Will automation replace medical doctors?

[jjoeirv]

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Will automation replace medical doctors? What if a machine that has various diagnostic chips is invented that can diagnose what is wrong with a patient, and then come up with a medical solution?

 

[DD214_DOC]

Not going to happen.

 

[Entei]

Hahahahaha!

No. 🙄

 

[TulaneKid24]

Originally posted by jjoeirv
Will automation replace medical doctors? What if a machine that has various diagnostic chips is invented that can diagnose what is wrong with a patient, and then come up with a medical solution?

Automation used properly helps doctors tremendoulsy; however, It will NEVER replace a physician. Would you want to go to a computer when you are sick?? Probably not!

 

[MacGyver]

Automation cant replace docs for at least 30 or 40 years.

After that though, who knows? Who can accurately predict future technologies that far down the line?

It wont happen soon, but in the long term distant future its POSSIBLE that it could happen. Nobody really knows

 

[Madjimbo1]

Maybe a generation has to grow up with more trust in all-encompassing technology first. I can't think of too many people now who would trust software to be completely bug-free.

 

[Retro]

Btw, I was sent by a doc from the future to destroy the AMI (artifical medical intelligence) machine to avoid the inevitable Day of Automation. LOL.

 

[eddieberetta]

Originally posted by jjoeirv
Will automation replace medical doctors? What if a machine that has various diagnostic chips is invented that can diagnose what is wrong with a patient, and then come up with a medical solution?

We already have them: they're called PAs and NPs.
Just kidding.

 

[oldman]

mmm automation. hey, if i designed that, i could be rich. unfortunately, the townsdoctor people will come with their torches and pitchforks.


it's alive! it's alive!!!

 

[Street Philosopher]

Originally posted by eddieberetta
We already have them: they're called PAs and NPs.
Just kidding.

 

[carrigallen]

Originally posted by eddieberetta
We already have them: they're called PAs and NPs.
Just kidding.

I knew someone would come up with this. 😉 Actually, I think PA's and NP's are stepping up to fill the shortages of medical doctors in primary care fields...which is great for patients. I do suspect that the expanding scope of practice of the PA and NP may be a issue of some debate in 10-20 years.


I think it is more economical for a practice to hire a PA or NP to replace a retiring physician, especially since these medical professional may perform just as well as a doctor (albeit with less training), yet receive roughly 80% of a medical doctor's share of the total fee.

Apart from primary care, I think other fields have also come up with ways to reduce costs with allied health. For example, I think the nurse anethesiologist have supplemented (but not replaced) the duties of a medical anethesiologist. I think surgery suites may prefer to expand by hiring a RN anethesiologist to complement the md anethesiologist they have already, rather than hiring another expensive md. Similiar trends are slowly appearing in fields such as orthopaedics, radiotherapy, dermatology, etc.

I do not believe that the role of a physician will ever become obsolete. I think the value of a physician's extensive training of will always be recognized. I only think that the relationship between physicians and allied health may be undergoing change. I think there may come a time when physicians are not considered the "superiors" of allied health fields as much as they will be fellow professionals, each performing duties as their training allows.

 

[Ramoray]

all i can say that i hope the original poster is some kind of lurker of the allo forum and is not really going to be an m.d based on that comment. there is alot to be said about having vast amounts of common sense.. then there is a bare minimum of common sense that a doc requires and the o.p just seems to lack even that no automation wont replace docs for god sakes

 

[wgu]

Actually this isn't beyond (my) belief although "replace" isn't quite the right word. There's an army of research labs trying to make lab-on-chips and micro total analysis devices. If these automated devices slash costs by a large margin I can see economic pressures driving the scenario proposed here

 

[FMLizard]

If automation makes it as far as doctors, we have a much bigger problem on our hands than finding work. Chances are that by this point, there will be so few jobs left that patients will have long since lost the ability to pay, and mass poverty would be leading to rioting in the streets.

Yes, mid-levels may cause some decline, but the aging and increasingly less healthy population will offset that. Being a doc is about the safest career path you could possibly choose in regards to long-term employment viability.

The biggest worry you could have is the massive importation of cheap foreign doctors without any school loans and much less schooling by HMO sweatshops. They will pay them much less and hold them hostage on visas, diluting the labor market. In other words, what has happened to IT and will happen to nursing in the next few years could happen in medicine.