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Medicine Has Horror Stories, But They Are Mostly Carefully Hidden
Medicine needs trust and transparency to avoid repeating mistakes hidden in history.
History demonstrates the significance of making medical information accessible to the public, emphasizing transparency and consent. Whenever you've had a medical procedure, such as surgery or any other procedure, you were probably given a consent form and asked to sign.
Also, probably, the person giving it to you displayed a sense of wanting it signed quickly so that the procedure could get underway. Being a considerate person, you probably didn't take the time to read through the entire form before you signed it; you signed on the dotted line ASAP.
I once stood in the hallway, watching as a quite elderly man, wearing a hospital smock and seated on a gurney, was, in my words, being badgered by a young woman with a clipboard who wanted him to sign for a research protocol. He demurred, saying he didn't have his glasses and couldn't read anything.
The young woman reassured him that there was nothing he needed to read to be included in the research. He was alone and had no one to advocate for him, and I can imagine how intimidated he must have felt at that moment. The young woman only wanted him to sign, and there was little regard for how he felt or that he would not be…
