Reading the NHS IM&T strategy reminded me of some sci-fi I read a long time
ago. The basic point was that if we were bombarded with other peoples
uncensored thoughts life would be unbearably awful.
Part of a doctor's job has always been to give patients information in a
way appropriate to that patient.
Now, open access information is going to bombard patients with data in an
increasingly uncontrolled way. Sometimes they will get it automatically
(pack inserts with drugs), sometimes they will have requested it (but may
not like or want the answer), and sometimes their relatives and friends
will bombard them.
I could say I regret this but I guess that's irrelevant. It's been
happening more and more for some time and already been making life more
challenging. It's going to grow and grow and because there are some
advantages, and many good reasons to avoid censorship, there's no way to
halt it or slow it.
What I cannot imagine is how to doctor as this comes about. Is the
demystification of medicine a significant part of the reason people are
turning to alternative practitioners? Am I alone in thinking that many
(but not all) of our patients need to be able to turn to someone who knows
what they do not know, perhaps even what they cannot imagine themselves
knowing?
Perhaps as KT might say it's just that it's late and Monday morning draws
near.
JB
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