Suggested Reading

Articles:

The NNT  A powerful tool to communicate benefit and harm

Treat Me?  The crucial health stat you’ve never heard of (Slate)

Do Cholesterol Drugs Do Any Good? Research suggests that, except for high-risk heart patients, the benefits of statins such as Lipitor are overstated (Business Week)

On the Number Needed to Treat  SASA research paper providing a detailed analysis of NNT statistics.

Books:

Overdiagnosed: Making People Sick in the Pursuit of Health by H. Gilbert Welch et al, Beacon Press.  A critical look at our national obsession with preventive medicine.