British Journal of General Practice · 2012 · 18 citations · 0 references
MedicineHealth PolicyPreventive MedicineCancer PreventionMedical EthicsMedical SociologyDisease ControlPopulation ScreeningScreeningCancer Screening CampaignsCancer Screening CommunicationCancer Screening PolicyCharity OrganizationScreening Benefit-harm BalanceTesticular Cancer Awareness
Many GPs will have a nagging unease about screening and the relentless medicalisation of the population. Hazy half-remembered snippets about Wilson's criteria and false positives are brought into stark focus in Margaret McCartney's book, The Patient Paradox. Few are spared her withering gaze: the national cancer screening programmes and the private screening industry are pilloried. She alights briefly on Big Pharma but, with barely a pause, the PR-savvy celebrity-driven campaigns of Big Charity are taken to task. The treatment of hypertension and the use of statins are questioned; even Mr Testicles (darling of the male cancer awareness scene) gets a kicking. However, this is not some spittleflecked rant: the arguments are measured and well-referenced; the conclusions are distressing.