There’s a phrase that every physician hears repeatedly from patients, that requires a nuanced response. Doctor, what would you do if you were me? There are variations on this inquiry, such as ‘what would you do if I were your father’, but they all are aiming at the same target. The patient, or often the patient’s family, asks the doctor what advice the physician would choose if he were in the patient’s place. For example, if the physician were the patient would he opt for: Surgery Chemotherapy Experimental treatment Watchful waiting A second opinion A third opinion Alternative medicine Acupuncture Hospice 'Doctor, what would you do? Patients erroneously believe that this form of inquiry is the magic bullet of finding out what the physician’s truly best advice is for a particular medical circumstance. After all, if the doctor would recommend a treatment for his own mom, then surely this must be the best option. Except, it isn’t. Here’s why. P
MD Whistleblower presents vignettes and commentaries on the medical profession. We peek 'behind the medical curtain' and deliver candor and controversy in every post.