It is ironic that, in a time of incredible medical science, some patient reject science out of hand. This is nowhere more evident than in the area of imaging. I have had several patients with back pain, neck pain or abdominal pain who ended up having CT scans done. When I came to them with the good news that the CT showed no abnormality, they were indignant. ‘You mean to tell me there’s nothing wrong? I don’t believe it. Something’s wrong. The CT missed my brother’s appendicitis and my slipped disc.’
My response is usually, ‘I’m not saying you don’t have pain, or that something isn’t wrong, I’m just saying we can’t see anything abnormal on the scan.’
Oddly, as we move ever forward in our imaging capacity in medicine, people seem to desire more and more clarity (for less and less cost, of course). Even our small emergency department has the capacity to do magnetic resonance angiograms to look for cerebral aneurysms; a thing that not so long ago would have been remarkable in even the largest center. And yet, a subset of patients simply can’t accept the results.
Granted, imaging can be wrong. I’ve seen it happen. But on the whole, what we do is quite incredible. What we can see is amazing. And frequently, when we find nothing, it’s because nothing is there.
This leaves me with two conclusions; we need a scanner that evaluates the patient’s life, heart and soul included, to find the true source of their discomfort (which may well have to do with depression).
Next, perhaps if people are unwilling to believe the extremely costly testing we do, it may be time to simply do less. If we want to cut costs, maybe this era of disbelief, this time of widespread skepticism at even the best science, is the perfect time to stop doing as much in the interest of cheaper, simpler evaluations and interventions.
If only we could get the malpractice attorneys on board!
They don’t believe the scan, but if you don’t order the scan in the first place they get upset about that too. Pity there’s no litigation scan. Or drug seeker scan. Or barefaced liar scan. Where are those device developers when you need them?
Marsha
12 years ago
Too bad there is not a scan that shows the reason and treatment for debilitating,life altering pain that kills the soul. That’s why people don’t believe the scans,they don’t believe they can be in such pain and nothing at all shows.No antidepressant is going to work in the presence of that kind of pain. Too bad that asking for treatment for pain has become such a hot button issue that a lot of people rather stay home and suffer rather than go into a hospital full of skeptical healthcare workers and mention the word pain. What I would like most… Read more »
Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely excellent. I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually a tremendous website.
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They don’t believe the scan, but if you don’t order the scan in the first place they get upset about that too. Pity there’s no litigation scan. Or drug seeker scan. Or barefaced liar scan. Where are those device developers when you need them?
Too bad there is not a scan that shows the reason and treatment for debilitating,life altering pain that kills the soul. That’s why people don’t believe the scans,they don’t believe they can be in such pain and nothing at all shows.No antidepressant is going to work in the presence of that kind of pain. Too bad that asking for treatment for pain has become such a hot button issue that a lot of people rather stay home and suffer rather than go into a hospital full of skeptical healthcare workers and mention the word pain. What I would like most… Read more »
Great goods from you, man. I’ve understand your stuff previous to and you are just extremely excellent. I actually like what you have acquired here, really like what you are stating and the way in which you say it. You make it entertaining and you still care for to keep it smart. I can not wait to read much more from you. This is actually a tremendous website.