| Title: |
Meta-analytic magic, ivermectin, and socially responsible reporting |
| Authors: |
Parrish, A G; Blockman, M; Cohen, K; Dawood, H; de Waal, R; Gray, A L; Kredo, T; Leong, T D; Nel, J; Rees, H; Reubenson, G |
| Source: |
South African Medical Journal; Vol 111, No 10 (2021); 934-937 ; 2078-5135 ; 0256-9574 |
| Publisher Information: |
South African Medical Association |
| Publication Year: |
2021 |
| Collection: |
South African Medical Journal (SAMJ) |
| Subject Terms: |
COVID-19; Ivermectin; Medical professionalism; EBM; Evidence-based medicine; Meta-analysis; Systematic review |
| Description: |
Some clinicians prescribe ivermectin for COVID-19 despite a lack of support from any credible South African professional body. They argue that when faced by clinical urgency, weak signals of efficacy should trigger action if harm is unlikely. Several recent reviews found an apparent mortality benefit by including studies at high risk of bias and with active rather than placebo controls. If these studies are discounted, the pooled mortality effect is no longer statistically significant, and evidence of benefit is very weak. Relying on this evidence could cause clinical harm if used to justify vaccine hesitancy. Clinicians remain responsible for ensuring that guidance they follow is both legitimate and reliable. In the ivermectin debate, evidence-based medicine (EBM) principles have largely been ignored under the guise thatin a pandemic the ‘rules are different’, probably to the detriment of vulnerable patients and certainly to the detriment of the profession’s image. Medical schools and professional interest groups are responsible for transforming EBM from a taught but seldom-used tool into a process of lifelong learning, promoting a consistent call for evidence-based and unconflicted debate integral to clinical practice. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
http://samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/13373/9920; http://samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/13373 |
| DOI: |
10.7196/SAMJ.2021.v111i10.16021 |
| Availability: |
http://samj.org.za/index.php/samj/article/view/13373; https://doi.org/10.7196/SAMJ.2021.v111i10.16021 |
| Rights: |
Copyright of published material remains in the Authors’ name. This allows authors to use their work for their own non-commercial purposes without seeking permission from the Publisher, subject to properly acknowledging the Journal as the original place of publication. Authors are free to copy, print and distribute their articles, in full or in part, for teaching activities, and to deposit or include their work in their own personal or institutional database or on-line website. Authors are requested to inform the Journal/Publishers of their desire/intention to include their work in a thesis or dissertation or to republish their work in any derivative form (but not for commercial use).  Material submitted for publication in the SAMJ is accepted provided it has not been published or submitted for publication elsewhere. Please inform the editorial team if the main findings of your paper have been presented at a conference and published in abstract form, to avoid copyright infringement. |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.4C9B7811 |
| Database: |
BASE |