Howard Herrell-On What Med Students Should Really Learn In School, The Folly of Anecdote Based Medicine, & Acting Under Uncertainty [#40]

Dr. Howard Herrell is a obstetrician-gynecologist practicing in Greeneville, Tennessee. He’s the host of a popular OBGYN podcast and recently wrote a book on clinical reasoning. I enjoyed his book throughout my first year of medical school and decided to reach out to him to chat about some of the concepts pertinent to evidence based practice and science based medicine. If you enjoyed the episode, please share this with others!

Show notes:

[0:30] Why do EBM?

[4:05] What Dr. Herrell means by “packing the parachute” for medical learners

[11:30] Misdiagnosis is more common than you think

[13:15] Common diagnostic mistakes made by budding and seasoned clinicians

[19:25] Why Bayesian reasoning matters

[28:15] The uniquely blinding effects of someone’s clinical experience

[38:15] Physicians do not follow guidelines and that’s a problem

[41:35] The dangers of being over-zealous with EBM [Scientism]

[49:00] Tolerating uncertainty within clinical practice