Integrated Medicine fills the gaps of Defensive Medicine
The trend of superspecialisation in medicine has many outcomes one of which is the lack of security of the physicians and their patients in the management of their needs. It is true that modern medicine is more "technocratic" but it is also very defensive. By this I mean that too often doctors refer patients to "specialists" for consultations because they are not sure anymore in their ability to assume full clinical responsibilty. It is a result of a double edged development. On the one hand patients are not as ready as in the past to accept what their doctors tell them as "dictates", and many times for good reasons. On the other hand the increase weight of litigations put physicians in a very defensive attitude. The result is that the physician hesitates to take care of the patient without "consultations" and at the same time the patient receives this message and translates it to a lack of confidence on the part of the physician.
The patient needs to have confidence and needs the doctor who is not a technician but a "healer". This he finds in those who practice alternative/complementary medicine. They at least are ready to give the patient this feeling of security we have forgotten to produce.
A great part of this process is due to the disappearance of the master-teacher in the education and training of young doctors.
I believe that the present trend is a symptom and a result of the needs of the patients to resume their confidence in their healers and of the physicians to regain this role. But in the long run this will not be enough and the real task is of our medical schools. We need to re-establish the role of the master-teachers and not leave the student to try to "integrate" pieces of information from diverse "specialists" and sources of information attempting to become a healer and not just a technician-doctor...
Rapid Response:
Integrated Medicine fills the gaps of Defensive Medicine
The trend of superspecialisation in medicine has many outcomes one of which is the lack of security of the physicians and their patients in the management of their needs. It is true that modern medicine is more "technocratic" but it is also very defensive. By this I mean that too often doctors refer patients to "specialists" for consultations because they are not sure anymore in their ability to assume full clinical responsibilty. It is a result of a double edged development. On the one hand patients are not as ready as in the past to accept what their doctors tell them as "dictates", and many times for good reasons. On the other hand the increase weight of litigations put physicians in a very defensive attitude. The result is that the physician hesitates to take care of the patient without "consultations" and at the same time the patient receives this message and translates it to a lack of confidence on the part of the physician.
The patient needs to have confidence and needs the doctor who is not a technician but a "healer". This he finds in those who practice alternative/complementary medicine. They at least are ready to give the patient this feeling of security we have forgotten to produce.
A great part of this process is due to the disappearance of the master-teacher in the education and training of young doctors.
I believe that the present trend is a symptom and a result of the needs of the patients to resume their confidence in their healers and of the physicians to regain this role. But in the long run this will not be enough and the real task is of our medical schools. We need to re-establish the role of the master-teachers and not leave the student to try to "integrate" pieces of information from diverse "specialists" and sources of information attempting to become a healer and not just a technician-doctor...
The challenge is for the medical educators !
Competing interests: No competing interests