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NIGER DELTA JOURNAL OF MEDICINE & MEDICAL RESEARCH

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Archive | ISSUE: 163, Volume: Jul-Sep-2026

MEDICAL DOGMAS: ORIGINS, IMPLICATIONS, AND THE WAY FORWARD


Author:Yeibake WS

published date:2026-Sep-14

FULL TEXT in - | page 141–154

Abstract

Background: Medical dogmas are clinical beliefs or practices accepted without adequate scientific evidence and remain common despite the growth of evidence-based medicine. They persist through tradition, authority, cognitive bias, institutional inertia, and commercial and cultural influences, with important consequences for patient safety, quality of care and health system efficiency.

Objectives: This review examines the historical origins of medical dogmas, their clinical and system-level implications, and practical approaches for identifying, challenging and replacing them with evidence-based practice.

Methodology: I undertook a narrative review of peer-reviewed literature and authoritative evidence-based medicine sources, thematically synthesising historical, conceptual, and contemporary evidence. The review draws on guideline repositories and major review literature to characterise recurring origins, examples, harms and reform strategies relevant to clinical practice.

Results: Medical dogmas commonly arise from historical tradition, incomplete or outdated evidence, authority-based learning, industry influence, patient expectations and resistance to change. Their effects include unnecessary investigations and treatment, avoidable adverse events, antibiotic resistance, increased costs, delayed innovation, and erosion of public trust. These harms are magnified in low-resource settings, where limited budgets, workforce shortages and weak local evidence generation make waste and inefficiency especially consequential.

Conclusion: Medical dogmas remain a significant barrier to safe, efficient, and equitable care. Reducing them requires stronger evidence-based medical training, critical appraisal skills, quality improvement systems, and a culture of intellectual humility in clinical practice.

Keywords: Medical dogmas, Evidence-based medicine, Clinical practice guidelines, Healthcare quality, Critical thinking, Patient safety.

Cite this article: Yeibake WS. Medical dogmas: origins, implications, and the way forward. Niger Delta J Med Med Res. 2026;5(3):141–154.

Keywords: Medical dogmas, Evidence-based medicine, Clinical practice guidelines, Healthcare quality, Critical thinking

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FULL TEXT in - | page 141–154

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