4 ms·
True, but the presumption in the case of cancer is that: a) The doctor in question is qualified to diagnose cancer. b) The doctor has made that diagnosis, in
by darawk 8y ago
True, but the presumption in the case of cancer is that:
a) The doctor in question is qualified to diagnose cancer.
b) The doctor has made that diagnosis, in the medical sense.
In this case, Scott is a psychiatrist, who is unqualified to diagnose back pain or recommend any course of treatment on the matter. He believes his client when they say that they are in pain, but that belief is a personal, not professional, opinion.
- dmurray 8y agoHe's a medical doctor. He's qualified to diagnose back pain and recommend (professionally, not just personally) the patient tries using his own chair. As I understand it the AMA would be OK with this, while they wouldn't be OK with, say, me (not a medical professional) writing the same letter and presenting it as a professional diagnosis. He knows the limits of his abilities and wouldn't recommend the patient take 2 weeks off work, undergo back surgery or prescribe opiates. If any of those were in the discussion, he'd tell his patient he really does need to see a specialist.