Another 'look behind the curtain'. Patients in hospitals exist in a state of enforced dependence. This begins with the stripping of clothes and continues with the regimentation of care--everybody gets an IV, no matter that future treatment options are not yet determined. And the doctor--well, the doctor is God. Nurses bow, though their expressions and muttering often betray skepticism. The patient is expected to be submissive.
Yet, as your piece suggests, doctors are fallible. The rate of medical errors attests to that.
This is an informative piece, but its greatest value lies in the reminder that we need to be vigilant in our own medical care. We need to be informed and assertive. The people who are administering care, are just that: people. They get tired, they may be ill-informed, they make mistakes.
Although I complain, hospitals in developed countries are still superior.
When I read about the interactions between the lab and clinicians in underdeveloped regions, it's way scary.
Yes they are, the practice of medicine should make one humble, but that doesn't seem to be the case many times.
In those places, you can have doctors that won't trust lab results due to ignorance or pride. At the same time, you could have incompetent lab personnel that fuel that distrust.
I have met doctors like this, and these are the doctors I tend to trust. Everybody is fallible :)