Quote:
Originally Posted by ilovetv
The doctor is making the recommendation based on the benefits outweighing the risks. It is a judgement call and the art of medicine, not just presenting numbers/statistics.
If one wants to go purely on the numbers, then it is a waste of time to consult a doctor who has spent a minimum of 8 years of post-graduate education and training, and then years in practice, to learn to evaluate the numbers and empirical evidence.
A thinking, well-read patient would know that even when the odds are that 99 out of 100 patients will have no complications, one could end up 100% screwed even though the practitioner did everything 100% correct by the textbook.
We make these same type of decisions every time we decide to get behind the wheel of a car or board an airplane.
Nobody knows when or why the kindest, healthiest, most loving and clean-living person you've ever known turns out to be the one who gets killed or maimed in an accident, or gets ravaged by a horrible cancer.
All we can conclude is: we don't determine when and how we'll suffer or not suffer, and die....either quickly or slowly. Only God knows when and how we'll go. Prayer asking for guidance on decision-making is powerful.
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Is there an art to colonoscopy? How would I know if the doctor has this art mastered? Regardless of how many years a doctor spends in school, he or she might be a colon-perforating clod. It could be worse than I thought if the numbers don't tell the whole story.
You're right that we do make these decisions every time we get into a car, or airplane. That's why I never fly and limit my driving. I believe in limiting risk.
You're right when you suggest that anything can happen to anyone. I have never doubted that. But there is such a thing as prudently judging and limiting risk. As a matter of fact I have a book tittled, "Examining Your Doctor: A patient's Guide to Avoiding Harmful Medical Care". It was written by, Timothy McCall, M.D..
I guess you could say it was written for those who wish to be informed so as to make prudent judgements/decisions.