Interview Questions

[f_debelder]

What I plan to do here is offer some interview questions which you all can answer as you see fit. I'll start with two and add more each day. Write your answer as if you were talking to me as an interviewer and change the font colour to red so that people can see it as an answer easily and then other members can comment/debate the answer in black.

Looking for balanced, well thought answers rather than those with a single view.
These are from the list of questions that were given to me as I sat on the interview panel for the mock interviews for SAMDA, a BL society that works with members of the real interview panel to help schoolchildren from the East End gain medical school places.

Starting with....

1.)Should alternative or complimentary medicine be funded by the NHS and why?

2.) What do you think is the greatest health threat to the British population today?

[Hughman]

Alternative, no. It is a separate treatment plan that has no scientific backing.
Complimentary, yes. Some like hypnosis and chiropractic treatment have good evidence behind them now that they work - ie they aren't just a placebo. Normal medical practice is also still continuing, so the patient can be monitored.

Greatest health threat? Ourselves. We insist on eating crap, drinking our livers into oblivion, smoking anything that's flammable and refusing to walk any further than is necessary to reach the fridge/remote control.

Pessimistic and cynical, yes. True....you decide.

[jonbonbon]

I think that if one method of curing something works, an alternative treatment is not nessecary. They may work for some people but the NHS can't fund every type of treatment available just because someone thinks it might be nicer than a cocktail of drugs that are proven to work. It also saves money to buy in bulk, in that way one treatment is better but many different treatments paid for seperately can cost alot more and are therefore not cost effective. Perhaps if a treatment is having no effect and the patient wishes, and brings the topic up themselves, they could be taken off that treatment and be allowed to have alternative therapy on the NHS, but only if its proven that the regular treatment is not working for them. Some complimentary medicine should maybe be funded but this should probably be decided on a case by case basis, weighing up the potential benefit to the patient and maybe even a trial run to see if success is likely.

Have to agree with Hughman; humans are definitely the biggest risk to themselves. So many diseases wouldn't be passed if people followed guidelines and used their common sense. Imagine if no one smoked, the cases of lung cancer would fall dramatically as something like 90% of lung cancer is caused by smoking or passive smoking. This would save so much time, money and resources that could then be deployed elsewhere. And the same goes for drugs, binge drinking, STI's. If we all stopped doing so many of the things that do nothing but harm us, healthcare would be so much better. But of course that would be in a perfect world...

[f_debelder]

OK, today's questions are!

1.)Do you think doctors should set a good example to their patients in their own lives? How or why do you think this might be difficult?

2.) What are the current government health priorities and how do you feel about them?

[Kinkerz]

*Suggests stickying this*

1.)Do you think doctors should set a good example to their patients in their own lives? How or why do you think this might be difficult?

Maybe not set an example per se, but definately suggest and advise of a better way of living. After all, it is the doctor's own life and he/she can live it how they wish.
That said, I think setting an example would help. Look at it like this, would you take health advice about your weight seriously from an obese doctor? I think that alot of people wouldn't...

Not sure about the second bit. Struggling to come up with anything of substance...

2.) What are the current government health priorities and how do you feel about them?

I think the impact of a bad diet and generally bad lifestyle probably is. As Hughman quite nicely expressed previously, we are eating way too much food that damages us (salt, sugar, saturated fats, etc) and not enough food that helps us (antioxidants, fiber, etc). We aren't doing enough exercise. Especially the category of kids that play on video games all night rather than having a game of football at the park. Alot of people don't truly know how much damage they're doing to themselves and just consider weight and how fat they are as the gauge of healthiness.
I think the fact that this has been recognised is all good, and I think more should be done to raise awareness. There have been some excellent programmes on TV (Jamie Oliver - school dinners for example) that talk about this kind of thing and there should be more of that type of thing in the media.
At the end of the day, improving diet and lifestyle is saving the NHS money (less need for healthcare that would have been needed due to bad diet, etc), and improving people's health.

[f_debelder]

Good answers everyone.

Hughman: What about patient choice in alternative medicine? Does a patient have the right to demand treatment if he reports he feels far far better on homeopathy than on your drug rx?

Kinkerz: You answered the second part of the question by giving your example of the obese doc

Everyone: Greatest health threat question is one that needs a precise answer, not an abstract one e.g. "ourselves". Do some research on which disease(s) have the biggest morbidity/mortality (and if you don't know the difference, look it up! )

[Hughman]

Good answers everyone.

Hughman: What about patient choice in alternative medicine? Does a patient have the right to demand treatment if he reports he feels far far better on homeopathy than on your drug rx?

The patient gets whatever is on offer on the NHS (if they want it for 'free') - and NICE is unlikely to allow alternative therapy as it's life-quality+quantity vs cost ratio is generally going to be poor.

[Hughman]

Good answers everyone.

Everyone: Greatest health threat question is one that needs a precise answer, not an abstract one e.g. "ourselves". Do some research on which disease(s) have the biggest morbidity/mortality (and if you don't know the difference, look it up! )

I was being philosophical! Biggest health threat to the UK? Cardiovascular disease, neurological deficits, cancer, accidents, infectious illness. (in rough order I think of numbers)

[f_debelder]

Correct, CV disease is the highest killer in the UK.

And nice answer on the NICE!

[Hughman]

Correct, CV disease is the highest killer in the UK.

And nice answer on the NICE!

Haha, thanks. I always thought NICE where a bunch a bunts, but reading up on them has actually changed my perspective. Other than a few anti-cancer drugs mess ups that resulted in some deaneries providing it, and other not, they do a good job from the vast amounts of data they have to work through.