December 2020 – Ross Diaries

🤔 The Dilemma of Evidence 💡

Therapy A for Medical Condition X was generally recommended by the evidence-based guidelines issued by several professional societies. It was the standard treatment for X for many years. 💊

Five years ago, the guidelines were changed (as often happens) to remove Therapy A from treatment recommendations of Condition X. ✂️

And then, recently, the guidelines were changed again to include once again, Therapy X in the recommendations. (This also happens commonly.) 📝

Now here’s the dilemma.. ⚖️

🤔 What to do when someone asks you for a curbside consult? 😪

As doctors we often get cornered by people we know, in various social settings, asking for our “quick advice” on this rash, or that pain, or in recent times, the abnormal lab report that has been bothering them. 🥴

Without digging deeper, it’s not possible to determine whether they have already discussed this issue with another doctor (and only seeking a “harmless” quick second opinion from someone they trust). Or this is the first time they’ve ever disclosed this to any doctor! 👩🏻‍⚕️

We don’t want to answer these queries with limited information, as that would be a big disservice to the patient. Most conditions need a painstaking gathering of history, a scrupulous examination, and often some quick referencing of guidelines or other resources. Quick answers are usually wrong in medicine! 🙊