“Bad” Science and Evidence-based Practice
I am a huge fan of Ben Goldacre, author, physician, and crusader against “bad science”. Dr. Goldacre has written two excellent books about the misuse of science and statistics by politicians, charlatans, and drug companies. His writing is witty, interesting, and the explanations of the faulty “science” are easy to understand. And, oh, by the way … we have both in the library
Bad Science (2008) has chapters that talk about the misleading science behind cosmetic ad claims, homeopathy, detoxes, and how the media promote the public misunderstanding of science.
Bad Pharma: how drug companies mislead doctors and harm patients (2013) deals with the methods pharmaceutical companies use to present misleading and flawed data. Some of the chapters include: Missing Data, Bad Regulators, and Marketing.
Dr. Goldacre has also given a couple TED talks including “Battling bad science” and “What doctors don’t know about the drugs they prescribe“. He is a passionate speaker/presenter, and his talks are not only educational, they are highly entertaining.
I hear he is working on a new book about statins … I can’t wait!
Jill
