Well its well known that Doctor-Patient relationship is undergoing hell lot of changes. But here i am writing on 1 facet only, ignoring other issues.
There is a growing trend towards getting INFORMED CONSENT regarding various medical procedures, separately for multiple procedures, from patients. I am not totally against it but i do think its not such a great idea.
In my experience, many patients will go for just the opposite i recommend. Like if i asked patient to get admitted for his/her condition, He/She refused. Or, if i did not advise admission they often make a request for admission. I think growing distrust on doctors is responsible for this. There are many a thing responsible for this growing distrust but i am not going into details as it itself is a big story. One thing that i would like to highlight here is- people has started thinking that they too knows "THINGS" which is contrary to the truth. Reading an article in 3-4 Rs. Newspaper or 50-100 Rs. magazines does not make you an expert (and it does not intend to!!!!!) but people choose to think otherwise. It definitely contributes to the problem.
Moreover making a decision is not that easy, specially when the situation is critical and you have little idea about "THINGS". And the severity of this indecisiveness is directly proportional to number of choices. It must be true for many guys. I feel it very often, even if it involves a simple thing like shopping for shirts or watch!! & this problem is more severe when i shop for something i know less about. I guess its universal. So how can we expect an injured person to make a best decision based on information a doctor provides?? Of course a doctor can not give a full power point presentation regarding the management every time he encounters a patient. And patient too wont be able to grasp every details.
Moreover i think it makes the Doctor- Patient relationship somewhat like a seller-buyer. Its like explaining merits and demerits of your product and letting him choose what he think is best. (not necessarily what is best for him). I guess it ruins the sanctity of Doctor- Patient relationship, making it seem like a pure business one.
I would rather prefer a situations where Doctors make decisions only in the best interest of a Patient (not their own- commercial ones, obviously) and Patients trust that wholeheartedly.
I must add this, even if i dont like it. The last decision should be patients's own. After all its Their Health only.
COMMENTS WELCOME
