THE MANY TENTACLES OF KNOWLEDGE ASYMMETRY IN HEALTHCARE
Journal Title: Hygeia:journal for drugs and medicines - Year 2016, Vol 8, Issue 1
Abstract
he other day, I was invited to participate in the National convention on Medicine and Law at Mumbai to deliberate on violence against doctors. The brochure ominously asserted that “75% of doctors have faced violence at work” Why has this antipathy towards doctors become so commonplace? Is it fromthe seeds of suspicion planted by Google-driven health information systems retrieved from the internet? Or is it the mounting expectationsof the ‘informed’ patient with insurance cover and cash?Could it be the corporatization of healthcare that places profit before patient care? Or is itlack of personalized attention? Or a sense of being swindled by unnecessary diagnostic tests and avoidable hospital admissions? Must be a combination of all of the above, in addition to even more reasonspeculiar to India. The healthcare system is particularly vulnerable to exploitation because of ‘knowledge asymmetry.’ When we want to buy a car, we decide what car we need, what additional fittings it should adorn, and when we should take delivery. No such freedom exists when it comes to our own health. We have no idea what vaccinations or diagnostic tests we need, what medicines we should buy or what surgeries we have to go through. The knowledge intensive nature of healthcare typically creates a conflict of interest between the ignorant patients and well-informed, profit-seekinghealthcare providers. Trust alone can bridge this divide.
Authors and Affiliations
Unnikrishnan M K
Keywords
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- EP ID EP342226
- DOI 10.15254/H.J.D.Med.8.2016.12
- Views 48
- Downloads 0
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