A medical treatment is any action that a health care provider takes to improve or cure an illness. It may include medicine, surgery or other techniques. Some treatments are permanent, such as insulin for diabetes or a tetanus shot. Other treatments are temporary, such as bandages or ointments for injuries. Some treatments are preventive, such as a flu vaccine or tetanus shots. A number of common treatments are based on research findings, and are called evidence-based medicine. These treatments are backed by high-quality research and have been shown to be safe and effective.
Some people avoid medical treatment because they do not believe that the problem they have is a serious one. Those who have had negative experiences with doctors or hospital procedures may also avoid seeking treatment. These negative experiences are often related to poor communication between doctors and patients.
Many diseases, such as infections and some cancers, cause painful physical symptoms. However, some disease processes are not painful and may not even cause any physical discomfort at all, such as the inability to feel pain in leprosy or syringomyelia, or unconsciousness in a coma. In addition, some people avoid health care because they do not think that the treatments available will work or will have side effects that are worse than the disease itself.
Those who do seek medical treatment have to evaluate whether it is appropriate for them to do so. This evaluation includes a consideration of the benefits and risks, as well as the costs. It is important that the evaluation be unbiased. People also need to evaluate how accessible health care services are to them and whether they can afford them.
In the United States, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act of 1986 requires hospitals to treat anyone who has a life-threatening or severe injury or illness, regardless of their ability to pay. The law also requires that hospitals transfer patients to other facilities if the hospital cannot provide adequate or suitable treatment for their conditions.
Other reasons for avoiding health care are more personal in nature. Some involve a general dislike of doctors or the medical profession (n=67). Some of these concerns are specific, such as perceptions that doctors do not communicate well or that they are impersonal or uncaring. Others are less specific and more general, such as a lack of time or an overall preference for nonphysician health care providers.
Some of the most common reasons for avoiding medical treatment revolve around the beliefs that health problems are not real, that doctors overdiagnose and overtreat, and that the results of clinical trials are flawed. These views may be influenced by media coverage and other sources of information, such as friends or relatives who have had bad experiences with doctors. People also may be worried that a doctor will not take their concerns seriously or will tell them what they want to hear. Moreover, some individuals are afraid of being labeled as hypochondriacs or that they will be treated by a doctor with a negative attitude.