Why doctors don't tell you the whole truth

Straight Talking Doc Unhinged

We've been discussing afib and the use of blood thinners to prevent strokes. We showed how medical statistics can be manipulated to show exaggerated benefit while minimizing risk, how surrogate markers (all strokes vs clinically significant strokes) are used to exaggerate the benefit of the blood thinners, and how that flawed data can put inputted into a calculator to show a precise risk of stroke if you don't take the blood thinner. But, doctors don't get paid more if you take blood thinners, so why are they so dogmatic that you follow that course? Why are they so adamant that people must take these medicines, and why do they rely on surrogate markers, flawed statistics, and inaccurate calculators rather than discussing actual risk and benefits with their patient and being very up-front about the nuance and uncertainty in all medical decision making? The answer doesn't come down to money, but rather to how doctors are trained and how they think. We'll talk about all of that in this episode!