What You Don't Know Can Hurt You!
If you think your medical doctor knows all (and can't wait to tell you about it), think again. Hundreds of thousands of patient deaths inadvertently induced by a physician, surgeon, medical treatment or diagnostic procedure are recorded each year.
More than 420,000 are attributable to adverse drug reactions and/or medical error; 37,136 are associated with unnecessary procedures; and 32,000 are surgery-related.
As if these numbers aren't unsettling enough, more disturbing are the results of a recent survey of more than 2,500 medical doctors in the U.S. and Canada regarding professional accountability. Medical doctors were given five hypothetical error scenarios and a set of scripted, possible explanations. Only 42 percent of the participating medical doctors said they would explicitly tell patients when a medical error occurred. Fifty-six percent would mention the adverse event to a patient, but not an error specifically. Sixty-three percent said they would opt not to provide any information about preventing future errors. And a mere 19 percent said they would not volunteer any information whatsoever about the cause of the error.
If you're feeling disillusioned about traditional medical/pharmaceutical care, there is an alternative. If you're looking for personal, individualized and drug-free wellness care, look no further than your local chiropractic office. Only you can be held accountable for your own health and well-being! Visit your chiropractor today. For a complete overview of chiropractic care, go to www.chirofind.com.
Resources:
- Gallagher TH, Garbutt JM, Waterman, AD, et al. Choosing your words carefully; how physicians would disclose harmful medical errors to patients. Archives of Internal Medicine, Aug. 14/28, 2006;166(15):1585-93.
- Null G, Dean C, Felman M, et al. Death by medicine. Life Extension, August 2006:67-87.
