One thing that's always surprised me about medicine is this interaction with patients.

Stranger (physician) meets stranger (patient).

Physician advises patient on something that they're the expert in expecting patient to accept everything as gospel.

Patient doesn't.

And rightfully so. Because 1) this is coming from a stranger. Even with good intentions we are humans and it's completely normal to process information. 2) The patient IS NOT the expert however it doesn't mean the patient is not capable of evaluating or comprehending information.

This IMO further displaces the relationship between patients and physicians.

I'm pretty sure everything a physician does in their personal life they don't blindly adopt a service or advice. Especially in scenarios where they're not the expert.

So why are we trained this way?

Everything is oriented around TIME not validation. From documentation, to rounds, to office visits. There's literally a USMLE board exam that tests med students ability to consult with a patient in 8 mins or less.

Now add being a stranger and the power dynamics of information.

If anything changes Post-COVID it needs to be this. Stop optimizing for time and lets focus on people, trust, and patience for patients.

We have to get away from a society where we are more familiar with social media influencer than we are with a doctor.