We cannot let the anecdote rule over us. We don’t make sound policy if we are swayed by isolated emotional vignettes. Of course, a vignette describes a living, breathing human being, but we must consider the greater good, the overall context and the risk of letting our hearts triumph over our heads when making general policy. Consider these examples. If an expensive drug treatment program keeps 5 addicts clean for 6 months, do we champion this success in asking for funding to be renewed while omitting that 400 enrolled addicts failed? If an experimental medical treatment seems to be effective in one patient with a stubborn disease, should physicians lurch toward it leaving aside standard treatments which have been subjected to Food and Drug Administration approval and years of clinical experience? If a high school student attends an SAT prep course and achieves a near perfect score, do we conclude that every student should enroll in this course? It is natural to b
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.