A headline about lack of hospital beds or people missing out on care is always popular. Often statistics are used to show that certain sections of the population are getting less access to treatment than other sections. It reinforces the sense of crisis about the...
Once upon a time medical practice was about the consulting room. Here the patient and doctor could consider what was best for the individual based on their unique circumstances. The aim was to treat the patient, not to treat a number, or to treat to a target or to...
Apparently in penalty shots in soccer, the goalkeeper will lunge to the left or right over 80% of the time. However in roughly 80% of penalty shots the striker aims for the middle of the net. The latter makes sense as it allows the greatest chance of getting a goal....
This reversal of a commonly used phrase is a plea. A plea against the bias that leans doctors towards diagnosing and treating, even when the scientific evidence may not support it. Sure, it is expected that a doctor will diagnose and treat you, but sometimes there is...
What’s your blood count? Blood pressure? Bone density? PSA? If it is abnormal, odds are that you will want it to be normal. In doing so, you are making the same leap of faith that your doctor is making when he commences treatment: that treating the numbers will...
