PTs polled trust less than 50% of other PTs or doctors

This is not medical advice.

“That guy?”

This is not an article disparaging physical therapists or doctors. I am using these poll results to make a different case, that I will arrive at later.

I took an unscientific and anonymous poll on a social media sight, that asked these two questions. Respondents were from around the world.

1. “What percentage of our colleagues do you trust to send a loved one to PT?”, and

2. “What percentage of MDs or surgeons do you trust sending patients to, based on outcomes/advice witnessed?”

The results were on average, less than 50%. Not a ringing endorsement of our industry. Granted, many of us could also be very arrogant. It was an eye opener on many levels.

There were some funny responses; “I wouldn’t let them treat my dog…” That’s actually not true. Some people care more about pets than family members. Just sayin…

There were many responses in the 5-20% range. Is the industry that arrogant, or that incompetent, or a mixture of both? Neither is good.

Defending doctors

I have defended doctors in the past. It may be the system that is the problem. They have so many customers, and so little time to delve into each person’s problem. 15 minutes is not enough time to gather all the details. It’s certainly not enough time to hear all the stories about a retirees’ cat.

Defending doctors first, and then we'll talk about the system

“Mills” argument

One very good point brought up by someone was that it depended on what kind of clinic that PT worked in. If they saw 2-3 patients at the same time, the trust was less. I can see arguments for this. I can also see someone there having more experience.

What’s the true message here?

What should we think about all this? It’s certainly not encouraging. A few years back I was hesitant sending a family member to therapy. There was a possibility that the rehab person could make their condition worse, or they might be ignored (now who’s arrogant?)

There is this overwhelming mantra in the general public and on social media forums. “You MUST see your doctor!”, and “we cannot give you medical advice.” Agreed. There are liability issues of course. Patients need to be seen in person. We can’t speculate as to what’s going on without seeing someone in front of us. There might need to be tests taken, vitals taken, red flags, shortness of breath, heart attack signs, etc.

But if we collectively trust less than 50% of our own industry, then why are people disparaged for doing their own research?

How much does it cost us to see people in the medical industry? What is our collective rating of the care we delivered?

There are many times we have to seek medical care, especially urgent care.

But I think it’s in your best interest to do your own research, collect as many opinions as possible, don’t listen to just one person on the internet. Collect 20 opinions on your condition. Take responsibility for your own general health.