What Are Medical Reversals?

By Gilreath & Associates

Medical reversals are becoming more common, even though they never should’ve existed in the first place.

So what are they exactly and why are they dangerous?

Let’s take a look.

What are medical reversals?

According to Chicago experts Vinay Prasad, MD and Adam Cifu, MD, “Medical reversal occurs when a new clinical trial—superior to predecessors by virtue of better controls, design, size, or endpoints—contradicts current clinical practice.”

In other words, it never worked in the first place and has now been replaced by a practice with proven positive results.

This is not to be confused with a medical replacement, which means the current practice works but has been replaced with a superior one.

How often do they happen?

A single medical reversal is too many. Unfortunately, in recent years we have seen quite a few, but the increase began as early as the 1990s.

Prasad and Cifu also wrote that more are likely to come.

Why do they happen?

Financial gain and using common sense rather than scientific evidence are the 2 biggest roots of reversals. While one may be more cynical than the other, both remain true.

When there’s profit to be made, consequences are often ignored and the push for the newest practice is fast and strong. The same happens when science is ignored in favor of something that “should work” because there was success on a smaller scale.

Why are medical reversals dangerous?

The 3 greatest dangers of reversals are:

1. Acknowledging a mistake was made, potentially causing a lot of harm to other patients.
2. Increase in malfeasance (a wrongful or illegal act was sanctioned).
3. Trust between patients, even sometimes doctors, and the medical system is broken.

Care should never be sacrificed for any of the reasons listed above, and the Tennessee injury lawyers at Gilreath & Associates are determined to give your case the time and attention it needs. If you or a loved one has suffered or is suffering right now due to a medical reversal, we want to help you receive the compensation you deserve.

Contact us today for your free consultation.

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