Clipping Board » Medical Myths ─ The truth about healthcare is often different from what you intuitively think.
◎ By Huang Dayou (President of Heping Hospital)
Illness is something that everyone inevitably faces, and thus, no one can escape the fate of seeing a doctor. How to achieve the best outcome from this unavoidable situation and quickly regain health is what everyone hopes for.
In many ways, today's Taiwanese society is already a progressive one. For example, the standards in food, clothing, housing, and transportation have significantly improved over the past four to five decades. In Taiwan today, as long as it's a material need that money can buy, it is not behind any advanced country. However, in other aspects, such as health and medical care, although the implementation of national health insurance has achieved the goal of universal coverage in Taiwanese society, we have to question whether everyone has bought health? Although it is convenient for Taiwanese people to seek medical treatment, and they can choose to go to clinics or medical centers as they wish, the process often involves constant back-and-forth travel, long waits in queues, and the results are often unsatisfactory. Patients frequently switch hospitals in search of more skilled doctors. Therefore, how to choose the right doctor has become a pressing question for everyone.
Having worked in the medical field domestically for nearly twenty years, compared to my twenty-five years of medical practice in the United States, I must say that, generally, the public's medical knowledge is relatively lacking. This is mainly due to the unique medical model of three-minute consultations in the country, and the mistaken attitude of the vast majority of domestic doctors who do not consider educating patients as part of their duties . In the United States, people's medical knowledge is gradually accumulated from their medical experiences during their growth; on the other hand, mainstream American media are extremely rigorous in their medical reporting, with high credibility, allowing the public to obtain accurate medical information. Therefore, their understanding of medical quality is also more accurate. However, based on my years of observation domestically, I must point out that at least half of the domestic medical reporting is exaggerated and sensational self-promotion. Not only does it fail to educate the public, but it also seriously misleads them.
If someone asks me how to choose a good doctor, I would directly tell them, I would stay away from doctors who are hyped by the media and those who see hundreds of patients in one session, do not conduct thorough physical examinations, do not carefully understand medical histories before making diagnoses, or do not spend time communicating with patients.
Dr. Zhang Zhishen has many years of professional experience in both Taiwan and the United States and is familiar with the different characteristics of medical care and patients on both sides of the Pacific. Out of concern for the general public's health, she published the book "Do You Really Need to See a Famous Doctor?" using many practical examples to dispel many myths for the public. She also reminds the public of the importance of two-way communication between doctors and patients during medical consultations. Finally, she also teaches the public the criteria and characteristics of a "good doctor," providing concrete guidelines for seeking trustworthy doctors. Why did she write such a book for everyone? Because only by finding the right doctor can one safeguard their health and life!
Source: http://newbooks. lib. ntu. edu. tw/ ? p=6486
Debunking the Myth of Famous Doctors
Illness is something that everyone inevitably faces, and thus, no one can escape the fate of seeing a doctor. How to achieve the best outcome from this unavoidable situation and quickly regain health is what everyone hopes for.
In many ways, today's Taiwanese society is already a progressive one. For example, the standards in food, clothing, housing, and transportation have significantly improved over the past four to five decades. In Taiwan today, as long as it's a material need that money can buy, it is not behind any advanced country. However, in other aspects, such as health and medical care, although the implementation of national health insurance has achieved the goal of universal coverage in Taiwanese society, we have to question whether everyone has bought health? Although it is convenient for Taiwanese people to seek medical treatment, and they can choose to go to clinics or medical centers as they wish, the process often involves constant back-and-forth travel, long waits in queues, and the results are often unsatisfactory. Patients frequently switch hospitals in search of more skilled doctors. Therefore, how to choose the right doctor has become a pressing question for everyone.
Having worked in the medical field domestically for nearly twenty years, compared to my twenty-five years of medical practice in the United States, I must say that, generally, the public's medical knowledge is relatively lacking. This is mainly due to the unique medical model of three-minute consultations in the country, and the mistaken attitude of the vast majority of domestic doctors who do not consider educating patients as part of their duties . In the United States, people's medical knowledge is gradually accumulated from their medical experiences during their growth; on the other hand, mainstream American media are extremely rigorous in their medical reporting, with high credibility, allowing the public to obtain accurate medical information. Therefore, their understanding of medical quality is also more accurate. However, based on my years of observation domestically, I must point out that at least half of the domestic medical reporting is exaggerated and sensational self-promotion. Not only does it fail to educate the public, but it also seriously misleads them.
If someone asks me how to choose a good doctor, I would directly tell them, I would stay away from doctors who are hyped by the media and those who see hundreds of patients in one session, do not conduct thorough physical examinations, do not carefully understand medical histories before making diagnoses, or do not spend time communicating with patients.
Dr. Zhang Zhishen has many years of professional experience in both Taiwan and the United States and is familiar with the different characteristics of medical care and patients on both sides of the Pacific. Out of concern for the general public's health, she published the book "Do You Really Need to See a Famous Doctor?" using many practical examples to dispel many myths for the public. She also reminds the public of the importance of two-way communication between doctors and patients during medical consultations. Finally, she also teaches the public the criteria and characteristics of a "good doctor," providing concrete guidelines for seeking trustworthy doctors. Why did she write such a book for everyone? Because only by finding the right doctor can one safeguard their health and life!
Source: http://newbooks. lib. ntu. edu. tw/ ? p=6486