A Fellow, two Residents, two Attendings, and a

[alagirl]

A Fellow, two Residents, two Attendings, and a Medical Student sign onto a medical forum.  And this is the discussion they have about hcv:

http://forums.studentdoctor.net/showthread.php?t=848341

I've been watching this for several days and for aa while only the one attending appeared to have the appropriate level of knowledge.  But then today another shining beacon of hope in the form of another attending posted something intelligent.

But one of the residents says that he would prefer to have HIV over HCV (last time I checked, HCV did have a cure and HIV did not, but hey...)

Anyway, does anyone else find this disturbing?  I see lots of doctors with this lack of knowledge, not just residents.  One hopes that it may change slowly with PI's, etc.

[alagirl]

Yeah, that's what I'm thinking.  The medical schools don't bother to update.   The opening line meant to read like the famous "walk into a bar" joke - I was just trying to be a bit subtle since we're on the serious side.  But one of the guys was a fellow.  He should know SOMETHING.  And the residents are still out there treating people.  Some of them have been on that website a long time.  I guess this is my point.  Doctors are just people.  And they are subject to the same misconceptions and prejudices are people who are not in the scientific world.  They are only as good as their training and experience.  And they don't have the time for independent study that we do, by and large.

[willbb]

The fact that 2 of thses  these guys are newbies..and were never taught any different obvoiusly ...who should we blame...I say not them so much as the so-called teachers that are training them.
My thoughts are that many of the doctors teaching today...have very little knowledge about HCV... sorta like our primary"s who stare at us in bewilderment when they find out we have HCV...they have no clue..   sad....

Will

[Willy50]

I forgot to say......

Your headline for this thread reads like the beginning of a joke;

A Fellow, two Residents, two Attendings, and a priest are sitting in a bar.....

For me, knowing that HCV is
1)  probably closer to 75% cureable now
     (and very soon will mover to even higher cure rates w/ safer DDA treatments)

2)  or that patients w/ minimal damage may even safely wait for these TX w/o drugs

shows and incredible amount of ignorance or foolishness on the part of the alleged doctor to compare it with HIV or AIDS.  I've read a few HIV blogs and many of the drugs they take are no joyride.  The doctor even seemed to not distinguish HIV from AIDS;

"thats why I would rather have aids than hep c..... look at magic- his life is pretty good."

(the wikipedia article on magic confirms that Magic Johnson has HIV; *not* AIDS)

I would guess that most doctors are not this ignorant.  This guy is really a moroon, as bugs would say.

willy

[alagirl]

The bias interferes with our care because we don't get the same level of care as someone they consider more "pure."  And I guarantee that this is true, I have seen it over and over again.  

But in a larger sense, what really scares me are cases where patients really do have life threatening issues and the doctors just don't have the knowledge.  How many times a day are mistakes made due to lack of knowledge.  I feel like we have more accurate info than a huge percentage of the physicians out there.  I wish there was some way we could impart it to them.

[child24angel]

I hope things change also.  

[Willy50]

Wow.......

That is one reason I think these forums are useful.  We as patients need to become our own advocates.  I'm not certain that the doctors are right 100% of the time and since the new PI's have come out I believe I've seen a few mistakes.  

A mistake w/  PI may lead to a failure, whcih may lead to resistance, and so it may be even more important now.

Thanks,
Willy

[evangelin]

Wow, that was disturbing.  I'm glad some people, with a clue, entered that discussion.  Future Dr.'s...yikes.
Ev