An ailing patient should have easy access to his or her doctor’s record of treating similarly affected patients. Through gaining such access, the patient may better determine whether the doctor is competent to treat that medical condition. Write a respo

An ailing patient should have easy access to his or her doctor’s record of treating similarly affected patients. Such access will help the patient determine how much experience the doctor has in treating the illness that the patient is suffering from and if the doctor charges an excessive amount of money for services. All of this is critical in helping the patient determine which doctor is best.
A doctor’s record shows how many patients of a particular illness the doctor has treated. For someone who is sick, both are critical in determining the best doctor. For example, my grandfather, Charles Ditchik, battled several different kinds of cancer all throughout his life. Despite this, he managed to live for an astonishing 82 years. This is because when he suffered from cancer – whether it be skin cancer, lung cancer, or bladder cancer – he always chose the most qualified doctor. Charles chose the doctor that had the most experience and the greatest success in dealing with the specific type of cancer he was dealing with. And he did this by finding out how many patients with his type of cancer a particular doctor cured through hospital and public medical records. Had he not been given access to such information, he would not have been able to make such informed decisions regarding his medical choices, and may not have lived as long as he lived. Like my grandfather, there are many who are suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses and deserve access to doctors’ medical records to choose the most qualified doctor for them.
Experience isn’t the only thing that is important in a doctor’s history. There are other factors that can be critical to patients, such as how much a doctor will charge for treatment. For example, suppose a low-income construction worker gets an impinged shoulder on the job. As a result, his movements become restricted and painful. As his occupation involves manual labor, he clearly needs to begin physical therapy to repair his shoulder. At the same time, as his annual income is limited, he cannot afford costly treatment. If he had access to a doctor’s record, he could determine which doctors have a history of fixing shoulder impingements in the quickest amount of time. A less time-consuming treatment means more money saved. However, without access to a doctor’s record, there is little to no way for the worker to know which doctors will most likely treat him in the fastest amount of time. The worker could ask the doctor himself, but of course every physical therapist will say he or she is the best at treating injuries. Furthermore, it is not at all uncommon for a doctor to intentionally prolong treatment in order to receive more money. Access to a doctor’s records can help act to safeguard this worker against such fraudulent practice. Of course, this situation is not specific to this particular construction worker. Countless citizens who have limited budgets get injured, and through access to a doctor’s record, can best determine the most affordable doctor to treat them.
Now, some may argue that a doctor’s record does not necessarily determine whether the doctor is competent. This point is completely valid. Patients vary widely: just because one doctor had less success in treating an illness compared to another doctor, does not make the latter doctor more competent. It could be that the former doctor was unluckier in his or her patients. However, this should be for a potential patient to decide when he or she looks through a record. Furthermore, many could argue that access to a doctor’s record would violate patient confidentiality. This is also a valid argument. Even so, there are basic precautions that could be taken in order to allow ailing patients to view their doctor’s record while protecting the privacy of former patients. For example, records could exclude the specific names of people whom the doctor treated. In addition, And there are many other measures that could be enacted that could protect privacy without sacrificing transparency.
Access to a doctor’s record is extremely helpful for ailing patients in helping them determine the best doctor to treat them. Without such access, patients are limited in determining the competency of their doctors.