SPECIAL: Pseudoterapias, promises magic without foundation

The Government has taken a step to the front against the so-called ‘pseudo -‘ with the sole purpose of protecting a basic right and fundamental to citizens: the health. The minister of Health, Consumption and Social Welfare, Maria Luisa Carcedo, and the minister of Science, Innovation and Universities, Pedro Duque, have presented this morning at the Institute of Health Carlos III (Madrid) the Plan for the Protection of Health against the pseudoterapias, which has been developed by both ministries.

it Is considered pseudoscience any substance, product, activity or service with the intended purpose of health that does not have scientific evidence that validates its effectiveness. That is to say, all those practices that are not supported by knowledge or scientific studies.

Well, according to sources at both ministries, there is not yet a list of all available treatments and therapies considered pseudoterapias, as it is developing a report that the Spanish Network of Agency of Health Technology Assessment and Benefits of the NHS is evaluated from the criteria of the scientific evidence. Their results will be disseminated so that citizens are provided with accurate information regarding their efficacy and safety.

to Defend the health as a basic right, to protect citizens from the serious health risk that involves the use of pseudoterapias, provide accurate information and rigorous and ensure that the training for medical university do not include content and programs that do not have scientific evidence are the major objectives of this plan.

“The Government has the duty to protect and defend the health, a basic right of all citizens,” said Carcedo. For this reason, the executive will establish “a common strategy to implement all the necessary actions, including changing legislation, to preserve the health of the citizens”, added Duque, who has insisted also in the need for the university training is based, solely, on scientific evidence.

The content of this plan -which, according to have informed the ministers, will be the first of a series of measures that will be taken against the pseudo – includes four main lines of action.

The first of these is the accurate information in front of the pseduciencias to the entire population. To this end, the government will put in place communication activities directed at different actors: public administrations, health professionals, the media, society, science etc., The entity responsible for developing these reports will be the Spanish Network of Agencies for Health Technology Assessment and Benefits of the Health System (REDETS).

“We are aware of the risks of these therapies to health, we need to report truthfully to the society of what are really these practices which do not bear the stamp of the scientific evidence,” said Carcedo. And is that, as has been exposed to both ministers, there is a confusion between therapies or medical practices based on knowledge and evidence, and who do not have that endorsement.

Perception of the pseudoterapia

although the medical activity was the professional activity most valued by the citizens, according to the data of the Survey of Social Perception of Science and Technology, FECYT, 2016, the appeal of the pseudoterapia is not something residual. Almost 60% of the population believes that acupuncture works, and about 53% believe that homeopathic products are effective. In addition, and according to data from the Barometer of CIS February 2018, more than 6% of the population went to a professional in acupuncture, and nearly 10% to a homeopath.

The second of the lines of action contemplated by this plan of action are the amendments to the law against misleading advertising. As explained by Carcedo, the modifications are grouped together in a Royal Decree of Protection of Health against the Pseudo. Some of the RD that it is intended to modify is the RD 1277/2003 on the authorization of centers, services and health facilities or the RD 1907/1997 on the publication and commercial promotion of products, activities or services with intended purpose healthcare.

Measures against the intrusiveness

The third of the actions will be that of implementing measures against intrusion and removal of the pseudo-medical centres. To do this, we will modify the already-named RD 1277/2003, on the authorization of centers, services and facilities, both in aspects relating to avoid the intrusiveness as to prevent authorized the pseudoterapias in the registry of health facilities.

And finally, the fourth measure will be to verify the evidence of the titles of the degrees and a master’s degree. As explained by the minister Pedro Duque at a press conference, the two ministries have agreed to strengthen the principles of knowledge and the scientific evidence at the university level (bachelor and master) with the verification of official degrees and own and in the contents of training, in accordance with the governance bodies of the university system; and also in the field of specialised health training (MIR), and continuous without the presence of any of the content pseudo-scientific.

in Addition, both ministers have appealed to the media to assist in the dissemination of news content in science and health. To do this, both the Ministry led by Carcedo as the ministry led by Duke will propose an agreement with the media that will include two core commitments: the Government will provide sources of accurate information and truthful in science and health, and the media are intended to prevent misinformation, pseudoscientific, and to increase the presence of contents informative.

With the introduction of this action plan, we want that “citizens have sufficient information to make their decisions in an appropriate manner and based on scientific evidence,” concluded Duke

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