第三十四篇 Do Patients Trust Doctors Too Much?
Earlier this year, the American College of Surgeons, the national scientific and educational organization of surgeons, conducted a nationwide survey that found that the average patient devotes an hour or less to researching his or her surgery or less to researching his surgery or surgeon.
While prospective patients worry about the costs or complications of an operation, they don't necessarily look for information that would address their concerns.
In fact, more than a third of patients who had an operation in the last five years never reviewed the credentials of the surgeon who operated. Patients are more likely to spend time researching a job change (on average, about 10 hours) or a new car (8 hours) than the operation they are about to submit to or the surgeon who wields the knife. And many patients are satisfied with the answers they receive from their surgeon or primary care doctor, whoever those individuals happen to me.
I felt curious about the survey, so I called Dr. Thomas Russell, executive director of the American College of Surgeons. "There is a tendency for patients not to get particularly involved and not to feel compelled to look into their surgery or surgeons," he told me.
There are consequences to that kind of blind trust. "Today, medicine and surgery are really team sports, Dr. Russell continued, and the patient, as the ultimate decision maker, is the most important member of the team. Mistakes can happiness and parents have to be educated and must understand what is going on.
In other words, a healthy doctor - patient relation dose not simply entail good bedside manners and responsible office management on the doctor. It also requires that patients come to the relationship educated about their doctors，their illness and their treatment.
"If we are truly going to reform the health care system in the U.S.," Dr.
Russell said, "everybody has to participate actively and must educate themselves. That means doctors, nurses, other health care professional, lawyers,pharmaceutical companies, and insurance companies. But most of all, it means the patient."
Trust is important. But as Sir Francis Bacon1, who was among the first to understand the importance of gathering data in science, once observed,knowledge is power.
词汇 Prospective adj. 预期的，将来的compel v. 强迫、迫使
Complication n. 并发症entail v. 需要
Credential n. 资历pharmaceutical adj. 制药的
Wield v. 支配，控制
注释 1. Sir Francis Bacon: 培根(1561-1626，英国哲学家，英语语言大师，英国唯物主义和实验科学的创始人，反对经院哲学，提出知识就是力量，主要著作有《论科学的价值和发展》、《新工具》。)
练习 1. Patients do not seem to spend enough time
A researching job changes.
B researching new cars.
C researching their surgery or surgeons.
D researching the American College of Surgeons.
2. It appears that patients nowadays have
A little trust in their doctors
B too much trust in their doctors
C too much information about their doctors.
3. The most important role in medicine and surgery should be played
A by pharmaceutical and insurance companies.
B by doctors and nurses.
C by lawyers.
D by patients.
4. It's a mistaken idea that a healthy doctor-patient relationship
A is a goal that can be achieved.
B is what the patient desires.
C is dependent just on the doctor.
D also entails efforts made by the patient
5. The author does NOT believe in
A Francis Bacon.
B blind trust.
C scientific data.
D the power of knowledge.
答案与解析 1. C 从短文的第一、二段可以得知，病人用于查询有关跳槽、新车等信息的时间大大超过查询自己即将做手术以及给他们做手术的医生的资质所用的时间。
2. B 从短文的题目以及各个段落中不难看出，现在的病人对于自己的医生过于信任，他们说什么就信什么。
3. D 短文的第四段说，内科与外科治疗都属于团体项目，而病人作为诊疗过程中的最后决策者，在团队中自然扮演最为重要的角色。
4. C 短文的第五段说，健康的医患关系只靠医生的努力是不够的。病人必须了解自己的医生、疾病和治疗方案。
5. B 短文的最后一段说，信任是很重要的，但是知识就是力量。之前，在短文的第四段，作者提到了盲目信任是不可取的，可见，作者是不赞成盲目信任的。
责任编辑：sealion1986
