“Doctors should get comfortable with being realistic…”
May 18, 2009 in Medical Quotes
I think doctors should get comfortable with being realistic. If it is the case, the doctor should bring up the idea that this disease process might be fatal. Right now, we say, “I can’t take away a person’s hope,” as if doctors were bestowing life. You have to support those hopes that are realistic, not this fantasy land.
-Dr. Robert Martensen
May 19th, 2009 on 6:42 am
Being a doctor is a very difficult task that needs intelligence when it comes to critical situations of the patient. Doctors must prescribe the right medicine for their patient, because if they don’t, and if the patient’s condition is much more worse, the patient or his party may file cases against the doctor that could lead him to suspension or dismissal. It is important that doctors need to be realistic in terms of the patient’s condition and status.
May 19th, 2009 on 9:20 am
I totally agree, bogartick, doctors need to be realistic when addressing a patient’s condition and status. But medicine still has characteristics of an art — if it were strictly a science, then there would be no room for medical miracles.
With terminally ill patients, however, making decisions about treatment becomes ethically complex. Does every cancer patient, for example, benefit from an extra day of life, no matter how unbearable the side effects of therapy? At what point does palliative care (essentially, giving up) become the focus?
And when health resources are limited, the problem is more convoluted — treating one person could mean that little or no resources are left for treating another.
The role of the physician is a difficult one. Not only must they discern the nature of and treatment for complex conditions, but physicians must also bear the weight of difficult ethical decisions.
Thanks for the comment, bogartkick.
May 19th, 2009 on 12:32 pm
Of course doctors are being realistic by informing the patients with the possible adverse actions of their condition.It is never said that doctors are unrealistic,it is very essential for a doctor to let a patient be informed of his condition.The majority of the doctors are being realistic in explaining each and every outcome.If suppose a patient is under anti-depressants ,the adverse effects of it would be fear,fatigue and many other cns conditions as these drugs will have to cross the blood brain barriers.In that case a doctor not only prescribes the patient for his depression but also the adverse effects of the drug too.In this a way a doctor remains to be realistic in evaluating the condition of a patient without any transparent.It is not easy for the patient to come to a conclusion on the treatment,only a doctor knows how he is calculating his treatment.According to medical standards a doctor has to let the patient know about his /her conditions before a serious treatment.In that sense,the doctor has to make things clear for the patient.At the same time he evaluates the psychological nature of the patient before his treatment.Even though there might be few who are money minded , I wont be ready to blame everyone.I might be a bit contradictory.
May 19th, 2009 on 11:21 pm
Well i totally agree with the opinion that doctors must talk reality..although i also support the idea that portraying out the truth in an unacceptable manner may prove fatal to the patient. Actually there are phsycological treatments and improvements that words can do but talking merely fantasy and unrealistic things will not bring any good to the patient. At the end of day when hopes are shattered, the situation becomes more complex and difficult to handle ever than before.
May 20th, 2009 on 10:05 am
This is the reality of life.We get a lot of hope from this fantasy’s statement.But ,in practical life doctors must be realistic.They should be straight forward in their approach which will be beneficial for the patient as well.Some might disagree with this type of approach but in the long run it will benefit us.Therefor, doctors must go for it.