Is Medical School Training Required to Evaluate Medical Research?

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Executive Summary

This article covers the false expectation that medical education is required to evaluate medical research.

Introduction

Doctors are sent to classes that allow them to differentiate between incorrect information presented by drug companies.

The issue if classes are taken, but money is contributed from pharmaceutical companies, the classes are going to tend to get thrown out the window. I recall being told once that while one of my posts was interesting, and that the person had studied ethics at the graduate level, that ethics was a theoretical exercise and that a lower ethical standard should be expected in reality.

Lawyers take classes on legal ethics…..and we can see how well that is working out.
Mexican police also go through anti-corruption training, however, with low pay and history of taking bribes, the practice continues.

History shows that incentive structures are far more important than classes in motivating behavior.

Doctors continually tell us that the money they take from pharmaceutical companies does not impact their opinions or recommendations. However, the evidence says otherwise.

The Placebo of Education Stamping Out Corruption

There is an undercurrent in society that vast intellectual powers and highly specialized educations lead to the answers in all areas. This is not the case. Larry Summers, the head of the President’s Council of Economic Advisors, obtained in Ph.D. from Harvard at 23. He was the youngest tenured professor in Harvard history. However, he is now so purchased by financial interests that his policies are directed towards enriching the top .05%. This is where most of the money went from the bailout. Larry Summers’ IQ cannot lead to good outcomes for anyone who purchased him. Therefore, what is the point of his IQ?