Do philosophies and treatment options vary among hospitals and medical practices?
Philosophies about treatment options can vary greatly depending on where and who the physician trained with, the physician’s field of practice, when the physician did their training, and the physician’s personal belief. Often for the same medical problem, different doctors, even within the same specialty, will have different recommendations and treatments. This is often a result of who they trained with and their clinical experience. Practice styles and philosophies also differ from the East Coast and West Coast. For the example of leg pain due to a pinched nerve, some back surgeons will recommend early surgical intervention, while others suggest non-operative conservative therapy. If a doctor trained at a program that advocated watchful waiting, then it is more likely his philosophy is to be conservative. If his mentor, however, always recommended surgery quickly, then it is likely his own belief is that operating is more beneficial. After one year, research has shown that patients do
