Bob CollinsThere are many ills in America’s political system but one of the most disturbing ones is that important stories get lost in the nonsense of campaign trivia.
Here’s one:
Half — half! — of the doctors in this country prescribe phony pills. Even worse, most of them don’t feel bad about it.
Says the New York Times:
Several medical ethicists say they’re troubled by the results, including study coauthor Franklin Miller: “This is the doctor-patient relationship, and our expectations about being truthful about what’s going on and about getting informed consent should give us pause about deception
Some of the doctors embrace the “benevolent deception” theory– that it’s OK to deceive you if it’s good for you in the long run.
And do patients really have that close of a relationship with doctors anymore, where the absence of trust is a big deal?
By the way, don’t tell the New York Times, but I actually first brought this up in January.
