Doctors

[80watts]

Since watching the documentary of the Emperor of all Maladies (About the history of cancers since the late 1800s and treatments available) a couple of years ago.

The line Bones say in the hospital in the The Voyage Home on earth in the 20th century "What is this the dark ages?" and "What is this the Spanish Inquisition?"

In Canada to become a doctor you spend 8 to 12 years in school(depend on specialty). Get paid on average less than the minimum salary of a NFL player (400,000.00) With the brain drain to the US, Most Cdn doctors are not from the top of the class. (What do you call a medical student who got 50% on his exams?--Doctor)

In Canada there is a shortage of doctors.

Getting a Family Doctor. If you don't have a family doctor, you go to a clinic.

If a young person wants to become a doctor - 8 years of post secondary schooling, internship (where the doctor is stressed out by long hours and they still have to make the right call- watch ER and other doctor shows....you get the picture, overworked, unappreciated, and under paid and large student loans). Why would you become a doctor?

If you have a car your mechanic replaces the part; and your car works again. Your mechanic does oil and fluid changes and other maintenance to keep the car running. For the past 30 years I have read science magazines, the promising treatments, organ/tissue growing, joint replacements, healthy lifestyle advocates, and still people are sick.

Doctors just seem to order you drugs, to help with your problems. But wait , is that drug the right one! some doctors prescribe certain drugs because they get kickback from the manufacturers. Its not tailored to your body. Every witness someone that goes through several different type of drugs; until a certain drugs works..... Its trial and error for the most part for patients.....

For Cancer , the answer always seem to be the "Chemo therapy" approach. In the Documentary they have newer treatments like taking white bloods and multiplying the cell and inject back into the body.

I'm starting to think that our medical system is 200 years in the past.


Blame the poor state of your province medical system on the political bs and government cuts and overworked doctors and nurses.....

The system could be so much better...

Any suggestions?

 

[Billiam]

I suggest you stop believing that everything you see on TV or in a movie is the way things should/could be. Doctors deal with the real world - give it a try!

 

[wetnose]

I'm starting to think that our medical system is 200 years in the past.


Any suggestions?

We've made quantum improvements in medicine (diagnosis, treatment, recovery) in the last 100 years. Ever see the Knick? Here's a clip - the patient had her nose rotted off from syphillis, so the doctor used the treatment of the time - detaching a flap of skin from the inside of her arm, then attaching that flap to her nose. She had to spend most of her days with her arm bent around her head. This treatment had actually not changed since the 1500s. Seriously.

I have no doubt that 50 years from now, we'd look upon today's treatments as awful, but at the current time...that's all we have. Some doctors who get cancer recognize this and refuse chemotherapy.

 

[80watts]

The reference to ER are about doctor fatigue. They spend 12 to 20 hours shifts and are expected to be mentally prepared to offer treatment in an Emergency Room. Sleep deprivation affects how you think..... puts pressure on you to perform and sad to say some doctors get burnout/give wrong diagnosis etc.

Yes doctors work in the real world, but the fact is they are not gods. They make life and death choices based on their training and experiences.

So you go to a doctor, you have 2 things you want to talk about, You have to make 2 appointments. They usually ask less than 4 or 5 questions and they then have your condition diagnosed?? Are test ordered?

Blood tests are cheap. Try getting an Xray or MRI, you have to wait months for an MIR. what about genetic testing etc... that is the system trying to save money.

There is a shortage of doctors in Canada. They are overworked. And yes that can lead to mistakes.

Treatments for Cancer are typically chemo, that is fucking 80 year ago, have they found something better yet??

20 years ago my aunt got cancer, it was untreatable except for chemo. My uncle and aunt went to a clinic in the US, it was expensive, and still that did not help her....

 

[johnsmit]

When it comes,to cancer it is changing
I just went through having cancer. A melanoma tumor on my chin (have a thread on it)
They wanted to Do the standard treatment cut it out and what ever else they thought needed during out ,I said No.

I tried alternative meds while I waited for them to decide to try the newer treatments , immune therapy, 5 months later i got tgay treatment and i was lucky that it work for me. So for no cancer detected for last 4 months.

I have be reading more arrival on different types of genie and immune therapy being usedfor mutable kinds of cancer . So things are changing andtgey have to educat the doctors to consider these as first line treatment instead of last resort treatment .

But it all comes down to coast and immune therapy and the new genie therapy are very expensive.Our med system does not have the funding. I was lucking I got approved for the treatment and it would be founded for 2 yr @ 6 to 10 thousand a treatment it would of cost over 250 thousand or more. I ended up only having 4 treatment and my cancer shrunk.
I still might have to get more treatment if it returns.
.for now it worked .
And the truth is the system does help 50% of people diagnosed with cancer,and put it in remission or remove it completely.
You see that when you have it and start to know others that have had it and are survivors.

 

[sevenofnine]

Canada has one of the highest cost of any health care system but the longest wait times,
we are very inefficient
with my parents before they passed I was constantly running them around to all their doctors
why couldn't one doctor just do it all,
it got so they were taking to many meds and seeing to many docs, we had a meeting to lessen the meds and the doctors appointments.
the end result was another prescription

now that im getting older and have had several issues
I think it comes down to the way the doctor gets paid per visit,
so he keeps having me come back next week, because he gets paid

keep referring me, around then instead of doing procedure's there are endless consults before the dam procedure actually gets down,
then more doctors visits to discuss nothing or more tests.

I think the system is good, but like I said the doc gets paid per visit, so they keep shuttling you around,


um shop around till you get a doc you like
I got this guy, I think he is a recent immigrant, but the best doctor I have seen
nice guy likes to talk, all the time in the world to talk to him actually,

but yeah, keeps telling me to come in next week,
so he can get paid,

 

[80watts]

Just watched a documetary on Netflix about the medical devices. Some of the problem medical devices was Ensure (birth control), mesh, metal ball joints for replacement hips (metal contained cobalt), all which had been approved by the FDA.
Most of these devices were approved by "its similar to this device" law, which allowed companies to bypass rigorous testing of their devices.

 

[sevenofnine]

hurry up and fucking wait
that is the Canadian medical system,


turning 65 is great,
just saved me two thousand dollars.
a lot of things are covered when you turn 65..

im going to get new hips. but when,
i actually might be dead before i get new hips

 

[DiscreetOG]

I've now been in the system for over 3 years, being treated for Cancer (I'd rather not name the type(s) because I feel I'd be revealing too much information about myself). If anything I've learned, the medical system is not an exact science, more trial and error. I was initially misdiagnosed, then a little over a year later, while discussing my various aches and pains with my family doctor, he said " I think you have Cancer". At this point I thought they'd go directly to a biopsy to confirm. No, I had to go through about 3 different scans/test over a 2 month period before they finally did a biopsy and confirmed that I had Cancer. Two months after my diagnosis, I had surgery and about 6 weeks after surgery, started 6 months of chemotherapy. While the chemo did its job on my host Cancer, CT scans starting about 6 month later revealed that the cancer had metastasised and had moved onto another part of my body. I've started a new drug regime to treat this new Cancer, and depending on my scan results over the next few months, may or may not have a second round of chemotherapy. I know as a patient with a serious disease you want to get to the treatment phase as quickly as possible. Yet it seems the system has a protocol you have to follow in order to confirm your Doctors diagnosis. In my case it was 5 months from " I think you have Cancer" to having surgery.
I agree with the comments others have made on this subject. When if comes to treatment, I believe we're years behind other Countries. Is it not enough money in the system?? Is it inefficiencies in the system? Is it too few Doctors and diagnostic equipment. In the case of a P E T Scan, I believe (correct me if I'm wrong) the only place that does them in B.C. is the Vancouver Cancer Clinic?

In closing, I've met so many dedicated, wonderful health care professionals in the Cancer Clinic, I just don't have enough words to express my thanks to them for my care.....

 

[westwoody]

Regular Doctors are not working 12 to 20 hour shifts, not here at least. Maybe in Hollywood when 'Playing' a Doctor. Many now practice share, so work approximately 70 to 100 hours per month. Full time is around 140 to 210 hours per month as a common practice. Job sharing has become immensely popular in the medical community. What you see on television is often as realistic as Santa Claus riding a Unicorn.

I know a couple of doctors and totally disagree.
One works day shift and does two hours of paperwork at home in the evenings. Plus occasional weekend ER shifts that can be 24 hours non stop.

 

[jgg]

Regular Doctors are not working 12 to 20 hour shifts, not here at least. Maybe in Hollywood when 'Playing' a Doctor. Many now practice share, so work approximately 70 to 100 hours per month. Full time is around 140 to 210 hours per month as a common practice. Job sharing has become immensely popular in the medical community. What you see on television is often as realistic as Santa Claus riding a Unicorn.

Most docs I know, in our part of the world start rounds at 0700 and have clinic until 1700 and then maybe more rounds and then the paper work. They're doing 60 plus hours in 5 days. Call shift is 24 hours or more.

 

[BobbyMcgee]

Most docs I know, in our part of the world start rounds at 0700 and have clinic until 1700 and then maybe more rounds and then the paper work. They're doing 60 plus hours in 5 days. Call shift is 24 hours or more.

YES know this first hand. Now don’t get me started on OVERWORKED and stressed nurses in BC...

 

[80watts]

Because of being overworked, doctors can misdiagnose patients, and having a 15/20 min consultation and you can only have 1 issue. That is the way doctors have to bill according to the BC health care system.... Yes in Canada we need more doctors....

 

[jgg]

I never ass/u/me anything.

 

[80watts]

So why is there a doctor shortage in BC. Its impossible to find a family doctor.

 

[Launcher]

About 80-90% of the things discussed in this thread is peddled by Hollywood movies, myths, and makes me question whether these people know a single thing about doctors beyond a couple of articles and documentaries on the internet.

The system's not perfect, it's definitely flawed, but I don't see any suggestions made to improve it. Change doesn't happen overnight. If you are aware of the medical community and/or medical schools, you can see a gradual shift in culture from the old school norms.

Diagnosis has NEVER been a science, many ailments share common symptoms, so misdiagnosis happens. Doctors are trained to identify the most common diagnosis based on a set of symptoms, while keeping aware of other possibilities. Misdiagnosis most frequently happens because patients either lie or forget about relevant facts to mention. Diagnosis isn't a magic button you push.

Numerous Physicians will not take patients based on their history, and some places have saturated the numbers of patients to Physicians already, so of course they cannot accept new patients.

I'm aware this happens but this is discriminatory practice and should be heavily frowned upon, I'd urge anyone that sees this to take action.

 

[badbadboy]

So why is there a doctor shortage in BC. Its impossible to find a family doctor.

A combination of:

• Universities limit admissions
• Foreign Dr are required to have similar training and course loads. UK, Ireland, NZ and Australia meet all the requirements.
• New Dr to BC find it too expensive especially in Lower Mainland to live and work.
• Govt has underfunded the existing delivery system. It needs more Dr, RN's, Nursing Practitioners and Tech Staff. Finite resources.
• Dr can make double the wages in USA

 

[haakon]

The current shortage of doctors is due to demographics, lifestyle changes, and government policy. Thirty years ago, the provincial governments wanted to limit the number of doctors in an attempt to keep health care costs down. They even tried to restrict billing numbers (essential if you want to work within MSP), were taken to court by the residents and interns of BC, and lost. It was a misguided and shortsighted maneuver. Doctors do not control the demand for health care services, they only attempt to do their bit to manage it. They now recognize their error, which is why we now have medical schools in Kelowna and Prince George, and increased numbers at UBC. Too little, too late though. The baby boomers are retiring en masse and these are the doctors who put in the old school 80 plus hour work weeks. Newer grads are not going to be working those kinds of hours. They want a more complete life, which is a good thing for them and their families. Also, more women in medicine means more years off due to maternity leave, staying at home to take care of the kids, etc. Also a good thing. Ps doctors do not earn overtime.

 

[westwoody]

Anytime I visit my doctor two thirds of the people in the waiting room are wasting his time.
Half are trivial things: colds, the flu, minor injuries, upset tummies.
Another big chunk are people needing a sick note for work. Many companies are demanding these whenever an employee is off.
Plus the overweight out of shape, smokers, and their ilk who want him to fix their unhealthy lifestyle choices. 
Finally there is the black hole of Worker's Compensation claims...

If people took better care of themselves the load on the healthcare system would be a fraction of what it is.