Study casts doubt on duct tape wart cure
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Rating
Study casts doubt on duct tape wart cure
Our Review Summary
Beyond the polished floors of medical clinics, the unassuming roll of duct tape enjoys a gritty reputation for mastering countless tribulations of daily life, from rotted radiator hoses and sprung suitcases to broken barbecues and split rake handles. Is it possible that duct tape could also cure one of medicine’s intractable problems—the harmless, common wart? Well, maybe—and maybe not. This nifty AP story ably describes the medical threat posed by warts (“harmless, stubborn bumps” that eventually go away on their own), explains the scientific methods used to test the theory that duct tape cures warts, quantifies the research results, and outlines several other treatment options. The article also provides a glimmer of hope for duct tape devotees who might be sorry to see this unassuming therapy headed for the dust bin. The researchers used a rubberless, transparent tape foresworn by aficionados. Conceivably, the classic, silver standard tape used in previous attempts at duct tape therapy might do the trick. Or, as The Duct Tape Guys sagely observe on their distinctive website, "If duct tape isn't the answer, then you must be asking the wrong question!" (http://www.ducttapeguys.com/)
Criteria
Not Satisfactory
The article doesn’t comment on costs. Though most readers will know that if duct tape were effective it would cost only pennies, few are likely to know the cost of the various medical therapies – from over-the-counter ointments to lasers and injections.
Satisfactory
The article notes that the researchers looked at a single outcome—the disappearance of the wart—and that one in five patients in each group had a successful outcome.
Not Satisfactory
According to the published study, duct tape is a virtually harmless treatment, but can cause minor irritations (numbness and bleeding in two of the 90 subjects enrolled in the study). The AP story neglects to mention this.
Satisfactory
The article nicely explains the workings of a randomized, double-blind, controlled trial in which one group received treatment with moleskin alone and the other group received moleskin plus duct tape; neither doctors nor patients knew which treatment they received.
Satisfactory
The news story puts warts in their proper context—saying they are “harmless, stubborn bumps” that will eventually go away on their own without any treatment at all.
Satisfactory
The article quotes the lead author of the study and the chair of the dermatology department at an academic medical center with no relationship to the study.
Satisfactory
The news story ably summarizes a broad range of other medical therapies that attempt to eliminate warts, from over-the-counter ointments to lasers and injections.
Satisfactory
Duct tape is as American as apple pie, and if readers want to buy some they will know where to find it.
Satisfactory
The news story explains that duct tape has fascinated previous researchers, and “earned a place in the medicine cabinet in 2002.”
Satisfactory
No obvious use of text from a press release.
Total Score: 8 of 10 Satisfactory
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