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Dr Foster, association and causation

The headlines today have been driven by publication of the ‘Dr Foster’ (“the UK’s leading provider of comparative information on health and social care services”) annual hospital guide. The Guardian have reported it as have the Telegraph, who  headline  “Experts warn hospitals not to cut staff over weekend death risk.” They have presented their data as […]

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GPs ‘failing cancer patients’

From the Guardian, and also making it’s way forth into the Daily Mail, the Mirror, Management in Practice, and  Pulse , amongst others. The story is apparently that “GPs are failing to identify conditions such as osteoporosis, heart disease and bowel trouble that can affect patients’ lives for years after they have become free of tumours, claims […]

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Choices for screening and paternalism

Luisa Dillner wrote a statistically correct and informative article about breast screening in the Guardian recently; she has been replied to by Chris Askew, the chief executive of Breakthrough Breast Cancer. He makes a big  mistake. In his first paragraph, he says “Breakthrough Breast Cancer hopes this will not discourage women from attending their breast-screening […]

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