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A new book critiques medicine

blogs.scientificamerican.com

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Re: A new book critiques medicine

#21

Post by patrick5415 »

codingslave wrote: post #9

I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…

At a high level, I agree. My take is that for things like broken bones, and other accute trauma, doctors are great. For everything else, especially anything chronic, and they are completely worthless.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#22

Post by [deleted] »

codingslave wrote: post #9

I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…

[deleted]

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#23

Post by hannob »

codingslave wrote: post #9

I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…

> I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data

Honestly I think the last people that are going to improve anything in medicine are startups and tech companies.

Quite the contrary. I know that quite a few people in evidence-based medicine are worried that Tech people who want to "disrupt" things come with their own poor scientific standards to undermine the minimum standards this field has (and has fought hard for to get).

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#24

Post by agumonkey »

codingslave wrote: post #9

I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…

It's a deep, wide and sensitive subject. White coats give people extreme social powers. But they are far from perfect.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#25

Post by maxander »

“Spending too much on medicine” isn’t like spending too much on clothes or nice houses. If the consumer goods you buy are crummy and don’t improve your life you can do without them, but we’re essentially unable to decide we can do without health. Demand for cures for our diseases is different than demand for other things, and that shows up both in the sorry economic structure of our (U.S.) health system, and here.

If we had more medical treatments that worked, and a lab-to-hospital pipeline with a better track record, I suspect better scientific standards would follow naturally. But for now, raising the standards of evidence would essentially block off the invention of new treatments altogether, which simply isn’t an option even on a psychological level.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#26

Post by jcranmer »

codingslave wrote: post #9

I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…

The health supplement industry is still alive and kicking. And that's an industry that's so sleazy many companies can't be bothered to even put their claimed active ingredients in their products. Yet it's a very healthy industry that has very cushy anti-regulation protections.

So even if you were right on the lack of efficacy of modern medical treatment (and I strongly suspect you are not), I highly doubt that its exposure would lead to a collapse in the industry.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#27

Post by yourMadness »

Modern medicine has some aspects that are miraculously good and it is easy to fall into the trap of thinking that those are representative for all of medicine. It's a kind of halo effect bias.

In my opinion the most amazing thing still is antibiotics (and vaccination). Treatmeant of war/vehicle/sports injuries taking the second place (including anesthetics). Both can take people from a path of sure death within hours or days to often complete recovery within weeks or months.

If that is the performance expectation of the general public for all of medicine, then it certainly is overrated.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#28

Post by julienreszka »

maxander wrote: post #25

“Spending too much on medicine” isn’t like spending too much on clothes or nice houses. If the consumer goods you buy are crummy and don’t improve your life you can do without them, but we’re essentially unable to decide we can do without health . Demand for cures for our diseases is different than demand for other things, and that shows up both in the sorry economic structure of our (U.S.) health system, and here. I…

> "raising the standards of evidence would essentially block off the invention of new treatments altogether"

Citation needed.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#29

Post by agumonkey »

Let me extend the query, is "modern medicine" overrated. Modern technology + western like urban lifestyle changed how we live.. and how much medicine we think we need.

Walking in the woods is probably as effective as the average anti depressant. Good physical activity too.

But we sell that modern life is great and that ailments are normal and that thanks to the medical field we have all these solutions.. that we probably didn't need in the first place.

Re: A new book critiques medicine

#30

Post by mistermann »

pixelmonkey wrote: post #20
codingslave wrote: post #9

I've long believed that once startups and tech companies get their hands on medical data (patient outcomes, medication treatment outcomes, mal practice rates, surgery outcomes) that a reckoning will take place on the medical industry. The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data bec…

"The level of legitimacy and respect that doctors and hospitals currently have is far too high, and hinges on branding and the exclusivity of becoming a doctor. Once all of this data becomes available, it will be obvious how worthless and expensive most medical treatments really are." I'm the spouse/partner of a recently-trained doctor, and I'm a programmer and startup founder with 2 decades of experience. With all r…

Would it be possible for you to be more specific about the ways in which the commenter is wrong?
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