[finid]

The interesting part of this is that truck drivers are heavily regulated, as they should. They are forced to take breaks after driving a certain number of hours. Not sure exactly, but I think it's about 8 hours.

The same treatment for doctors won't be a bad idea.

[maxerickson]

It's 11 out of 14 hours, then a 10 hour break.

https://www.fmcsa.dot.gov/sites/fmcsa.dot.gov/files/docs/Dri...

There's some additional rules about how many hours can accumulate over a certain period of days (the period is rolling, it doesn't reset).

[rileyteige]

While I agree with you, I have two words: Doctor shortage.

[finid]

If that ever becomes a direct result of regulating doctors in that way, then I don't see why we can't solve that problem the same way we solved the shortage of nurses decades ago. In this case instead of importing filipino nurses, we'll just import doctors from wherever.

Who know, India or China might have a surplus of doctors too.

Or maybe that's the kind of problem that telemedicine will solve.

[rileyteige]

I agree that telemedicine has the potential to be revolutionary, at the very least in the primary-care field. Not sure what it could do about in-patient care, however. The other issue that telemedicine does not solve as far as I know is there are diagnostic tools doctors use beyond sight/sound - what can be palpated, what is the smell? Perhaps that's where nurses could step up?

[Mz]

Yes, and preventing health problems by preventing medical errors would go a long way towards easing up the demand for medical care.

[finid]

So you want to bring up the problem that over medication causes...

[Mz]

I am not sure what the point of your cryptic reply is, but as someone who has gotten off all medication for my condition, I have no problem saying that there is certainly room for improvement in that regard.