3 ms·
Well, I can think of one downside to just giving the demanding people what they want: over-use of antibiotics creating 'super' strains of bacteria. (I realize
by pyre 12y ago
Well, I can think of one downside to just giving the demanding people what they want: over-use of antibiotics creating 'super' strains of bacteria.
(I realize that you're specifically talking about tests, but I see tests as just an example of the, "I know better than the doctor," people.)
- SoftwareMaven 12y agoI would hope no doctor would prescribe anything without agreeing to the medical benefit of said treatment (I've asked for an off-label prescription before and my doctor pushed back until he understood and agreed it was worthwhile). A patient can't just start taking an antibiotic; the doctor has been given that gatekeeping role, and that is as it should be. Just because patients are involved doesn't mean doctors abdicate their responsibilities as well. (Off-shore pharmacies add a whole new twist to this, and I'm not sure how you address that. I wonder, though, if antibiotic usage in industrial animal husbandry is not a bigger problem than somebody's hypochondriac relative.)