Question

• What are some of the problems that arise for both patients and doctors when medical care is highly specialized?

• Why do you think other countries do not allow advertising for prescription drugs? Why do you think we still do?
• ESCAPE FIRE follows Yvonne Osborne, who has been in treatment for heart disease for over 15 years. What mistakes are noted in her care? What have these mistakes cost in terms of money, risk, and the emotional distress?

Answer 1

High specialization leads to absence of proper attention to care and also high cost.Large percentage of care and tests are used for a simple iilness in a patient leads to unnecessary diversion from treatment and also money spent on hospital services will be a burden for the patient.For example a patient with shortness of breath was admitted in a hospital. There he was seen by a thoracic surgeon,cardiologist,nutritionist, hematologist, gastroenterologist,oncologist ,urologist, pain specialist .His bills were very high . ECG, ECHO, spirometry, sputum culture ,complete blood investigations and even cardiac catheterization was done. Atlast he was discharged as with decreased shortness of breath and with some follow up consultations .As the care was given in broad specialization but the cause of his problem can't be ruled out , only his insurance claims were high.

Countries do not allow advertising for prescription drugs because On seeing the uses of drugs people may buy it and start using it which may lead to complications and side effects.The advertisements are misguiding overemphasizing the use of the drugs.The advertisements regarding drugs for erectile dysfunction, decreased libido , ring worms ,pimples, normal aging problems,etc create the idea those normal conditions are very harmful resulting in the stigmatization of non-problematic conditions.But in america prescription drugs ads are legal because of the efficiency of FDA ,and also FDA instructs to include benefits and risks of drugs in ads to inform patients The ads were helping the physicians to know about any side effects caused by a certain drug as the people come back to them and express the problems encountered after consuming it .

She was not given appropriate care because of overspecialisation in medical care.Unecessary tests were made but nothing was found out.Always a medical care should be in holistic approach to cure a patient.