Retired Clinical Research Scientist, Salisbury, United Kingdom
Research Article
Pseudoscience in Cancer Services; a survey of National Health Service Trusts in England
Author(s): Leslie Rose*
Background: Scientifically implausible treatments are offered by some hospital cancer departments. Examples are reiki, aromatherapy, and reflexology. Salaried practitioners are employed to deliver these therapies, which are provided as palliative care, although they lack evidence of effectiveness. Such practices seem to conflict with efforts to make health care evidence based.
Aim: To estimate the extent of certain pseudoscientific practices in NHS Trusts, and to evaluate the rationale for such provision.
Design: Relevant documents were requested from NHS Trusts under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 (FOIA). Main outcome measures were: number of trusts offering pseudoscientific practices in cancer departments, time to full FOIA response, presence and content of practice governance documents, and presence and qua.. View More»
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