Is Health Care Too Reliant on Technology and Machines?

"Fifteen years ago, my 98-year-old Gran crushed her vertebrae turning over in bed. It was agony and she screamed. Our lovely GP told us what had happened, to give her whatever painkillers she could manage and reassured us it would resolve itself. We waited, three weeks later the pain disappeared, and I wrote a letter celebrating 'the vanishing skill of watchful waiting' (1). We had avoided medical care, miserable trolleys and saved the National Health Service time and money."

"Recently, I found myself in a similar situation when my mum broke her back after a fall. Unfortunately, she was outside, so an ambulance was called and she was taken to A and E. Once in the system, scan after scan followed together with endless consultations with various medical experts and a private ambulance to take her in when she was in too much pain to move. The verdict was a crushed vertebrae and the treatment - painkillers."

"There are many reasons why health care in England is on its knees, including an ageing population, patient demand for services, shortages of doctors and lack of funding. Too many machines But there is also the issue of unnecessary interventions. In England, imaging scans have increased since 2012 by about 4% and last year, about 47.2 million scans were completed in the NHS."

A 98-year-old woman crushed a vertebrae while turning in bed and recovered after three weeks with only painkillers and watchful waiting. A later case involved a fall outside, ambulance transfer, repeated scans, numerous specialist consultations, and a private ambulance, yet the diagnosis and treatment were the same: a crushed vertebrae treated with painkillers. Unnecessary interventions and defensive practice increase costs and can cause harm. Imaging activity in England rose about 4% since 2012, reaching roughly 47.2 million scans last year, including rises in x-rays, CT, MRI, and SPECT. Contributing pressures include an ageing population, rising demand, workforce shortages, and insufficient funding.

Read at Psychology Today