A fundamental skill that physicians rely on is calculating risk/benefit analyses when we advise patients. My use of the word ‘calculating’ is a misnomer as there is no reliable scientific method to quantify risk and benefit. Indeed, different physicians might ‘calculate’ such an analysis differently. Similarly, different patients in the same medical circumstances might gauge the potential medical benefit differently. This is not hard science. Some folks might feel that a 5% risk of a major complication is acceptable, while others would balk at this statistic. And on the benefit side, is it worth taking a medication that has some risk with the hope that it might shave 1 day off of a 7 day illness? Despite that risk/benefit analyses are not easily quantified, physicians and patients must enter into a dialogue on this issue when a treatment or a test is being proposed. The participants have to do their best to tease through the issues. If a 25-year-old athlete develops ac
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