A recent study by the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences concluded that a doctor’s party affiliation can be used to gain insight into the type of health care advice they will provide.
According to the study, Republican doctors were more likely to ask their patients about abortions and marijuana use, while Democrats were more inclined to inquire about patients' history with guns and prostitutes.
“I wasn’t so surprised by this,” said the Director of Medical Ethics at NYU’s Langone Medical Center Art Caplan on Boston Public Radio Tuesday.
Caplan emphasised the importance of talking to a doctor before choosing them as a primary care physician to make sure their values align with yours. “So if you had a doctor for example that was very conservative, and said I’m not comfortable removing a feeding tube or stopping treatment when your grandma is dying or when you are dying. You might not want that doctor because the value match is not very good. So yeah, doctors are political,” said Caplan.
While broaching the subject of politics with your doctor may be awkward, Caplan assured listeners that you don’t need to grill them on their voting history. “I just think you need to ask them things like, If my daughter needs contraception are you willing to prescribe it? Are you a person who is very conservative in end of life care? Do you believe in vaccinations? You can ask the medical stuff that lets you align your values with their values. I don’t think you need to take out your “I’m with her button” and see what the facial response is.”
You can listen to our interview with the Director of Medical Ethics at NYU’s Langone Medical Center Art Caplan above.
