I’ve always had a negative feeling about the A.M.A. because they seemed to espouse a lot of old and incorrect medical "beliefs". I think they (and doctors in general) have stronger beliefs in their "beliefs" than the average person because they know they are smarter and more knowledgable than the average person. "Beliefs" could be scientific discoveries that have been or should be discredited.
About the ‘pricklyness’ of health professionals - I found one of the most frustrating aspects of being at either end of the process (I was once a biomedical scientist and have often been a patient) is the isolationism of specialists. I hope it’s changed now, but the reluctance of doctors to refer a patient to a different speciality or take advice was endemic in the NHS. We often got requests in the lab for tests with the diagnosis filled out with “GOK” (God Only Knows) but God forbid if we suggested an actual cause of the patient’s problems when returning the report. We’d get strongly-worded memos on our lack of qualifications to diagnose - hence why we only ‘suggested’ a cause. You’d think they would have welcomed our input if they were stuck!
Another time my husband was in hospital with abdominal pain (acute and chronic) and was admitted to a surgical ward. They ran a battery of tests, including an eosinophil count. Everything else was normal, but his count was off the scale. As in out past the solar system - absolutely huge. The consultant was baffled, and I gently suggested that the medics could get involved. He was up for it, but the medical team said no. Once hubby was home, I dug up my old notes and found a reference that suggested hubby was suffering from eosinophilic gastroenteritis. A medical condition. I dragged him off to the GP, expecting to have to argue his case, but the young chap was more than open to treating him. He did so, with a course of strong steroids, which absolutely sorted the problem.
I’d imagine that the isolationism you describe is now far less common. I can’t comment much on the NHS (peering in from the outside), but in my experience, most of my colleagues would be ecstatically happy if someone in the lab came up with a smart idea. I think the style of doctoring that you describe is dying out, together with the old, grumpy consultants who practised it.
"mitigate misery, manage long-term conditions, and achieve occasional cures. We can also confer potent protection with vaccines, of course."
Ilth management?
I’ve always had a negative feeling about the A.M.A. because they seemed to espouse a lot of old and incorrect medical "beliefs". I think they (and doctors in general) have stronger beliefs in their "beliefs" than the average person because they know they are smarter and more knowledgable than the average person. "Beliefs" could be scientific discoveries that have been or should be discredited.
About the ‘pricklyness’ of health professionals - I found one of the most frustrating aspects of being at either end of the process (I was once a biomedical scientist and have often been a patient) is the isolationism of specialists. I hope it’s changed now, but the reluctance of doctors to refer a patient to a different speciality or take advice was endemic in the NHS. We often got requests in the lab for tests with the diagnosis filled out with “GOK” (God Only Knows) but God forbid if we suggested an actual cause of the patient’s problems when returning the report. We’d get strongly-worded memos on our lack of qualifications to diagnose - hence why we only ‘suggested’ a cause. You’d think they would have welcomed our input if they were stuck!
Another time my husband was in hospital with abdominal pain (acute and chronic) and was admitted to a surgical ward. They ran a battery of tests, including an eosinophil count. Everything else was normal, but his count was off the scale. As in out past the solar system - absolutely huge. The consultant was baffled, and I gently suggested that the medics could get involved. He was up for it, but the medical team said no. Once hubby was home, I dug up my old notes and found a reference that suggested hubby was suffering from eosinophilic gastroenteritis. A medical condition. I dragged him off to the GP, expecting to have to argue his case, but the young chap was more than open to treating him. He did so, with a course of strong steroids, which absolutely sorted the problem.
I’d imagine that the isolationism you describe is now far less common. I can’t comment much on the NHS (peering in from the outside), but in my experience, most of my colleagues would be ecstatically happy if someone in the lab came up with a smart idea. I think the style of doctoring that you describe is dying out, together with the old, grumpy consultants who practised it.
I’m glad to hear that things have changed :)