One of the main tenets of PAER is to improve your thinking. That’s my goal. Better-thinking humans make students who are more likely to become PAs, better PAs, and better humans.
I was reading an article this morning on a study that shows that COVID causes heart disease. The headline in Newsweek that covered this study “Scans Reveal Heart Damage in Over Half of COVID-19 Patients.”
Here’s some information from the article about the study:
– 1,216 subjects
– The average age of subjects was about 62
– 813 with a COVID diagnosis
– 298 “probably had COVID” and 105 were assumed to have it
– 667 patients had abnormalities on their echocardiogram
Anyone want to raise your hand and tell me what’s wrong with this one or what’s blatantly missing?
How about 25% of the patients in the study didn’t have a COVID diagnosis?
How about a control group? What did they find when they scanned 1,200 sixty-two-year-olds from off the street?
I’m not sure that the case is closed after this one.
Let me be very clear. I’m not saying COVID-19 doesn’t cause heart damage, and I’m not saying that COVID -19 does cause heart damage. What I am saying is that I want you to think. I want you to be a little careful practicing “evidence-based” medicine.
Again, to be very clear: I think you should practice evidence-based medicine. I am saying don’t close your eyes and accept what “experts” tell you WITHOUT thinking. If there’s one thing we’ve learned in 2020, it’s that “experts” are very human.
Anyway, before you get out into the world to practice medicine, you’ll have to pass the PANCE. Nothing will help you with that as much as The Final Step. It’s a book made up of just over 1,200 questions covering the most important details you need for the test.
Don’t just put your head down and work. Think. Get your copy here:
Brian Wallace