Medical science is considered to be 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.
References
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
