Study: Doctors Often Would Opt for Different Treatment for Themselves Than Patients

--A new study finds many doctors would not follow their own advice.

--On the Bonus Show Is Libya hiring mercenaries, kid served alcohol at restaurant, does alcohol help memory, and more.

The David Pakman Show is an internationally syndicated talk radio and television program hosted by David Pakman

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Broadcast on April 14, 2011

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[Tanfeliz]

I'm not a doctor, but a paramedic. When I go on calls I almost always take better care of the patient than I do myself. For example, many times I'm sicker than the people I bring to the hospital. I also frequently tell people, "If this was my son/mom/dad/whoever we'd be on our way to the hospital" when they lean toward not treating and I have the slightest doubt.

[Tanfeliz]

This is why I love your show. You go ahead and say when you don't understand all the nuance, unlike so many other shows where they just pop off opinions.

[MedusaNegrita]

Do you ever watch House? I saw about 5 eps of the first season and stopped watching---why? Because House and most of the doctors seemed to be playing Russian Roulette---or a trial and error scenario. Made me nervous.

[diasent]

dead people cannot sue. Simple as that.

[ambidextrality]

What it means is doctors don't care about you. They care about money and time, so it's far easier to just give you the standard procedure, which often is not necessary but is done because hospitals get money and therefore, it's popular. Your doctor doesn't have all day to tell you the best options, so he just gives you the status quo.

[Demarcoa]

@MaryJesusJoseph so?  People do that all the time.

[MaryJesusJoseph]

@Demarcoa You're assuming the patient's family would actually look into it, have an autopsy, and go to the expense of suing over someone who has already died and quit suffering.

[eswyatt]

@Zajuts149 Yes, except you put it better than I did! The doctor can't know your preferences toward risk, disabilities arising from complications, etc. so he does the simpler computation and one that's less subjective.

[Zajuts149]

@eswyatt agreed. I think the doctors' 'bias' in these cases is that they choose the lowest death-risk for their patients, while they weigh death vs quality of life for themselves. Very natural. One can't be in someone else's body.

[eswyatt]

I think most doctors don't take quality of life into account when advising others; they simply maximize the probability of survival. A doctor might think twice about the advice when HE is the one who will be walking around disfigured, etc.