spent by caregivers, administration, etc.) and may inhibit people from taking other, more effective, treatments. | |
− | + | Internationally, treatments such as cow urine and anti-worming treatments have been promoted without the evidence that the likes of dexamethasone, remdesivir, toclizumab and casirivumab/indevimab have for effectiveness. | |
− | + | The title text refers to "usual care" which indicates the current expected treatment. For example, a patient might receive oxygen, anaesthetic drugs and the exacting care of healthcare professionals. In many COVID-19 trials, a particular treatment was evaluated with one group having this, one group having this plus a particular drug. The comedy indicates that the healthcare professionals for that particular care don't give two toots about {{w|Evidence-based medicine}} and will give their patient whatever a former gameshow host/racist tweeter/president is being bribed with this week. | |
− | + | //Yeah, you lot's gonna have to do all the citations for this one// | |
==Transcript== | ==Transcript== | ||
+ | {{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}} | ||
+ | :[A list in a box.] | ||
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:1. Come up with new idea | :1. Come up with new idea | ||
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:2. Convince people it's good | :2. Convince people it's good | ||
− | :[Scrawled in red as an afterthought, an arrow | + | :[Scrawled in red handwriting, as an afterthought, an arrow indicating it is between item 2 and the original item 3] 3. Check whether it works |
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− | :3. [Now scribbled over and amended to "4."] | + | :3. [Now scribbled over and amended to "4."] New idea is adopted |
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− | :[Caption below the | + | :[Caption below the box] The invention of clinical trials. |
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{{comic discussion}} | {{comic discussion}} | ||
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