---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech…"
description: "\"Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech. at Harvard U.(:)...Their appraisal of 46 surgical or anesthesia breakthroughs...suggested...only 13% were high..."
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg"
---

#  Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech. at Harvard…

![“Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech. at Harvard U.(:)...Their appraisal of 46 surgical or anesthesia breakthroughs...suggested...only 13% were highly preferred (and)...in nearly half the cases the new therapy was no better than the therapy it replaced. ...About 12% of the innovations increased…” quote by Jeffrey Bland](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg)

> “Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech. at Harvard U.(:)...Their appraisal of 46 surgical or anesthesia breakthroughs...suggested...only 13% were highly preferred (and)...in nearly half the cases the new therapy was no better than the therapy it replaced. ...About 12% of the innovations increased complications...”

Jeffrey Bland

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Many medical innovations are adopted despite limited evidence of superiority, and some increase complications.

**In simple terms:** New treatments often lack clear benefit and can cause harm.

Key Takeaway

Scrutinize evidence before adopting new medical practices.

Themes

evidence innovation patient safety medical adoption

Mood

cautious analytical

Type

clinical policy

When to use this quote

- hospital policy decisions
- clinical guideline updates
- patient counseling
- research funding decisions

Key Concepts

clinical trials risk assessment health economics

Questions to Reflect On

- How can clinicians better evaluate emerging technologies?
- What safeguards prevent premature adoption?

A Different Perspective

Limited data may overlook long‑term outcomes or rare adverse events.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Age](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/) [Breakthrough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakthrough/) [Breakthroughs](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/breakthroughs/) [Dark](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark/) [Dark ages](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/dark-ages/) [Doctors](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctors/) [Innovation](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/innovation/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Mental health](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/mental-health/) [Office](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/office/) [Technology](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/technology/) [Therapy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/therapy/)

## Related quotes

> [“Shaw also said, alcohol is the anesthesia by which we endure the operation of life.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/a-j-finn/shaw-also-said-alcohol-is-the-anesthesia-by-which-we-endure-the/)

[A.J. Finn](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/a-j-finn/)

> [I dont know where the idea originated that memoir writing is cathartic. For me, its always felt like playing my own neurosurgeon, sans anesthesia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koren-zailckas/i-dont-know-where-the-idea-originated-that-memoir-writing-is/)

[Koren Zailckas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koren-zailckas/)

> [“Pain is a Medical Orphan. Perhaps because it has traditionally been considered the consequence of disease or injury, not an illness in itself, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/henry-jay-przybylo/pain-is-a-medical-orphan-perhaps-because-it-has-traditionally-been/)

Henry Jay Przybylo

> [Why does the longing for love have to be so acute, like a desperate thirst? Is it because love is wanting to be saved…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-hull/why-does-the-longing-for-love-have-to-be-so-acute-like-a-desperate/)

[Jonathan Hull](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-hull/)

> [To be in love is merely to be in a state of perceptual anesthesia - to mistake an ordinary young woman for a goddess.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/h-l-mencken/to-be-in-love-is-merely-to-be-in-a-state-of-perceptual-anesthesia-to/)

[H. L. Mencken](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/h-l-mencken/)

> [Anesthesia before anesthesia.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alla/anesthesia-before-anesthesia/)

[Alla](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alla/)

> [“Learn to be fast now. You can learn to be good later.” In the OR, everyone’s eyes are always on the clock. For the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/paul-kalanithi/learn-to-be-fast-now-you-can-learn-to-be-good-later-in-the-or/)

[Paul Kalanithi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/paul-kalanithi/)

> [To write poetry, like sincere poetry, it is like performing heart surgery on yourself without anesthesia...in public...You are peeling back layers. You are dissecting…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/amir-sulaiman/to-write-poetry-like-sincere-poetry-it-is-like-performing-heart/)

Amir Sulaiman

> [I don't know where the idea originated that memoir writing is cathartic. For me, it's always felt like playing my own neurosurgeon, sans anesthesia.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/koren-zailckas/i-don-t-know-where-the-idea-originated-that-memoir-writing-is/)

[Koren Zailckas](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/koren-zailckas/)

> [“I asked her, dreamily, if we had met, and when she told me that we had not, I gave her a little finger wave,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-sedaris/i-asked-her-dreamily-if-we-had-met-and-when-she-told-me-that-we-had/)

[David Sedaris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-sedaris/)

> [Everyone agrees that animals should not be exposed to unnecessary pain. But neither should scientists be hamstrung by the requirement to use anesthesia in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/timothy-noah/everyone-agrees-that-animals-should-not-be-exposed-to-unnecessary/)

[Timothy Noah](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/timothy-noah/)

> [People don't become inured to what they are shown - if that's the right way to describe what happens - because of the quantity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susan-sontag/people-don-t-become-inured-to-what-they-are-shown-if-that-s-the-right/)

[Susan Sontag](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susan-sontag/)

> [“When Dr. James Young Simpson sought to apply anesthesia to a woman in childbirth, the clergymen of his day foamed at the mouth and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-lewis/when-dr-james-young-simpson-sought-to-apply-anesthesia-to-a-woman-in/)

[Joseph Lewis](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-lewis/)

> [I used to like the anesthesia. It was like my favorite part of the whole thing, the 10 seconds before you go out. You…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/al-iaquinta/i-used-to-like-the-anesthesia-it-was-like-my-favorite-part-of-the/)

[Al Iaquinta](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/al-iaquinta/)

> [Maybe honeymoons are God's anesthesia. Like the "laughing gas" used by dentists, perhaps honeymoons are designed to protect us from a bit of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-thoele/maybe-honeymoons-are-god-s-anesthesia-like-the-laughing-gas-used-by/)

[Sue Thoele](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-thoele/)

## More by Jeffrey Bland

> [...The Chinese in the 9th century AD utilized a book entitled The Thousand Golden Prescriptions, which described how rice polish could be used to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/the-chinese-in-the-9th-century-ad-utilized-a-book-entitled-the/)

Jeffrey Bland

> [We need to move beyond asking what drug will treat the symptoms, and instead ask what mechanism creates altered neurochemical or neurobiological function or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/we-need-to-move-beyond-asking-what-drug-will-treat-the-symptoms-and/)

Jeffrey Bland

> [No conscious person can read Peter D'Adamo's works without considering much more thoughtfully how their genetic inheritance relates to their needs for specific food,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/no-conscious-person-can-read-peter-d-adamo-s-works-without/)

Jeffrey Bland

Explore all 4 Jeffrey Bland quotes

## More Age quotes

> [I need a bath." He chuckled. "You smell of smoke, as do I." The duke turned, leaning heavily on his cane. "Jameson, open the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-hawkins/i-need-a-bath-he-chuckled-you-smell-of-smoke-as-do-i-the-duke-turned/)

[Karen Hawkins](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-hawkins/)

> [While we've youth in our hearts, we can never grow old.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/while-we-ve-youth-in-our-hearts-we-can-never-grow-old/)

[Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/oliver-wendell-holmes-jr/)

> [It's easier to change a law than an age-old mentality. Deep down, many prejudices, many hostilities, many fears persist. But if we take a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dacia-maraini/it-s-easier-to-change-a-law-than-an-age-old-mentality-deep-down-many/)

[Dacia Maraini](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dacia-maraini/)

> [When I first started writing, when I was 15, I would go to work with people and they would tell me my lyrics were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sabrina-claudio/when-i-first-started-writing-when-i-was-15-i-would-go-to-work-with/)

[Sabrina Claudio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sabrina-claudio/)

> [Real people speak in my books about the main events of the age, such as the war, the Chernobyl disaster, and the downfall of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/svetlana-alexievich/real-people-speak-in-my-books-about-the-main-events-of-the-age-such/)

[Svetlana Alexievich](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/svetlana-alexievich/)

> [As a child I was very involved with sports and I knew at age 9 that I wanted to be an Olympic champion.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marion-jones/as-a-child-i-was-very-involved-with-sports-and-i-knew-at-age-9-that-i/)

[Marion Jones](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marion-jones/)

> [If there is any period one would desire to be born in, is it not the age of Revolution; when the old and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ralph-waldo-emerson/if-there-is-any-period-one-would-desire-to-be-born-in-is-it-not-the/)

[Ralph Waldo Emerson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ralph-waldo-emerson/)

> [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/)

[Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/)

> [I am just enjoying the dream of being Milan coach at the age of 40.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gennaro-gattuso/i-am-just-enjoying-the-dream-of-being-milan-coach-at-the-age-of-40/)

[Gennaro Gattuso](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gennaro-gattuso/)

> [Age is an accumulation of life and loss. Adulthood is a series of lines crossed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ellen-goodman/age-is-an-accumulation-of-life-and-loss-adulthood-is-a-series-of/)

[Ellen Goodman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ellen-goodman/)

> [I calculated that if I live up to the age of 80, then I end up using 450 toothbrushes in my life. All that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dia-mirza/i-calculated-that-if-i-live-up-to-the-age-of-80-then-i-end-up-using/)

[Dia Mirza](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dia-mirza/)

> [Why is wisdom so fair? Why is beauty so wise? Because all else is temporary, while beauty and wisdom are the only real and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vera-nazarian/why-is-wisdom-so-fair-why-is-beauty-so-wise-because-all-else-is/)

[Vera Nazarian](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vera-nazarian/)

> [It was only when I went to acting school that I was like, "You are absolutely such a pigheaded freak show that you thought…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/giles-matthey/it-was-only-when-i-went-to-acting-school-that-i-was-like-you-are/)

[Giles Matthey](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/giles-matthey/)

> [That old man dies prematurely whose memory records no benefits conferred. They only have lived long who have lived virtuously.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-brinsley-sheridan/that-old-man-dies-prematurely-whose-memory-records-no-benefits/)

[Richard Brinsley Sheridan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-brinsley-sheridan/)

> [We have started to make music at age seven. That was a hard work.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bill-kaulitz/we-have-started-to-make-music-at-age-seven-that-was-a-hard-work/)

[Bill Kaulitz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bill-kaulitz/)

[Browse all 18,948 Age quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/age/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech. at Harvard U.(:)...Their appraisal of 46 surgical or anesthesia breakthroughs...suggested...only 13% were highly preferred (and)...in nearly half the cases the new therapy was no better than the therapy it replaced. ...About 12% of the innovations increased complications...",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Jeffrey Bland"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at-harvard-u-their-appraisal-of/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Age"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at-harvard-u-their-appraisal-of/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/722/jeffrey-bland-67929_age_doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at_1731706.jpg",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech. at Harvard U.(:)...Their appraisal of 46 surgical or anesthesia…” — Jeffrey Bland",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Jeffrey Bland",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-bland/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Doctors...from the Office of Info. Tech....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at-harvard-u-their-appraisal-of/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-bland/doctors-from-the-office-of-info-tech-at-harvard-u-their-appraisal-of/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
