How can we know what works?

The news is full of stories the amount of health information available on the internet. The availability of this wealth of information has led to an increase in informed patients being able to have detailed discussions with their doctors. The emphasis has to be on discussions because: not all information on the internet is accurate or based on sound scientific proof; not all patients can distinguish the good from the harmful; and neither can all involved in providing health care. We are all human and therefore fallible.

If you want to know how we mislead ourselves, and how we can be misled by the internet, researchers, and doctors try reading Testing Treatments. The book and interactive site, “urges everyone to get involved in improving current research and future treatment, and outlines practical steps that patients and health professionals can take together to do this.”