11 ms·

Physician here. I personally believe patients should do their own research, up to a certain point. There is a reason physicians have tens of thousands of hours

by mewop 12y ago

Physician here. I personally believe patients should do their own research, up to a certain point. There is a reason physicians have tens of thousands of hours of training. We quickly learn medicine is rarely black and white and straight from the textbooks. The art of medicine is a skill that takes a lifetime to develop, and is still not perfect. Sure, you can search pubmed for the best therapies, but patients often don't know how to fully interpret a study. Was there enough power? Does the patient fit the studied population? Are the primary endpoints significant in this scenario? The knowledge is out there, but dangerous in the wrong hands. Its generally a subpopulation of patients that give a reasonably self informed patient a bad reputation. Many patients (especially in the low income brackets) treat their physician like a McDonald's drive through. I want this, this, and this and I don't care about your extensive training and clinical judgement.

JoeAltmaier 12y ago
Which sets us up for the anecdotes posted elsewhere on this thread. Doctors become cynical, discount every patient's questions and ideas; patients with real problems get ignored; HN fills up with horror stories. Do you have a solution in mind?
x1798DE 12y ago
I honestly think this "I want this, this and this" comes down to how we infantalize adults in modern society, and how that comes out in the way that we pay for healthcare (insurance or social programs rather than out of pocket) and in the drug war. About half the time I go to the doctor, I already know what I want (i.e. not for diagnostic reasons) and if I could get it and at least try it out without a prescription, I wouldn't need to waste my time and the doctor's time. Sometimes I don't know what's wrong with me and I actually do want to utilize the doctor's diagnostic skill, but that's not always the case - the same is true when I visit a mechanic, sometimes you already know you need an oil change and a tire rotation or whatever. Yes, people might make the wrong call about their health sometimes, but that's not the doctor's concern - they're adults, not infants, they've earned the right to make their own mistakes.

by mewop 12y ago

JoeAltmaier 12y ago

Which sets us up for the anecdotes posted elsewhere on this thread. Doctors become cynical, discount every patient's questions and ideas; patients with real problems get ignored; HN fills up with horror stories. Do you have a solution in mind?

x1798DE 12y ago

I honestly think this "I want this, this and this" comes down to how we infantalize adults in modern society, and how that comes out in the way that we pay for healthcare (insurance or social programs rather than out of pocket) and in the drug war. About half the time I go to the doctor, I already know what I want (i.e. not for diagnostic reasons) and if I could get it and at least try it out without a prescription, I wouldn't need to waste my time and the doctor's time. Sometimes I don't know what's wrong with me and I actually do want to utilize the doctor's diagnostic skill, but that's not always the case - the same is true when I visit a mechanic, sometimes you already know you need an oil change and a tire rotation or whatever. Yes, people might make the wrong call about their health sometimes, but that's not the doctor's concern - they're adults, not infants, they've earned the right to make their own mistakes.