When people say a doctor is no good, does that mean their right?

[SkyBlue252]

Today I was getting some test result for my stomach problems, but wanted to also talk about my ear troubles. Been having pressure in my ears and other uncomfortable feelings in there, plus sudden ringing that makes me feel lightheaded.

He checked my eads, said there was nothing obviousin there and it was likely the euachiantube not opening and closing properly, causing fluidto become trapped just said it's "annoying feeling but unfortunately goes with having a cleft palate" and thought I may have had a cold causing inflammation.

Anyways,

Going from the surgery I met with someone I know, she randomly asked which doctor I saw, I told her who, and she said "oh, he's no good, I never get luck with him". He misdiagnosed her with muscle strain when in fact it was athritis, and told someone who had a chronic lung condition he was fine.

She's not the first person I heared saying that.

Kinda made me wonder though. Because my anxious brain keeps convincing myself I need a brain and head scan... lol.. my ear still itchess, it' s annoying, I try not to focus on it, that makes it itch more. It wadn't itchy when I was there, but there was still bit of a pressure.

He's been working there for 8 years, I guess he's been through all the training, so he probably knows what he' talking about right?

I seen another doctor who is said to be one of the best, he didn't seem any better I don't think.... but maybe I'm not judgemental...

[KK77]

You mean a GP? GPs do not generally "diagnose". They will refer a patient to a specialist for that. They may speculate or suspect a certain illness, but that's it.

[Justus]

You know how on every flight, there is at least one armchair pilot who loudly assesses whether a landing was good or bad? Usually based on how "hard" the landing was. The thing about landing a plane is that there are many factors that determine how hard the pilots put the aircraft on the ground. Sometimes they can do touch down like a feather ("Well, that was a really impressive landing!"), but in other cases (e.g. when the runway is wet or when there are gusts), it may be safer to go down a bit faster/harder. ("Now, that was an awful landing, the plane almost broke!") The plane is built for that, so it doesn't care. Passengers have usually no way of judging whether a landing was good or bad from their seats.

Same thing is true for doctors. Laypeople are rarely qualified to judge a medical professional's qualifications. Of course there are better and worse doctors (just like pilots), but your average GP is well qualified to deal with the vast majority of your everyday health issues. I wouldn't worry too much about whether your doctor is the best or not as long as you feel comfortable with him.