Who Knows More—Parents or the Doctor?
When it comes to the technical aspects of medicine that affect your child, the doctor is the one with formal training and experience. This is why we go to doctors for advice: we assume doctors always know best. Or do they? Is there a particular circumstance where parents may know more? To put it a different way, are there times where a parent’s knowledge of their child…
Flu Vaccine Mandates for Hospital Workers Based on Flawed Research
A new study published in PLOS One questions the scientific validity of annual influenza vaccine mandates for all hospital workers. The flu vaccination policy, which is often a condition of employment, has been based on the assumption that it reduces influenza-associated morbidity and mortality among hospital patients. Depending on…
The Changing Role of Pediatricians
As soon as they know a baby is on the way, one of the preparatory tasks most first-time parents go through is finding a pediatrician. Using a separate pediatrician for children instead of relying on the family doctor is actually a relatively new idea. As soon as they know a baby is on the way, one of the preparatory tasks most first-time parents go through is finding a pediatrician.
“Consult Your Doctor” on Vaccines?
There exists a general belief among the public that medical doctors are “experts” with regard to vaccines. Newspaper and magazine articles and medical and public health websites frequently advise that, when it comes to vaccination, people should “consult your doctor.” The counsel is the equivalent of the “ask your doctor” to which TV viewers have grown accustomed to hearing…
Study: Medical Error is the Third Leading Cause of Death in the U.S.
Medical error is the third leading cause of death in the United States, according to a new study published in the medical journal BMJ (formerly the British Medical Journal). The study, co-authored by Martin Makary, MD, professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, and research fellow Michael Daniel, also of Johns Hopkins, defines medical error error…
Doctors Are No Experts on Vaccines
There is a common belief that doctors are “experts” on vaccines and vaccination. Almost nothing could be further from the truth. The average medical doctor, for example, may not know the names of the ingredients in vaccines, or what they are and how they interact with each other. The average doctor giving people vaccines may not know how vaccines affect the immune system…