This is from EdMedExpert Blog:
http://www.emedexpert.com/blog/general/17-interesting-facts-about-doctors-and-patients/
Go to the link to read the explanation. My comments are below each point in square brackets.
1. How frequently do doctors misdiagnose patients?
[I thought their 10-15% was a little low. See the book ‘A Dose of Sanity’ by Sydney Walker III M.D. for commonly misdiagnosed conditions.]
2. Who prescribes antibiotics inappropriately? Foreign, extra-busy and older MDs.
3. Doctors’ choice of prescriptions are often influenced by their patients.
[In Canada, where it’s illegal to have those spacy drug ads in magazines or on TV, I see those American ads on US television programming. I can imagine a patient coming into their doctor’s office and having some symptom. Goodness, their medical education comes from thumbing through an issue of Oprah Magazine, bursting with drug ads. “Doctor, I think I should be prescribed Griefexa.” What’s next? Learning brain surgery on Youtube? |All that ‘training’ is obviously going to lead to more misdiagnosed conditions.]
4. Free drug samples influence prescribing.
5. Patients treated with respect are more likely to follow medical advice.
6. Doctor-Patient communication has a real impact on health.
7. Most patients want to shake hands with their physicians.
8. Seven things patients expect from doctors.
[Oddly enough, being able to diagnose what is wrong with them isn’t on this list.]
9. Surgeons are taller and better looking than other doctors.
10. Patients often receive incomplete drug instructions.
[And often not knowing the side effects and how they interact with other drugs]
11. Disclosure of medical errors: there is a gap between physicians’ attitudes and their real-world experiences admitting such errors.
12. The highest rate of “Off-label” prescriptions accounts for Antidepressants, Anticonvulsants, and Antipsychotic medications.
13. Seven medical myths even doctors believe.
14. Majority of U.S. doctors believe religion is beneficial for patients’ health.
15. Psychiatrists are the least religious of all doctors.
16. However, psychiatrists are most interested in patients’ religion.
17. The fine art of patient-doctor relationships.