Dr John M

cardiac electrophysiologist, cyclist, learner

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Changing the mind of a doctor — Not an easy matter

February 24, 2017 By Dr John

Changing one’s mind is hard. Changing the mind of doctors is even harder.

Doctors are supposed to be the medical experts. Often we are. But sometimes I wonder whether our attachments to old ideas gets in the way of seeing the obvious.

I am reading Michael Lewis’s book The Undoing Project. Learning how Kahneman and Tversky made their discoveries gets me thinking about how our minds trick us into missing important clues.

The information age levels the degree of expertise. Of course an internet connection and a smartphone does not transform people into skilled and experienced clinicians. What connectivity does do, however, is it allows anyone to look up the current evidence for or against a medical intervention.

In some cases, people without preconceived notions may be better judges of medical evidence.

Davide Epstein is a reporter for ProPublica and author of the Sports Gene. He’s written an important article on how tough if it is for doctors to incorporate new medical evidence into decision-making.

It’s called When Evidence Says No, but Doctors Say Yes.  It’s worth your time.

I am quoted in it. So are lots of other giants in the field of common-sense medicine.

JMM

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Related posts:

  1. I am changing…
  2. Thoughts on being a flexible doctor
  3. Changing the culture of American Medicine — Start by removing hubris
  4. CW: Does a doctor’s weight and fitness matter?

Filed Under: Doctoring, Reflection

John Mandrola, MD

Welcome, Enjoy, Interact. john-mandrola I am a cardiac electrophysiologist practicing in Louisville KY. I am also a husband to a palliative care doctor, a father, a bike racer, and a regular columnist at theHeart.org | Medscape

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For patients...Educational posts

  • 13 things to know about Atrial Fibrillation — 2014
  • A new cure of AF
  • Adding a new verb to doctoring: To deprescribe is to do a lot
  • AF ablation — 2015 A Cautionary Note
  • AF Ablation in 2012–An easier journey?
  • Atrial Flutter — 15 facts you may want to know.
  • Benign PVCs: A heart rhythm doctor’s approach.
  • Caution with early Cardioversion
  • Decisions of 2 low-risk cases of PAF
  • Defining success in AF ablation in 2014
  • Four commonly asked questions on AF ablation
  • Inflammation and AF — Get off the gas
  • Ten things to expect after AF ablation
  • The medical decsion as a gamble
  • The most important verb in our health crisis
  • Wellness Requires Ownership

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