May I complement Dr Loder on a very perspicacious editorial. Over the years I have been supporting (and indeed promoting) the importance to patients of local medical staff (GPs and nurses) and the junior doctors and nurses in hospitals who are involved in the day to day care of patients. They are all involved in the care of individual first-name patients and that care in itself has a placebo effect. I believe that Dr Loder’s statement “Familiarity breeds better outcomes” is an acceptance of the value of this “placebo” effect.
Until the medical establishment (NHS, DoH and GMC) in the UK realize the importance of the GPs and their medical staff it will continue to waste money and continue to decline.
Generalists are important. I know that diagnoses of rare conditions are difficult and I know of a specific case where diagnosis has taken over 5 years to approach a diagnosis, while being shunted round the gamut of consultants. Eventually the patient actually diagnosed the condition but getting the disabling condition medically confirmed has proven very difficult.
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Re: Familiarity breeds better outcomes
May I complement Dr Loder on a very perspicacious editorial. Over the years I have been supporting (and indeed promoting) the importance to patients of local medical staff (GPs and nurses) and the junior doctors and nurses in hospitals who are involved in the day to day care of patients. They are all involved in the care of individual first-name patients and that care in itself has a placebo effect. I believe that Dr Loder’s statement “Familiarity breeds better outcomes” is an acceptance of the value of this “placebo” effect.
Until the medical establishment (NHS, DoH and GMC) in the UK realize the importance of the GPs and their medical staff it will continue to waste money and continue to decline.
Generalists are important. I know that diagnoses of rare conditions are difficult and I know of a specific case where diagnosis has taken over 5 years to approach a diagnosis, while being shunted round the gamut of consultants. Eventually the patient actually diagnosed the condition but getting the disabling condition medically confirmed has proven very difficult.
Competing interests: No competing interests