ISSUE TOPIC An ailing patient should have easy access to his or her doctor s record of treating similarly afflicted patients Through gaining such access the ailing patient may better determine whether the doctor is competent to treat that medical conditio

The author recommends that a doctor's past history regarding his success rate for curing a particular ailment should be easily accessible by the patient. Such an access will help the patient to determine the competency of the doctor. I strongly agree with the author's recommendation and put forth the following points to bolster the same.

We all are aware about the famous adage which says 'Experience is the best teacher'. Going by this, it is clearly evident that a person who has been practicing a particular thing since ages must have become a professional in the same. As a result we all will prefer to go to a doctor who has had a successful record in treating a particular ailment for quite a long time. However, this can be possible only if the past record of the various doctors are easily accessible by the patience. Thus, with this the patient himself will be able to decide whether the doctor is competent enough or not.

Consider the following two situations: You take your damaged car to the garage where an amateur mechanic is going to repair and in the second situation, the mechanic at the garage is an experienced one. Do you find a difference? Of course yes. The amateur mechanic will first spend some time to identify the damage, then he will search for the available remedial measures to repair that damage and eventually it will be a time consuming process. On the other hand, the experienced driver will immediately identify the damage at the first glance. This is due to the fact that he has been doing the same down the years. Also, the probability of quality assurance, gurantee and success will be higher of the latter than the former. Analogous to the above situation, a doctor with a good record will not only save money by reducing the number of visits but also he will save a huge chunk of time. Hence, an ailing patient will directly go to an experienced doctor rather than taking chances here and there.

It has been scientifically proven that the mental state of a patient plays a significant role in the procedure of curing the illness. If the patients have an access to the past records of the doctor, looking at his success rate might be a morale booster for him and given a psychological advantage. This will eventually speed up the process of curing. However, it can have a negative effect if the records are not good enough. So the most salubrious way is to view the records of the famous and reputed doctors recommended by others.

However, apart from the advantages the practice will also have certain disadvantages. With such a practice, the talented new comers who have created wonders with the least possible experience might be kept aloof. The doors of opportunity will be partially open for them. Also, the past record of treating the ailment won't portray any present picture about the doctor. Another possibility is that the patient might misjudge the doctor's competency. In spite of all this, the drawbacks seem to be meager infront of the advantages present. As a result, an ailing patient should have easy access to his or her doctor's record of treating similarly affected patients.