There’s nothing like working with a medical student to remind you how much you know—and how much you take for granted. I once had a student shadowing me in general pediatrics when we saw a 9-month-old with a fever and ear infection. I prescribed amoxicillin. The student asked, “Why Amoxil?” I responded instinctively: “It’s first-line treatment for otitis media.” She wasn’t satisfied. “But why?”
Her simple question forced me to pause. For me, the answer felt obvious—amoxicillin works. But for someone learning, that’s not enough. I revisited my training: Amoxicillin is effective against Streptococcus pneumoniae, the most concerning bacteria in ear infections due to its potential to lead to invasive disease. It works by disrupting bacterial cell walls. And thanks to vaccinations, severe outcomes are now rare—but still possible.
This moment reminded me that medicine is layered, and our “truths” must constantly be reexamined. The things that come naturally to clinicians—what to prescribe for fever, what tests to run—aren’t obvious to the public. Even highly educated people often turn to us for basic health advice, not because they lack intelligence, but because they lack context. And they trust us to bridge that gap.
That trust, however, is increasingly strained.
Public Trust and Modern Healthcare
Healthcare professionals entered this field to help people. We studied for years, trained extensively, and now use that knowledge to make informed decisions under pressure. Yet, today's digital world offers patients a constant stream of information—some of it helpful, much of it misleading. Online content, no matter how polished, often lacks scientific backing or even basic credibility. But if it sounds good, people may believe it.
The result? Patients question their providers more than ever. And frankly, that’s not entirely a bad thing—questions can lead to better understanding. But when misinformation crowds out facts, and when fear replaces trust, it challenges our ability to care effectively.
The Forgotten Victories of Modern Medicine
Many of today’s health protections are invisible precisely because they’ve worked so well. My mother once told me about the fear of polio during her childhood—how a trip to the public pool could mean a lifetime in an iron lung. She lost a brother to scarlet fever. I’ve never seen an invasive case of Haemophilus influenzae type B because vaccinations have rendered them vanishingly rare.
Pasteurized milk, fluoridated water, food safety standards—these are quiet triumphs that define our health landscape. Most people never consider the infrastructure that keeps them safe. And when we lose that historical context, we risk underestimating the value of these advances.
Defending the Truth—With Empathy
So how do we move forward?
We must continue to seek, speak, and repeat the truth, even when it’s uncomfortable. Science evolves—today’s truth may be refined tomorrow. But that process, that challenge, is what leads to progress. We cannot abandon facts just because they’re inconvenient or unpopular.
We also must approach others with empathy. No argument is won by belittling those who disagree. Instead, we must help patients understand how we know what we know—what studies we trust, what outcomes we’ve seen. We must remain open to listening, because sometimes their questions lead us to better clarity as well.
A Shared Commitment
Truth in medicine is not static. It’s a living, evolving understanding based on data, outcomes, and continual learning. But it is our responsibility as healthcare professionals to preserve that truth, explain it, and defend it—respectfully and persistently.In the end, truth is more than just fact—it’s the foundation of trust. And trust is the foundation of care.
Article content written by Dr. Chad Rodgers, Chief Medical Officer, AFMC
