Doctors Have a Double Standard when Treating Patients

Doctors do the strangest things. I had one doctor a few-years-ago that I went to for my diabetes who was seriously overweight and probably at risk for the disease himself. Back before smoking was banned in so many communities, I saw quite a few doctors and nurses light up outside the hospital. And this was well after the dangers of cigarette smoking were known.

Doctors have one of the highest alcoholism and drug use rates of all of the professions. Dentists have a high suicide rate. One time when I was in the emergency room at a local hospital, a rather heavyset resident was munching on a bag of cookies and saying that his eating habits were eventually going to kill him. One time my own doctor screeched to a halt in his car outside of his office with an energy drink in his hand. He must have been running late.

There are also reports of interns and residents staying out all night partying and then coming in to the hospital and hooking themselves up to an IV to cure the dehydration from the hangover before starting their shift. Maybe that's why there are so many sponges and scalpels left inside the patients.

Doctors are notorious for not following their own advice. I guess when it comes to these lifestyle choices they can do what they want, after all it's a stressful profession. But when giving medical advice they often tell the patient something different from they would do themselves. According to WebMD:

"When facing a difficult medical decision, patients often ask their doctors what to do. What the doctor recommends for a patient is likely to be different from what a doctor would decide for himself or herself, according to a new study. It sheds light on what may seem like doctors' double standards."

In the study, doctors were given two scenarios in which they had a specific disease themselves and then the same disease in a patient. Then they were asked how they would treat themselves and the patient.

In both cases, when the doctors were treating themselves they chose the option that would have the lowest side effects over the one with the higher survival rate. When it came to deciding for then patient, it didn't seem like how long or rough the treatment was mattered in their decision. They seemed more concerned about the survival of the patient rather than their quality of life.

The best way for the patient to address this issue is to have a straightforward discussion with your doctor. Discuss all treatment options, the survival rate and side effects. Then ask the doctor what he or she would do if they had the disease. Then, make your decision.

Source: http://www.webmd.com/news/20110411/double-standard-doctors?page=2