International journal of technology assessment in health care
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Jan 1988
The transfer of medical information. A journalist's view.
Despite the quantity of material on medical issues which journalists typically receive, and the tremendous public interest in health news, journalists are only rarely able to provide medical information of any real value to the public. Good news, no matter how tentative, always gets more attention than critical assessment. Deadlines pressure journalists to look only at the surface of the issues that they describe, and few have the expertise necessary to judge the importance of their stories. When accurate, authoritative information is available in a structured format; however, the news media can publicize medical findings rapidly, effecting significant changes in public behavior.
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Int J Technol Assess Health Care · Jan 1988
Evaluation of the consensus conference program in Sweden. Its impact on physicians.
The impact of consensus conferences on physicians was studied in 1985 for the first four conferences Sweden held in 1982-1985. For each conference a main target group was defined as hospital-based physicians in supervisory positions within relevant clinics. Data were collected through a postal survey of all 1,668 members of the four different target groups. ⋯ The consensus statement evoked changes in clinical practice according to 7%-10% of the respondents and changes were proportionally higher for physicians in smaller hospitals. Most of the respondents (61%-83%) reported no change, claiming that the consensus statement reflected clinical practices established prior to the conference. The validity of self-reported data is discussed.