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Thomas C. Chalmers, MD

JAMA. 1988;260(18):2713-2715.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text PDF and any section headings.

The appearance in this issue of JAMA of both a report of the Positron Emission Tomography (PET) Panel of the Council on Scientific Affairs of the American Medical Association¹ and four letters² criticizing an evaluation of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) evaluations and an accompanying editorial published in June^3,4 has prompted this editorial on proposed standards for the early evaluation of new technology. Although the randomized control trial has been recognized for 40 years as the standard for evaluation of new therapies, scientific techniques of assessing diagnostic tests are relatively recent. There are classic articles on the subject,^5-11 and it is well covered in two recent books.^12,13

It is of note that the protesting letter writers are all radiologists, as are most of the pioneers in developing the techniques of evaluation that the letters criticize.

Technological advances of the last 20 years have presented physicians and . . . [Full Text PDF of this Article]

Author Affiliations
Harvard School of Public Health Boston Veterans Administration Medical Center Mount Sinai School of Medicine

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