--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: We cannot decide on the efficacy of a…" description: "\"We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention receives on Facebook; no matter what, profess..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg" --- # We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by… ![“We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention receives on Facebook; no matter what, professionals will still need to conduct continued clinical trials and evaluate their outcomes carefully.” quote by Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg) > “We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention receives on Facebook; no matter what, professionals will still need to conduct continued clinical trials and evaluate their outcomes carefully.” [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Medical efficacy must be judged by rigorous trials, not social media popularity. **In simple terms:** Science requires evidence, not likes. Key Takeaway Prioritize clinical data over online hype. Themes science media evidence Mood analytical concerned Type informative professional When to use this quote - policy making - health communication - clinical testing Key Concepts research methodology public health Questions to Reflect On - How can professionals counteract misinformation? - What role should social media play in health education? A Different Perspective Public opinion can pressure premature adoption of unproven treatments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Continued Clinical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/continued-clinical-1749704/) [Decide Efficacy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/decide-efficacy-1749705/) [Doctor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) [Facebook Matter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/facebook-matter-1749707/) [Intervention](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/intervention/) [Medical](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical/) [Medical treatment](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/medical-treatment/) [Treatment Counting](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/treatment-counting-1749706/) [Trials](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials/) [Trials Evaluate](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/trials-evaluate-1749703/) [Will](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/will/) ## Related quotes > [The most effective method of propaganda directed at the enemy forces is to release captured soldiers and give the wounded medical treatment... Whenever soldiers…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mao-zedong/the-most-effective-method-of-propaganda-directed-at-the-enemy-forces/) [Mao Zedong](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mao-zedong/) > [It was in August or September of 1995 that I met Diana, Princess of Wales. Diana and I met through Oonagh Toffolo, whose husband…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hasnat-khan/it-was-in-august-or-september-of-1995-that-i-met-diana-princess-of/) [Hasnat Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hasnat-khan/) > [“There are no healing agents.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/herbert-m-shelton/there-are-no-healing-agents/) [Herbert M. Shelton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/herbert-m-shelton/) > [Here's the crazy thing: if I was guilty I would be entitled to job training, housing, medical treatment. But I have nothing. I was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nick-yarris/here-s-the-crazy-thing-if-i-was-guilty-i-would-be-entitled-to-job/) [Nick Yarris](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nick-yarris/) > [Amazingly, 85 percent of prescribed standard medical treatments across the board lack scientific validation, according to the New York Times. Richard Smith, editor of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kenny-ausubel/amazingly-85-percent-of-prescribed-standard-medical-treatments-across/) [Kenny Ausubel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kenny-ausubel/) > [Today, hundreds of thousands of AIDS patients are under medical treatment, which is a great advancement. But it makes some people reckless.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yoweri-museveni/today-hundreds-of-thousands-of-aids-patients-are-under-medical/) [Yoweri Museveni](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yoweri-museveni/) > [“When a worker is injured at an IBP plant in Texas, he or she is immediately presented with a waiver. Signing the waiver means…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eric-schlosser/when-a-worker-is-injured-at-an-ibp-plant-in-texas-he-or-she-is/) [Eric Schlosser](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eric-schlosser/) > [“EMTs learned to love brave patients--they weren't nearly such a pain in the ass as the whiners--but not to trust them. In the name…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nevada-barr/emts-learned-to-love-brave-patients-they-weren-t-nearly-such-a-pain/) [Nevada Barr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nevada-barr/) > [“For one thing, empathy can subvert human well-being when it runs afoul of a more fundamental principle, fairness. Batson found that when people empathized…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/steven-pinker/for-one-thing-empathy-can-subvert-human-well-being-when-it-runs-afoul/) [Steven Pinker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/steven-pinker/) > [I can help a lot of other people who've gone through the same thing by building a center that will help men and women…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-gest/i-can-help-a-lot-of-other-people-who-ve-gone-through-the-same-thing/) [David Gest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-gest/) > [“Whoever is planning a nuclear war or seriously thinking about using nuclear weapons must directly be taken to a mental hospital! Mad people are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mehmet-murat-ildan/whoever-is-planning-a-nuclear-war-or-seriously-thinking-about-using/) [Mehmet Murat ildan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mehmet-murat-ildan/) > [We know that children who are healthier do not require medical treatment or care, both of which cost time and money. So, by avoiding…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seth-berkley/we-know-that-children-who-are-healthier-do-not-require-medical/) [Seth Berkley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seth-berkley/) > [“What is it about our human nature that we feel the need to defend the choices we’ve made when it comes to our medical…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suzanne-somers/what-is-it-about-our-human-nature-that-we-feel-the-need-to-defend-the/) [Suzanne Somers](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suzanne-somers/) > [“This is the exact opposite of that lazy acquiescence in irrationality which is sometimes urged by those who only know that psychoanalysis has shown…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/bertrand-russell/this-is-the-exact-opposite-of-that-lazy-acquiescence-in-irrationality/) [Bertrand Russell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/bertrand-russell/) > [Following bio-medical treatment - which is basically changing the diet, giving vitamins and supplements and detoxing the body from metals or candida - and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-mccarthy/following-bio-medical-treatment-which-is-basically-changing-the-diet/) [Jenny McCarthy](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-mccarthy/) ## More by Priyamvada Natarajan > [We cannot explain the phenomenon of gravitational lensing without general relativity, and this is where MOND spectacularly fails.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-explain-the-phenomenon-of-gravitational-lensing-without/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Evidence has been mounting for the key role that black holes play in the process of galaxy formation. But it now appears that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/evidence-has-been-mounting-for-the-key-role-that-black-holes-play-in/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [The deep fascination with the mysterious, and the impulse to seek and locate ourselves in the cosmic context, seems to be imprinted in our…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/the-deep-fascination-with-the-mysterious-and-the-impulse-to-seek-and/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [I am a professor of astronomy and physics at Yale University, where I teach an introductory class in cosmology. I see the deficiencies that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/i-am-a-professor-of-astronomy-and-physics-at-yale-university-where-i/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Mapping, both literal and metaphorical, has always been about our quest for knowing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/mapping-both-literal-and-metaphorical-has-always-been-about-our-quest/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Scientific knowledge is, by its nature, provisional. This is due to the fact that as time goes on, with the invention of better instruments,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/scientific-knowledge-is-by-its-nature-provisional-this-is-due-to-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Black holes are enigmatic astronomical objects, areas where the gravity is so immense that it has warped spacetime so that not even light can…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/black-holes-are-enigmatic-astronomical-objects-areas-where-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Being nimble and ready to change our minds if need be is an attribute that is crucial to live and thrive in a society…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/being-nimble-and-ready-to-change-our-minds-if-need-be-is-an-attribute/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [Research in basic sciences now requires resources that no one country can provide.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/research-in-basic-sciences-now-requires-resources-that-no-one-country/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [It is my idea that the public needs to be better educated about the nature of scientific inquiry and how the scientific process works.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/it-is-my-idea-that-the-public-needs-to-be-better-educated-about-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [The precise effects of lensing depend on the mass of the lens, the structure of space-time, and the relative distance between us, the lens,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/the-precise-effects-of-lensing-depend-on-the-mass-of-the-lens-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [If you know the shape of the lens and the image you get, you can work out the path that light followed between the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/if-you-know-the-shape-of-the-lens-and-the-image-you-get-you-can-work/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [The early universe was a dusty place, and the UV radiation from the hot, young black holes and stars would get enshrouded by dust,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/the-early-universe-was-a-dusty-place-and-the-uv-radiation-from-the/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [We need to make sure that the Voyager probes carrying a record of human civilization speeding beyond our solar system remain an introduction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-need-to-make-sure-that-the-voyager-probes-carrying-a-record-of/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [I fell in love with the night sky when I first looked through a telescope as a young girl growing up in Delhi.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/i-fell-in-love-with-the-night-sky-when-i-first-looked-through-a/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) [Explore all 49 Priyamvada Natarajan quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) ## More Doctor quotes > [Many patients imagine that they have tried everything. True, they have used many remedies, but they have never had the cause of their infirmity…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/daniel-d-palmer/many-patients-imagine-that-they-have-tried-everything-true-they-have/) [Daniel D. Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/daniel-d-palmer/) > [I think people need to be comfortable questioning the authority of a doctor.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susannah-cahalan/i-think-people-need-to-be-comfortable-questioning-the-authority-of-a/) [Susannah Cahalan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susannah-cahalan/) > [The doctor who diagnosed me with ALS, or motor neuron disease, told me that it would kill me in two or three years.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stephen-hawking/the-doctor-who-diagnosed-me-with-als-or-motor-neuron-disease-told-me/) [Stephen Hawking](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stephen-hawking/) > [Every patient carries her or his own doctor inside.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/albert-schweitzer/every-patient-carries-her-or-his-own-doctor-inside/) [Albert Schweitzer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/albert-schweitzer/) > [“As a special branch of general philosophy, pathogenesis had never been explored. In my opinion it had never been approached in a strictly scientific…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/blaise-cendrars/as-a-special-branch-of-general-philosophy-pathogenesis-had-never-been/) [Blaise Cendrars](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/blaise-cendrars/) > [A creative space is an important thing. There are so many studios that feel like doctor's offices in Nashville. I couldn't write there.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/brad-paisley/a-creative-space-is-an-important-thing-there-are-so-many-studios-that/) [Brad Paisley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/brad-paisley/) > [We ought to observe that practice which is the hardest of all-especially for young physicians-we ought to throw in no medicine at all-to abstain-to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-randolph-of-roanoke/we-ought-to-observe-that-practice-which-is-the-hardest-of-all/) [John Randolph of Roanoke](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-randolph-of-roanoke/) > [The miracle drugs (neuroleptics) cause the worst plague of brain damage in medical history.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/peter-breggin/the-miracle-drugs-neuroleptics-cause-the-worst-plague-of-brain-damage/) [Peter Breggin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/peter-breggin/) > [“old-fashioned, gentle Scottish physician, unmoved by the considerations of profit and personal gain that could so disfigure medicine. That doctors should consider themselves businessmen…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-mccall-smith/old-fashioned-gentle-scottish-physician-unmoved-by-the-considerations/) [Alexander McCall Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-mccall-smith/) > [I've never bought this idea of taking a therapeutic distance. If I see a student or house staff cry, I take great faith in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abraham-verghese/i-ve-never-bought-this-idea-of-taking-a-therapeutic-distance-if-i-see/) [Abraham Verghese](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abraham-verghese/) > [Heart surgeons do not have the world's smallest egos: when you ask them to name the world's three leading practitioners, they never can remember…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sara-paretsky/heart-surgeons-do-not-have-the-world-s-smallest-egos-when-you-ask/) [Sara Paretsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sara-paretsky/) > [Thankfully, I found a doctor at Presbyterian Hospital in New York, Scott Hammer, who diagnosed my chronic fatigue as the Epstein-Barr virus, and the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tucker-halpern/thankfully-i-found-a-doctor-at-presbyterian-hospital-in-new-york/) [Tucker Halpern](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tucker-halpern/) > [My parents are so supportive of whatever we want to do and completely nurtured that, and they're so proud of that as well. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hannah-john-kamen/my-parents-are-so-supportive-of-whatever-we-want-to-do-and-completely/) [Hannah John-Kamen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hannah-john-kamen/) > [Before we can wave the handkerchief, we have to have a cold.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robert-d-dangoor/before-we-can-wave-the-handkerchief-we-have-to-have-a-cold/) [Robert D Dangoor](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robert-d-dangoor/) > [Tuberculosis, starvation, fatigue, and there are many who have no desire to live.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-r-murrow/tuberculosis-starvation-fatigue-and-there-are-many-who-have-no-desire/) [Edward R. Murrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-r-murrow/) [Browse all 3,922 Doctor quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/doctor/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention receives on Facebook; no matter what, professionals will still need to conduct continued clinical trials and evaluate their outcomes carefully.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Priyamvada Natarajan" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-medical-treatment-by-counting/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Doctor" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-medical-treatment-by-counting/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/152/priyamvada-natarajan-13848_doctor_we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-me_159079.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“We cannot decide on the efficacy of a medical treatment by counting the number of 'Likes' an intervention…” — Priyamvada Natarajan", "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": "Priyamvada Natarajan", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "We cannot decide on the efficacy...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-medical-treatment-by-counting/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/we-cannot-decide-on-the-efficacy-of-a-medical-treatment-by-counting/#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 } } ] } ```