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Controlled Studies in Measuring the Efficacy of Medical Care: A Historical Perspective

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 March 2009

Bernard S. Bloom
Bernard S. Bloom
Affiliation:
University of Pennsylvania
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Extract

There are three phenomena unique to medical research. First, unlike most historic events and their time- and culture-specific relationships, determination of the efficacy of medical care cuts across national and cultural boundaries in the Western world. Second, most of the study methods currently used to determine whether a specific medical intervention works have a long tradition, usually stretching back over centuries. Third, it is difficult to predict whether, and how readily, research results will be incorporated into medical practice.

Information

Type
General Essays
Information
International Journal of Technology Assessment in Health Care , Volume 2 , Issue 2 , February 1986 , pp. 299 - 310
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1986

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