> Perhaps now we can start to allow patients to treat themselves?
You already can. You're welcome to self-administer tylenol, bandage a wound, etc.
When you start getting into more complicated conditions, we like to have a professional in the mix, as laypeople have a tendency to do things like want antibiotics for a cold, essential oils for cancer, and think vaccines cause autism.
They're examples of why "just let patients treat themselves" is frequently a horrible idea.
A layperson shouldn't be diagnosing something like diabetes. Once you're on insulin, refills will typically be a (free!) phone call or email away. My daughter's on growth hormone, for example. Obtaining a new prescription when we run out of refills doesn't require payment or a visit. (The meds themselves do cost an insane amount, of course, and the doc does like to see her once in a while to make sure we've got the dosing right, which seems reasonable.)
You already can. You're welcome to self-administer tylenol, bandage a wound, etc.
When you start getting into more complicated conditions, we like to have a professional in the mix, as laypeople have a tendency to do things like want antibiotics for a cold, essential oils for cancer, and think vaccines cause autism.