Healthcare is one of the most controversial social issues today, but on a personal level, we have to deal with more concrete situations and problems that need to be delved into more deeply. Correct me if I’m wrong, but you may be using natural and/or herbal supplements and treatments and still go to your General Practitioner, medical specialist, or surgeon for some health issues. This is not to say that alternative medicine is out of the picture. It’s just that modern medicine is still an option for many of us.
There have been so many cases where the patient-doctor relationship has suffered due to various reasons for, and if you are (have been) in this situation, it might help if you get a glimpse of what’s going on in the realm of modern medicine.
Your point of view
Everyone goes to their doctor for one reason: to get help for whatever health-related problem. We want that problem to be solved as efficiently – and cheaply – as possible.
Unfortunately, that is not what always happens. There are some medical cases where doctors come across as inept and not knowing the best or most modern solutions. There are some cases where the medical bills are astronomical that it’s ridiculous.
Naturally, you – the patient – gets frustrated. You are led to believe that the onus is all on the doctor, and this may be justified, but without having insight into the state of modern medicine, patients may not understand the reasons behind their doctors’ “lack of innovation” and creativity in treating patients.
What doctors’ face
Enter the state of modern medicine.
It used to be that doctors were revered – they knew everything and could be counted on to come up with new solutions to health problems. The landscape has changed over the decades, however, and according to Dr. Noah Minskoff, “we’re in the age of more need of doctors: treating more patients, with more treatments, for less money. There’s so much pressure on the healthcare system, it’s no wonder why there’s a lack of meaningful innovation.”
You might have a general idea of how hectic a doctor’s life is – long, irregular, and overnight hours, not to mention the years and years of study to get where they are.
It is thus no surprise that there is a general lack of doctors.
In addition, the practice of medicine is now more regulated. Dr. Noah Minskoff describes the situation:
As medicine gets more managed, it gets more defensive. There’s been a shift toward this practice of evidence-based defensive medicine that might have closed some inroads for innovation.
This means that physicians “are increasingly trained to utilize some kind of journal article or study that says this is the right thing to do for this particular patient, with this particular problem, at this particular time. There is enormous resistance in trying something new or innovative“, says Dr. Noah Minskoff.
There is also the culture of litigation, where doctors can easily find themselves facing malpractice lawsuits, which encourage the lack of innovation and experimentation.
If you’re missing the “good old days” when doctors were more personal and found their own inventive ways to treat a condition, Dr. Noah Minskoff’s explanation might make you understand why things have changed:
We look backwards to find the formula that answers the question how do I treat this patient, rather than looking at the patient, looking at the problem, and being open minded to new ideas. That has slowly whittled away the inventive spirit of medicine in general.
What now?
Your health – mental and physical – is still of utmost priority, and while you may have seeds of dissatisfaction and doubt about the state of modern medicine, the above insights may give you a different perspective as to why doctors today seem to follow a formulaic pattern instead of exuding creativity.
The next time you need to visit your doctor, try to bear these things in mind. While you may not have the power to change the state of modern medicine, it is helpful to understand why there seems to be a lack of innovation in the niche.
You can then work with your doctor more closely to find solutions to your health problem, and perhaps have more meaningful interactions, which can only lead to better overall health.
Also read: 5 Natural and Herbal Dental Care Treatments for Home Use
Originally posted on December 19, 2014 @ 8:30 am
