From patients who want to be cryopreserved to the matter of whether physicians are obligated to take Medicaid patients, Medscape found physicians have mixed reactions to a number of "hot topics" in medicine.
The Oct. 9 "Hot Topics in the Medical Profession Report 2024, Part 2" surveyed 1,017 physicians across more than 29 specialties between March 20 and May 15.
Here are 10 hot takes physicians face in patient care:
1. Physicians said they might not report a colleague for incompetence or unethical behavior because of uncertainty about what they witnessed or heard (53%), uncertainty about whether their position is correct (45%), reluctance to hurt someone's career (36%) and concern about retaliation (35%). Thirty-three percent said they would prefer to talk with the physician individually.
2. When asked if physicians should have to pass required competency tests at a certain age, 48% said it depends, 30% said yes and 22% said no.
3. About 87% of physicians agree or strongly agree that physicians have an ethical duty to keep their physical and mental health.
4. Half of physicians said it is "somewhat necessary" to require periodic bias training for physicians, while 27% said it was very necessary and 23% said not at all necessary.
5. When asked if it's okay to breach patient confidentiality to protect the health of others, 49% said yes, 10% said no and 41% said it depends.
6. The majority of physicians (79%) said it is ethical for physicians to be "rude" on social media if the practice is not brought up.
7. The majority of physicians (62%) said that physicians who see patients should have to get the annual flu shot.
8. When considering a physician's duty to take Medicaid patients, 42% feel obligated to take at least some patients, 18% said they would feel obliged once states improve programs and reimbursements and 40% said they felt no obligation.
9. The majority of physicians (77%) do not think annual charity work should be expected of physicians.
10. If a patient wanted to be cryopreserved, 36% of physicians said they would not support the patient, 22% said they would and 42% said it depends.