Q 17

[einuoa]

My thought process for this question -
We're trying to find an answer choice that jeopardizes theoretical equipose but not clinical, so it would have to do with the opinions of the researchers in T.E tipping the scale more in favor towards one treatment over the other.

A) "So strikingly" ; this also says that most physicians favor one over the other. This would affect both clinical and theoretical equipose! It wouldn't be balanced at all, and there is a central consensus, rather than division over how the evidence is interpreted. THIS IS OUT.

B) This on the other hand, doesn't affect clinical or theoretical equipose, what does not being reported even have to do with anything.

C) Hmmm, I don't know if it matters just by what they think, since this answer choice doesn't mention anything about evidence presented... It also says that agrees with the consensus view so I would think that this knocks out both equiposes.

D) Yep! Initial results convince physicians that one treatment is more effective, but there's still a lack of consensus within the community. This sounds like the scenario that the author describes in clinical equipose, and since theoretical equipose would require that the balance be exact, this definitely knocks out theoretical equipose.

E) Both are equally effective, but no consensus within the community as to the relative effectiveness? Huh? The passage didn't mention relative effectiveness at all so I'm not sure how this is useful. On the other hand, since both are equally effective, this really doesn't affect either theoretical or clinical equipose...

D it is!

[brandoncbias]

C) Hmmm, I don't know if it matters just by what they think, since this answer choice doesn't mention anything about evidence presented... It also says that agrees with the consensus view so I would think that this knocks out both equiposes.

But line 21 states that researchers commonly have a preference, "an intuitive one perhaps" alongside its discussion of evidence based preference. The last sentence of the paragraph suggests that the preferences mentioned all would undermine adhering to T.E. which means it would matter what they think/prefer even in the absence of evidence.

Isn't it just the second part of C) that undermines C.E. and makes this answer invalid?

[ganbayou]

Im still not sure how C violates theoretical equipoise...
and for clinical equipoise they must have different opinions? I think sometimes they can be consensus...can have the same opinions right? but if they do not have different opinions, then does that mean they always violates clinical equipoise??

[hanhansummer]

Im still not sure how C violates theoretical equipoise...
and for clinical equipoise they must have different opinions? I think sometimes they can be consensus...can have the same opinions right? but if they do not have different opinions, then does that mean they always violates clinical equipoise??

C won't jeopardize theoretical equipoise more. Because there is a consensus, all of the researchers prefer one treatment to another, so there will be no "current or imminent conflict in the expert clinical community over what treatment is to be preferred" [line 40]. So in this scenario, t.e. and c.e. will have same efficiency in treating a condition.

[Camiller]

(C) is incorrect because the scenario violates both types of equipoise.

Theoretical equipoise requires the participating physicians to have no opinion as to which treatment is superior, and this is violated because some of the participating physicians think that one treatment is more effective.

Clinical equipoise allows for the participating physicians to have a decided treatment preference, but it requires an absence of consensus within the expert clinical community; this condition is violated because (C) asserts that the physicians agree with the consensus view within the expert clinical community. This requirement is stated in lines 48-50 and 53-56.

[magic.imango]

I'm still unsure why (A) is wrong; OP mentioned that it violates both TE and CE. While I understand how it violates TE, how does it violate CE also?

[mswang7]

I'm still unsure why (A) is wrong; OP mentioned that it violates both TE and CE. While I understand how it violates TE, how does it violate CE also?

A is incorrect because of the wide dissemination of results (affecting perception by clinical community) which violates CE since CE requires an absence of consensus per @camiller