Hope or hype

"Hope or Hype is a look at what drives the American obsession with medical miracles. Dr. Richard Deyo and Dr. Donald Patrick - both experts on the ethical and policy issues facing the medical community and its constituents - spread the blame for the parade of false promises and compromises, indicting in equal measure the pharmaceutical and equipment companies; the doctors and hospitals too quick to order unnecessary and costly surgeries and medications; the politicians and media all too eager for a signature issue or a good story; and our own relentless demand to be "made healthy."". "Hope or Hype outlines the hazards - from unnecessary treatment to actual harm or even death - of embracing medical advances without serious consideration of efficacy, long-term benefit, side effects, cost, and other critical factors. The book also provides a frank and sometimes startling look at how companies get us to buy into the need for the most expensive treatments, and even manipulate clinical trials and data in order to present the "right" result."--BOOK JACKET.