Following a discussion in another thread - what do you think about Doctors and the medical (/pharmaceutical) industry?
It’s a case of having to. I am not a doctor or medical professional, so when they say I have to take something or do something, I have to assume it is the result of a professional and qualified judgement.
Precious little Azz, responsible for my current state of affairs, the whole health sector needs a top to bottom overhaul.
After some unhappy experiences - I prefer to stay away …
It was my insistence that eventually got a diagnosis and MRI - took over 3 years though !
All health professionals in UK are trained by national and often international standards. However it is possible to claim you are an expert in some health fields without doing any training at all apart from reading articles and ‘googling’ as Azz has claimed on other threads.
“doctors - do you trust them” is if you don’t mind me saying is a rather ambiguous title - are you talking about just some doctors or just doctors in UK OR doctors all over the world ? I think you need to be more specific.
similiarly - airline pilots, engineers, dentists, physiotherapists, bus drivers, train drivers - do you trust them - who do we and who can we trust ? - admin persons of websites in any topic they tell us they are an ‘expert’ in???
In the main I trust them but question the advice they give, whereas in the past you didn’t question the doc you had faith in their competence.
My answer to the title , do i trust them , answer is No …With some Consultants they think they are God and that was the out spoken view of his nursing Staff.
I was told by one Vascular Consultant i had to put up with the side effects of the meds i was on … He wasnt pleased with me answering him back .
Exactly the same experience for me. The nurses apologised for him and I let him know in no uncertain terms what I thought of his behaviour. He was shocked that someone dared to speak up - to ‘him’
Absolutely!!! - I have a husband & wife team - she’s my GP, he’s my surgeon. Between them they’ve looked after my medical needs for the past 14 years and I cannot fault either of them.
On the whole I trust them while realising that they are not God and can get things wrong.
Yes…that is how I would put it too.
The question is really a bit nebulous. There are people who can be trusted and those who cannot in every profession. I know more doctors that I would trust than those I wouldn’t.
Yes I do… because I know they know a heck of a lot more than I do… BUT I have a caveat. I ALWAYS know what medications I am taking and more importantly WHY I have been prescribed them. I am aware of other medications I am on and I am sure to tell the doc. I also know what adverse effects can be caused by medication and be on the look out for those, as well as drug interactions. And above all, when I go to the doc… I have detailed information for him on my complaint… not just a vague… “I’m not feeling well”. Along with not being GOD… they are also not mind readers. All of these things are the patient’s responsibility too.
That’s great Joe - same for me years ago, smashing doctor and the consultant at Guys, never forgot him marvellous too 
I’ve never had any reason not to trust any doctor I’ve seen in recent years and would most certainly trust my GP and anyone that works in the medical centre at which I am registered.
I did however suffer serious internal damage when I was 16 because of medical negligence. And would avoid surgery at all costs.
I am extremely distrustful of drugs and watched my mother fight addiction to prescription drugs for years. Because handing over a prescription made life easier for the GP.
I do not trust the “medical industry” and am somewhat cynical of the lavish praise and lack of criticism of the profession.
Like most professions there are favoured specialisms and career doctors tend to favour “celebrity” positions i.e oncology and cardiology.
Absolutely not.
I also had to demand some other tests be done after nearly 5 years of being told over and over again it was all in my head. One MRI showed the problem. It was in my head all right!
I had radiosurgery that caused even worse problems, and another specialist later said it should never have been done. The original problem is still there.
Then I was told I just had to ‘handle’ how things are.
Trust doctors? No bloody way.
So what do you plan to do if you should contract a serious illness or disease?
Azz, Doctors and the Medical profession perhaps but surely not pharmaceutical industry?
I know that sometimes they are closely tied but the pill producers are different beasts altogether!
I don’t actually trust either of them to be honest. stevmk2
I don’t trust them, too many times I have had problems but listening to a doctor on the radio a couple of weeks ago I have seriously become quite scared. He said he guessed most diagnosis, had no idea if he was right or wrong most of the time. Diagnosis is not an exact science I know but to admit to guessing was IMO scary. I have for a while looked up anything I have been told on the internet and compared others experiences before believing the GPs anyway.
I think there is a message coming through here and a change of attitude and practice - patients now must do their own research and take care to some extent of their own bodies. I have a great relationship with my doc and tell him what I want and expect and he RESPECTS that - we are more informed these days and the message surely is - “KNOW YOUR OWN BODY AND SYMPTOMS AND DON’T RELY 100% ON OTHERS” whoever they maybe - doctors, other professionals or just website admins!!