> Some people's priorities are no surgery unless absolutely necessary. which is a good general rule to go by - surgery is not without dangers. The doctor's ro

> Some people's priorities are no surgery unless absolutely necessary. which is a good general rule to go by - surgery is not without dangers. The doctor's role, imho, is to firstly explain all of the available options (pros, cons, etc). Once the patient understands all of the options, the doctor can recommend one of them, and explain why the option is good. The patient needs to evaluate the other options as well, and think about whether the doctor's recommendation is sound, and what assumptions they might've made (may be unknowingly). The patient is not, and should not be, a passive party to medical treatment.