Editorial: Medical Abuse
We hear a lot of good things about the Medical Profession. In general they are true, but what we don't hear is the other side of the story, the bad things.
Approximately 55,000 Americans die each year from medical malpractice or related negligence in the medical profession. Mistakes, misdiagnoses, wrong treatment, and more. In addition to those who don't make it and pass away, hundreds of thousands more suffer needlessly because of carelessness and worse including bad or abusive attitudes, knowing it all, failing to listen to the patient and more.
Sadly, negligence, abuse and worse, masked by an enforced policy of silence, denial and cover-up, outweigh the benefits with a growing number of medical professionals.
Some examples from real life best illustrate this concept:
- 1. A nurse I know with a serious obesity problem was told by several Md's over a 10 year period that she was "just lazy and ate too much". Then her metabolic problem was properly diagnosed and successfully treated. She was psychology abused by the "just lazy and ate too much" earlier MD's whose medical negligence over 10 years in duration also resulted in permanent physical and perhaps some emotional damage.
- 2. In another case a man with serious heavy metal poisoning was misdiagnosed for 30 years leaving him permanently impaired. His many requests for help during those years resulted in his being abusively labeled instead of being properly diagnosed and treated. Incredibly, during the 30 years he was misdiagnosed and labeled, his blood chemistry was clearly and consistently abnormal (as evidenced by a review of his lab work).
- 3. And so on, and so on...
All too often physicians are unwilling to get to the root of the problem, then slap a label on the patient and treat the label as if its real or refer the patient.
Often its an incorrect diagnosis with incorrect medication. The patient in Case 2 above was prescribed everything from steroids and antibiotics to psychotropic drugs, none of which were appropriate. Sometimes its a psychiatric or psychological label which is nothing more than a convenient construct handed out by an often dubiously qualified physician. These labels are rarely correct and often damn the patient when they become part of the patients records.
All too often medical practitioners respond to Gestalts or impressions, and unfortunately fail to properly hear or even properly evaluate the patient.
Money also plays a very big role. There was a time when a young person become a medical professional because they were interested in helping others. According to my uncle, who was an M.D., physician applicants to work in his clinic were primarily interested in how much they would make, not about their medical opportunities and obligations at the clinic. If the Doc is primarily interested in making money, he may not want difficult or time consuming cases.
I've met a lot of very good medical folks, and some poor if not potentially disastorous ones. I've also met some abusive ones who were clearly unfit to practice medicine or treat or care for any patient.
If you feel medical related abuse is valid or pressing concern in the medical profession, please include your comments below .....
America's communities have a hidden shame. We label them the homeless and do little or nothing to see why they are homeless or how we can help them improve their circumstances. Our politicians know most of them don't vote or can't vote for one reason or another and literally let them starve and even die sleeping in the woods or an underpass or wherever they find themselves.
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