Nothing new or different under the sun in the world of medicine

[Aimless]

http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/10/...daughter-dies/

I'm not sure how much you guys will find here to discuss, so it's possible that this would fit better in GC.

[wiggin]

Not sure what the point is, Minx. Life is tough?

[Dreadnaught]

God that was depressing.

[Veldan Rath]

I was thinking part of it was not only was the family dealing with a family member that was going downhill fast, but the horrid sense of red tape tying everybody down at every step.

[wiggin]

I was thinking part of it was not only was the family dealing with a family member that was going downhill fast, but the horrid sense of red tape tying everybody down at every step.

Oh, I see a few places where things could have been done better, but overall it doesn't seem like the system did an awful job. The major flaw I see was the bad pathology report. Otherwise, she had relatively speedy access to top-notch equipment and specialists. Yes, there are a few dumb nurses/tech/drivers along the way who are following protocols rather than taking a somewhat more relaxed approach, but I don't see that as a huge failing. The fact of the matter is that this woman was dying and there's nothing they could do about it. They took a week or two to figure that out, but all in all I don't see this experience as a massive failing of healthcare.

Oh, it's a somewhat interesting reflection on the limits of medicine - and the merits of palliative care over aggressive intervention - but I don't think there was anything grossly inappropriate with the course of her treatment.

[GGT]

http://www.freakonomics.com/2012/10/...daughter-dies/

I'm not sure how much you guys will find here to discuss, so it's possible that this would fit better in GC.

Well, I didn't read the whole article because it was obviously meant to appeal to emotions.

There's plenty new and different in the world of medicine....but it costs tons of money bags to turn the human genome project into real results, for real people. First, in screenings and diagnostics. We probably have the science and technology to diagnose and predict plenty of future illness/disease, even with behavioral modifiers. But it's still quite costly, and Insurance companies don't like to pay for anything costly....so will call it Experimental instead.