4 ms·

I agree with what you said, but there's another dimension as well (as I mention elsewhere in this thread, see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2263931 http:/

I agree with what you said, but there's another dimension as well (as I mention elsewhere in this thread, see http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2263931 http://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=2263931). We also enforce MDs being the gatekeeper to various medical stuff. Many things we insist must be done by a doctor could be done without that degree. There are certainly a lot of things that someone with the knowledge of a LPN or Army medic could do just fine (say, checking for a broken bone). And our obsession with (the war on) drugs makes MDs the gatekeeper to pharmaceuticals. Really, there's no reason why most drugs can't be widely available. I understand the logic behind some (like the overuse of antibiotics breeding resistant bacteria like MRSA), but MDs are doing a bad job of preventing that, and in any case, those could be the exception rather than the norm. There's really no reason I shouldn't be able to go to the store and pick up, say, my Asacol on my own initiative. So the low population of MDs is one aspect, but the overloading of MDs with responsibilities for which their skills aren't needed is another.

dkarl 16y ago
Doctors being the gatekeepers to pharmaceuticals also means that when you seek care for an ailment or symptoms favored by pill tourists, the doctor will make a snap judgment based on your appearance and demeanor and possibly decide not to give you appropriate care. You might just be sent home with a follow-up appointment, or if you're in the emergency room, you might be left on a gurney in a hallway for hours while the nurses ignore you.
SageRaven 16y ago
I agree whole-heatedly with your comment on the "gatekeeper" mentality of the medical industry. Armed with a current copy of "The Merck Manual," some internet research, and local feed store antibiotics, I've successfully self-treated for a few infections. I can only imagine that retired nurses, field medics, and EMTs (you know, people with real training in this stuff) all being able to legally administer rudimentary healthcare to their local communities would provide much-needed care for a great many cases, thereby increasing the quality of life for many more people.

dkarl 16y ago

Doctors being the gatekeepers to pharmaceuticals also means that when you seek care for an ailment or symptoms favored by pill tourists, the doctor will make a snap judgment based on your appearance and demeanor and possibly decide not to give you appropriate care. You might just be sent home with a follow-up appointment, or if you're in the emergency room, you might be left on a gurney in a hallway for hours while the nurses ignore you.

SageRaven 16y ago

I agree whole-heatedly with your comment on the "gatekeeper" mentality of the medical industry. Armed with a current copy of "The Merck Manual," some internet research, and local feed store antibiotics, I've successfully self-treated for a few infections. I can only imagine that retired nurses, field medics, and EMTs (you know, people with real training in this stuff) all being able to legally administer rudimentary healthcare to their local communities would provide much-needed care for a great many cases, thereby increasing the quality of life for many more people.