Two Basic Medical Rules
I've noticed on social media the spread of soft thinking regarding medical practice
There are basic things you learn in the first month of internship. Here are two:
A clinician should never order a test if the results (positive or negative) will not change what you do after the test.
All interventions come with potential benefits and potential harms. A clinician must match these to the individual being treated.
Much mischief occurs when these basic tenets are not followed.
That is it. This is the post. I cannot think of one exception to these rules.
As always, thank you for your generous support of this newsletter. JMM
Common sense is expressed differently in different disciplines. In economics this thought has been expressed as: “There are no solutions. There are only trade offs.”
These 2 Basic Rules are the questions I would ask our medical students and residents countless times over my 30 years in academics. Amazing how often clinicians still don't consider these essential prerequisites — :)