Is the doctor always right?

Every one is human and prone to mistakes, even doctors. I know doctors have been wrong on several occasions, though I have never personally had a doctor that misdiagnosed anything regarding my health. Doctors attend school for eight years, have an internship, so their mistakes better be few. I don't know that if it would be worth it to be a doctor in this day and age with malpractice suits on the rise.

I don't think that I have ever had a serious enough illness to doubt my doctor. I have several friends who are both GPs and surgeons. As you say, they are human. Like all of us, they get better with experience and practice but there is no way that they can always be right. If in any doubt, seek a second opinion. A good doctor will not take offence. They want you to get better and sometimes someone else will be better placed to give you the correct diagnosis. Also, never trust one that says "let's just pop to the pub for a swift drink". You'll still be there at closing time! LOL.

i am a gonna be doctor. i can say you are right noboy is perfect. doctor are not god they make mistake too.. but a good doctor try best not to make the mistake..

It is good to get a second opinion. They are only human after all. And we all make mistakes. So sorry about the misdiagnosis. That had to be rough.

We had the same experience with our daughter where the doctor just do the normal stuff and did not explain the problem. I felt that time that the said doctor was not competent enough to diagnose our baby. After he suggested that the baby needs some blood test, we looked for another doctor to ask for a second opinion. We got a good diagnosis from the second doctor who explained everything to us.

Hello there my friend..I had a whole page written and it deleted. I will try to be shorter this time round. Never ever, take what you are told my any doctor as being the only and right answer. Always question until you are satisfied and understand what is going on. Nobody knows your body better than you do. I write a list of questions before going to see my doctor or specialist. I have learned the hard way that most medical diagnosis are made through a series of tests and guesswork and that most things are not cut and dry. If you do not feel comfortable, seek a second opinion. I hope that I have the life of a cat with 9 lives because I have used up two of them already. After suffering a heart attack, which the hospital staff did not believe I was having, I still did not feel right. My cardiologist said he could find nothing more wrong and in time it would heal.I went and got a second opinion and was glad I did. I had a severely leaking valve in my heart and required open heart surgery. After the surgery, the surgeon had told my family that it was so bad, that I would not have survived much longer. That was experience number one. About a year after that, I got sick again with severe diarrhea. I told my doctor it wasnt right. She prescribed different meds and eventually sent me to a specialist. He continued to prescribe immodium, telling me to keep increasing the dose. I continued to get worse and one day I just felt so rotton, I asked my daughter to take my to the hospital and I wasnt leaving til they figured it out. Well, I had no choice. By the time I got there, my kidneys were in failure, other functions had let go, and I was so weak, I couldnt stand. They could find no pulse and my blood pressure was so low they couldnt read it at all. It turned out I had ulcerative colitis that nearly took my life through dehydration and kidney failure. Please, anyone who thinks they are not feeling right, please seek a second opinion. It could save your life.

i do agree with you,they are not always right.everyone must remember that they are humans and to err is human.they are just telling others what they have learned,it is not right to have blind faith on them,it is always betterto cross-check.

I was misdiagnosed last fall by my doctor who thought I had poison ivy. I didn't think I did, because I have had poison ivy in the past and I am pretty familiar with the way it acts on my body. Two weeks and two prescriptions later, my doctor said, I don't think this is poison ivy....which is what I said on the first visit. Oh well, it was resolved even though I had to pay for medicine and doctor's appointments. I think he did give me a discount the second time which in my opinion should have been free. But it's like I always say, they're just practicing, that's why they call them general practicianers. LOL Glad you are wise enough to speak up and ask questions for your own sake. Have a great day.

well the doctor is certainly not always right. and House is not always available at the local hospital. there are things that we can help the doctor make an accurate diagnosis. it is important to describe our symptoms as closely as possible to the doctor. a stomach pain can mean many things. a stabbing pain is different from a throbbing pain. a dull pain is different from a sharp pain. for me, i'll do my best to describe all my symptoms to my doctor. i'll also read up on the possible disease the symptoms might signify and discuss them with my doctor. this way, i can make an informed decision when the diagnosis is out.

Actually Elnora....I had this problem and for the exact same reason as you did. I KNEW something was wrong and I kept questioning them. My Paps were coming back "bad" and they kept reassuring me that it was just a bacterial infection that was common and would clear up on its' own. This was the 2nd time that I had cervical cancer so I knew the signs. Still, I was always relieved afterwards because it was what I wanted to hear, I guess. By the time that I saw another doctor...a specialist...who just happened to be sitting in and observing, it had already began spreading. I, too, had to have surgery. Thankfully it was caught in time!! I learned that in my state that it doesn't matter who you go to for the papsmear. All the doctors sent the paps to a lab where there were only 2 people reading them and they were paid per reading. Beyond the human error factor, of course they were reading them quickly. A man who lost his wife to cervical cancer, fought and changed all that. Like you, I am much more pro-active now. You just can't blindly trust them. Great post and I'm glad you are alright!

God is not printed on my Doctor or any other Doctor I have seen over the years. I respect the man and value his opinion but I always ask questions and I always look on the internet. I learned this many years ago when I first left the care of my childhood doctor. I used him to deliver all 3 of my children and to treat the whole family for many years. I was awakened to that fact that he left much to be desired when I had my first pelvic exam from an OB/GYN and it didn't cause me any pain. The previous guy was just to darn rough. From then on I knew Docotrs were just as human as the rest of us.

I always try to research about whatever the doctor just said - especially if I'm not familiar with whatever health condition he just mentioned. Or I ask my brother (a nurse) about the stuff I heard the doctor say. This is mostly to satisfy my curiosity :) Thanks for the response on my discussion!

NO WAY ! not a God's word, coz they're not. I havent n i dont wanna experience it, but i have some of relatives that had a bad experiences with doctor's diagnoses..the doc misdiagnosed it, and caused them have to operate a part of their body but instead of makin it better n healthier, it made them worst ! now my aunty have to live her life just in bed, and cant do nothing ! me n my family never put the doc's diagnose as the very right one ! we always looking for a second opinions, therefore we will know which one is the right one or not.

No, everyone makes mistakes

NO! All people in authority, such as doctors, nurses, teachers, vets, police, etc. etc., are NOT always right! They may know a lot about what they speek but they are only human and can and DO make mistakes! It has never happened to me but I've heard it happens to a lot of people out there.

First of all not all doctors graduate at the top of their class or even from a good med school. Second things in medicine change rapidly and not all fo them stay current. I have as many degrees as a doctor and also know more about correctly conducted research thasn the average doctor does. So before I go tomy dr. I do my own research and then when I do go we discuss things as equals. That is the way it should be. Besides we all know our own bodies better than anyone else.

hello, i don't think there are doctors who wants to harm their patient..though they are not always right because they are just human like as and they commit mistakes.but i hope they will be extra careful and cautious on handling their patients because its our lives that they are treating.have a nice day anora

hmm..doctors aren't always right..:) they do commit mistakes.. if you are not certain of what you are diagnosed with you can always have an alternative opinion and if they match then that must be the problem you have to deal with :)

I think the professional ethics of Doctor is very important.doctor should be responsible much for patients.most doctors are professional i think,but few are selfish just for money not really work for patients.i knew some cheat patients cooperate with hosipital.anyway,maybe some wrong systems give them chance to rob from patients.doctor always is a respect job for people.don't let bad things destroy people's trust.

Yes,I agree with you.And I think the misdiagnosing has many reasons.Lacking of experience to the doctor can be a reason.And sometime,the same disease happened to different people with different body condition,the results may different. My father was diagnosed to have serious hear disease,and the doctor said to us that about this kind of disease,he could live at most 2 years.What a pity!But my father told us then:it doesn't matter for him at all. I don't know the reason,but till now,ten yeas goes by ,my father is very well! That's all I want to share with you.Happy mylotting.