After a few decades of medical practice, I am increasingly humbled by how much I do not know. In some ways, I felt more confident just after completing my training in internal medicine and gastroenterology (GI) than I do now. While some aspects of the profession have remained unchanged, such as the value of taking an accurate medical history from patients, other aspects of medicine have morphed into a more expansive and complex landscape. Compared to yesteryear, the array of diagnostic tests and medications has truly exploded. It has been a great challenge to remain current in my own specialty of GI, particularly since I am a GI generalist who has seen a very broad range of digestive conditions. Nowadays, there are more and more drugs to become familiar with and more complex disease monitoring and treatment strategies to know. It is incumbent on those who advocate a new treatment to demonstrate that actual human patients will benefit. While...
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.