Comment by eternauta3k
2 days ago
Stethoscopes are pretty cheap and versatile. Human doctors in general have lots of senses which they (in some medical systems) use for diagnosis before reaching for lab tests and MRTs.
2 days ago
Stethoscopes are pretty cheap and versatile. Human doctors in general have lots of senses which they (in some medical systems) use for diagnosis before reaching for lab tests and MRTs.
If they bother. The vast majority of appointments I’ve had, in recent memory, are the provider typing a bit on their laptop, then sending me to someone else.
I've noticed the last few times I've went, they've just copy and pasted things like my weight and height from previous appointments. My dog gets better treatment at the vet.
If you don't like your doctor, go to someone else
Indeed but a tiring and expensive game when it takes 4-5 tries with experienced specialists to get an actual diagnosis.
6 replies →
In some countries like Canada you basically don’t have an option.
Really? They just tell me it's stress, the prescribe me chinese medicine just in case and send me away.
Damn, they just tell me I’m getting old and wish me luck.
My primary care doctor doesn’t even have an otoscope!
Have no idea how they have such good reviews.
Stethoscopes are an example where tech can help and is helping. Some sounds (a slightly leaky heart valve, say) are subtle and easily missed, especially if there is traffic outside the doctor's surgery or other noise. Even with good earpieces.
A stethoscope with microphone, analog-to-digital conversion, and digital signal processing can separate out heart sounds from lung sounds and amplify each separately, and AI analysis can learn to identify early stage problems that doctors can't yet hear.
Of course the downside of that may be a loss of skill, as we see happening with ECGs. The ECG analysis algorithms are so good now that lots of doctors don't even bother with anything more than a glance at the waveform, they just look at the text the algo provides. Understandable, when you're near the end of a 12-hour shift.
But potentially, AI based home diagnostic kits with these sorts of devices could save doctors' time.