There have been numerous advancements in medical science that have helped with the diagnosis,
treatment, and management of medical conditions, however, an over reliance on medications can
opposite effects than those intended. b
When I first read this week’s discussion post topic, my mind immediately went to antibiotic
overuse and drug resistance. Antibiotic resistance can pose a significant threat to global public
health (World Health Organization, 2020). If used appropriately, antibiotics can be used to
successfully treat bacterial infections, and have revolutionized medical treatment, however, issues
can occur when there is a lack of proper education on the need for and use of antibiotics. In
recent years, the number of Americans who expect to receive antibiotics as a “cure all” for their
medical condition is alarming. Nearly one third of antibiotics prescribed in the United States
should not be prescribed based on the conditions being treated (UT Southwestern Medical Center,
2016). According to a study conducted by the Journal of the American Medical Association, of 17
million prescriptions written to treat sinus infections, 6 million of those were not medically
warranted (UT Southwestern Medical Center, 2016). Unfortunately, this is only half the battle,
misinformation and misconceptions regarding antibiotic usage must be combated as well.
According to the World Health Organization, “even if new medicines are developed, without
behaviour change, antibiotic resistance will remain a major threat” (World Health Organization,
2020). One way that we can prevent, and limit antibiotic resistance is through preventative
measures. Over the course of the pandemic, we’ve be taught the importance of vaccinations,
proper hand washing techniques, avoiding close contact with sick individuals, and the need to stay
home if we are sick. Additionally, if an antibiotic is medically warranted based on current
guidelines, it will be vital that patients understand the need to complete the full medication
regimen even if they begin to feel well. Not completing the full antibiotic regimen could contribute
to the bacteria becoming drug resistant. If the rate of antibiotic resistance continues to progress,
this could lead to increased medical costs and prolonged hospital stays (World Health
Organization, 2020). Although antibiotics can have a significant impact on medical treatments of
bacterial infections there needs to be additional regulations, education, and oversight to mitigate
misuse which can have detrimental impacts overall.
Faith and trust can be used interchangeably when speaking about medical science. If someone has
faith in the medical science it is because they trust the system. I do think that the general person
who does not work in the healthcare system does have tremendous faith and/or trust. My father,
for instance, believes and does everything his healthcare provider says, even if there are
discrepancies between physicians. If is very frustrating to talk to him because he does not
question anything. There has been lawsuit after lawsuit about FDA approved medications being
recalled due to death, cancer causing agents, and other abnormal side effects. There is over-
diagnosing and over prescribing of tests and medications. There is a total misconception that our
healthcare providers have the cure all when we see them. "This misconception is costly financially,
humanly, and intellectually: the blind belief in drugs or discoveries leads to at best ineffective
treatments, at worst to potentially dangerous ones." (Alduy, 2011).
I have not lost all faith in medicine. It is a shame how insurance companies and our government
pressure medical scientists for the fastest, best, cure possible for any kind of aliment. The
problem, is that our medical scientists are losing their fundamental ideals of science. It is okay to
make mistakes and errors while testing and creating something. That is how we learn, create, and
develop truly good medicine. David Freeman wrote "as long as scientists recognize that they blew
it, report their mistake openly instead of disguising it as a success, and then move on to the next
thing, until they come up with the very occasional genuine breakthrough" (Freeman, 2010).
Medical science is an integral discipline that has existed for a long period of time. It has been
trusted for many years. With the passage of time, the concept of medicine has evolved. For
instance, in the 1800s the concept of sterile surgeries was introduced by Dr Lister (Pitt & Aubin,
2012). Then other elements such as vaccines, antibiotics and other medical inventions came into
existence. In the 21st century the medical science domain has come a long way. The integration of
technology has made it possible to introduce new concepts such as gene editing, stem cell
research and the use of robotics and Artificial Intelligence (AI) (Marr, 2020).
In current times, people have been putting too much faith in the field of medical science. Levin
has argued that outing faith in medicine in general is good because it is capable of healing medical
conditions (Levin, 2018, p. 7). However, showing faith in the field of medical science without valid
justification can give rise to serious consequences. Due to the intense faith that patients have
been demonstrating, the issue of blind trust has emerged. Recent studies show that many
surgeries that medical professionals have carried out in the past have been ineffective (Levin,
2018). The blind trust that patients have in doctors and physicians restricts their ability to see the
repercussions that may arise when a surgery goes wrong.
When patients show excessive trust in doctors, they fail to think logically and make rational
decisions. It ultimately impacts the medical procedures that they undergo. For example, having
blind trust on doctors can put patients in harm’s way as they will not question the decisions of the
professional. It might even put their life at risk and affect their health outcome. The medical
science field is continuously evolving and, thus there exists a high degree of uncertainty and
unpredictability. Good science requires attention as well as understanding. However, when
patients place immense trust and faith in the medical domain without thinking about the
consequences their risk in the healthcare setting increases (Want more trust in medical science?
embrace uncertainty and cut the hype. Medscape, 2017). Thus, the health risk is the major
implication for the patients which may be the result of having too much faith in medical science. It
can lead to unnecessary medical examinations, incorrect medical procedures, and the adoption of
poor treatment techniques. The faith that individuals have in medical science must be based on
their rationality and understanding of the discipline.
During the COVID pandemic there have many "alternative" treatments that have been
"discovered." In some cases, people may have chosen to blindly follow them for reasons other
than it being a far right or left theory (Schloss, 2015). There are people who may have found these
treatments because they have gone online to find an at-home remedy versus the expensive
hospital bills. They may have felt that if doctors were saying this that it must be true because they
are doctors (Schloss, 2015). They may even feel that these treatment options algin better with
their religious beliefs and choose them because of that (Schloss, 2015). None of these are
necessarily a wrong answer. What they do highlight is that our medical system is broken because
treatment is not affordable and a doctor’s word is taken as law.
This is where changes need to be made, but how is a hard question to ask. Training patients to ask
questions is a good place to start and many articles have been written on this subject, but
implementing an idea that is a vague theory is hard (NIA, 2020). Allowing more time with a patient
may create an environment where a patient feels more comfortable, but that leads to less
revenue for the provider. A provider readily admitting they do not know everything would lead to
a loss of patients (NIA, 2020). More care is now done online too, either self-diagnosing or a visit
that can happen through an email. Neither of these lead to more questions being asked, but just
trusting that the article or doctor knows what they are talking about (NIA, 2020).
Having too much faith in medical science can also be related to the type of trusting relationship a
patient may have with their provider. 1) Trust and overtreatment. A doctor may prescribe
antibiotics as a mechanism to help build trust when treating a new patient. This could result in the
patient taking unnecessary antibiotics that have no significant impact on their health, but thus
having faith/trust with their doctor. 2) Trust and choosing less medicine especially with the
invasive procedures. A US study found that patients who trusted their doctors were more likely to
listen to advice to have active surveillance instead of surgery. However, this perception has led to
patients believing that invasive treatments are for profit (Fritz & Holton, 2019).
There are also arguments that fair in medical science can be justified. Infectious diseases like the
plague, malaria, and smallpox used to kill millions in the past and very rare in today’s world.
Medical science successfully identified causes of these diseases and destroyed the carriers and
produced vaccines and antibiotics. Infant mortality rates and have reduced significantly and the
average human lifespan is now 78 years old (Moe, 2019).
Throughout history there have been examples of why it’s fair to have faith in medical science.
However, a big part of faith is also the trusting relationship with providers and identifying the
unnecessary treatment and procedures that can result in expensive drugs or high fees. These have
negative repercussions, especially financially on patients and their families.
References
Fritz, Z., & Holton, R. (2019, January 1). Too much medicine: Not enough trust? Journal of Medical
Ethics. Retrieved January 18, 2022, from https://jme.bmj.com/content/45/1/31
Moe. (2019, August 25). "People are placing too much faith in medical science." do you agree?
COLLEGE AFFAIRS. Retrieved January 20, 2022, from
https://collegeaffairsblog.wordpress.com/2019/08/25/people-are-placing-too-much-faith-in-
medical-science-do-you-agree/
NIA. (2020, February). What should I ask my doctor during a checkup? National Institute on Aging.
Retrieved January 22, 2022, from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-should-i-ask-my-doctor-
during-
checkup#:~:text=Asking%20questions%20is%20key%20to,know%20it's%20important%20to%20you.
Schloss, J. (2015, August 3). 'Faith vs. fact:' why religion and science are mutually incompatible.
The Washington Post. Retrieved January 22, 2022, from
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/science-and-theology/2015/08/03/77136504-19ca-
11e5-bd7f-4611a60dd8e5_story.html
Levin, J. (2018). The discourse on faith and medicine: a tale of two literatures. Theoretical
medicine and bioethics, 39(4), 265-282.
Pitt, D., & Aubin, J. M. (2012). Joseph Lister: father of modern surgery. Canadian Journal of
Surgery, 55(5), E8.
Marr, B. (2020, October 28). 7 things everyone needs to know about gene editing. Forbes.
Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2020/10/28/7-
things-everyone-needs-to-know-about-gene-editing/
Want more trust in medical science? embrace uncertainty and cut the hype. Medscape. (2017,
April 17). Retrieved January 21, 2022, from https://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/878660
Alduy, C. (2011). Medical Research and the Myth of Scientific Truth [web log]. Retrieved from
https://arcade.stanford.edu/blogs/medical-research-and-myth-scientific-truth.
Freeman, D. H. (2010, November). Lies, Damned Lies and Medical Science. The Atlantic. Retrieved
from https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2010/11/lies-damned-lies-and-medical-
science/308269/.
UT Southwestern Medical Center. (2016, June 23). Antibiotics: When you need them and when
you do not: Prevention: UT southwestern medical center. Retrieved from
https://utswmed.org/medblog/antibiotics-resistance-proper-use/
World Health Organization. (2020, July 31). Antibiotic resistance. Retrieved from
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/antibiotic-resistance
