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. a 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
