Did Cochrane's study on masks get it wrong?
Critics say Cochrane ignored real world data. Now the co-founder of the Cochrane collaboration, an expert in research methodology, weighs in.
Naomi Oreskes, well-known science historian and co-author of Merchants of Doubt, argues that the public was “misled” by the 2023 Cochrane review, which concluded that wearing a face mask “probably makes little or no difference” in preventing SARS-CoV-2 transmission.
In an article published by Scientific American, Oreskes writes that “the average person could be confused” by the Cochrane study because its method of synthesising evidence prioritised “rigor over reality.”
Oreskes criticises the Cochrane review for basing its findings “on randomized controlled trials, often called the ‘gold standard’ of scientific evidence,” and said the analysis ignored “epidemiological evidence because it didn't meet its rigid standard.”
Oreskes concludes that Cochrane got it wrong because its methods are too rigorous and that “it’s time those standard procedures were changed.”
Peter Gøtzsche, a physician scientist who co-founded the Cochrane Collaboration in 1993 and expert in research methodology, says he is “stunned” by her comments.