Medical Elitism: Perscriptions and the Patients choice of treatment

[theWorldWithin]

Does nobody here work in the medical field in the US? Has nobody seen the befuddled look on the average US patient's face when they're explained their medical condition in detail? The average American can't even add fractions or remember if the sun rotates around the earth or visa versa.

This is nonsense, Americans are among the most highly educated populations in the world. Perhaps you work in the South, then I may agree with you. There are plenty of people who know what is going on with their bodies and few of us who would willingly pay $150 dollars for a consultation over the flu if we had the choice. The medical industry is outright exploitation of the public.

 

[Coolio]

I agree wholeheartedly, theWorldWithin.

 

[seep]

rotates = revolves

This is nonsense, Americans are among the most highly educated populations in the world.

Ha.

Ha.

But perhaps, my friend, we live in culturally distinct areas. I interviewed a patient today who told me her psychiatrist prescribes her sertraline for her depression while her PCP prescribes her fluoxetine for her GERD. Besides the obvious fallacy, when I warned her about serotonin toxicity I had to explain to her what serotonin was, then what a neurotransmitter was, then what a neuron was. I'm pretty good at dumbing information down, but after my careful explanation of psychotropic medication (an explanation whose lexicographical complexity was below Dr. Seuss's prose), she said, "I'm nervous because I have too many nerves."

Or there's my coworkers (licensed psychotherapists) who are afraid to drink diet sodas because they think they'll "catch" phenylketoneuria. In my neck of the woods, the majority of people believe the universe developed from nonexistence to its present form in 144 hours, and that dinosaurs and intelligent homosapiens lived side-by-side. I don't think that this naivety varies much throughout most of the US, except in communities like Cambridge and Berkeley. As long as the daunting stupidity that is the norm in this country is not dealt with, the scenario that op invects against will only worsen.

 

[Sturnam]

Sturnam, although doctors do attend years of education that does not mean they are a better source of treatment than you are. Just think how many times they 'get it wrong'. Most doctors are useful for their clinical experience in diagnosis, IE taking general symptoms and narrowing it to a specifically labeled disorder (often incorrectly I might add). The sad truth is that few doctors understand the mechanism of treatment and because of their patient volume and constant influx of new customers they probably never will take the time to understand that treatments method of action.

This is nonsense, Americans are among the most highly educated populations in the world.

This is confusing. You seem to be in the camp that doctors are stupid, drooling, drones of animals chasing the proverbial carrot on a stick (money) yet you lavishly praise the American public at large. How are people who have gone through years of school less knowledgeable on a topic than people with absolutely no formal education in it? If Americans are among the most highly educated, then why are our doctor dumb? Why do they take bribes, and care about incentives from insurance companies more than patients?

For the record, I think (or would like to believe, at least) that most doctors have a genuine interest in helping people. I'd be willing to bet that your hostility towards doctors was sparked by a bad experience with one, and has thus made you loath all doctors.

But, by the same token, maybe I've been influenced by only good experiences. My mom is a PA, and to me seems like she would ALWAYS have the patients' best interest in mind. She has often told me how she would dissuade a patient from getting prescription medication because they didn't need it and would be perfectly fine with OTC medicine, or talking patients out of getting antibiotics for a viral infection. She also isn't afraid to admit when she has no idea what I'm talking about with respect to drugs and possible treatment options, or how exactly they work.

Which brings up the question that needs to be addressed: do doctors really need to understand the cellular mechanisms behind their work? Do simple carpenters understand the dynamics and complex physics of theforce bearing properties of the house, the school, the hospital, or the stadium they're building? With such a vast quantity of knowledge that would be required to completely understand the mechanisms behind every possible medicine or treatment a doctor would prescribe, they'd be in med school until they were 50. Like the carpenter, people with more specific knowledge construct the plans, design it to be safe (as possible), and then give instructions to others on how to do it.

I agree with seep, that the American public isn't as smart as we'd like to believe. Most of Europe and Costa Rica have higher literacy rates. China is racing ahead in many types of research. We have the highest rates of prenancy and STD's of any developed nation. The dropout rates (for high school) exceed 50% in some places. Some schools are literally paying their students ($50 for every A, every quarter) to get them to achieve. We are behind on standardized testing compared to Europe. My question is, how are we succeeding?

The bottom line is, there will always be people dissatisfied wherever there are professionals. Some people think they can do their taxes better than CPA's, fix their car better than mechanics, diagnose themselves better than doctors, and lead the country better than the government. Doctors prescribing to people is what's best for the masses.

It's the same reasoning behind any specialty, for that matter. Not everyone can learn everything sufficiently to get them through in this modern world. So instead we delegate these positions, and trust the professional's judgment in these matters. If they violate our trust, it is our right and duty to find another one who will fit our needs. Why should be support narrow minded doctors, corrupt politicians, or dishonest mechanics? We shouldn't, and we need to make a statement by not giving them our business, and giving our patronage to the honest, truthful professionals.