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I think Sara brings up an interesting question regarding the utility of qualitative data in medicine. To what extent can we use descriptive data to diagnose patients and/or assess the quality of life and when might it be more useful than quantitative data (i.e. vital signs, blood tests, etc.)? Can anecdotal evidence from one patient affect how another patient is treated?

Some diagnoses already rely (at least to some extent) on self-report data; patients  must report feeling upset, lethargic, or even suicidal for an extended period of time in order for physicians to diagnose them with depression. However, reliance on qualitative data seems less pervasive in the diagnosis of other non-mental conditions.

I'm not suggesting that we use emotions or feelings to diagnose patients with physical ailments, but I think their experiences may be helpful when considering possible treatment options. The article that discussed the quality of life surveys for patients with LIS clearly advocates this point; perhaps doctors and caretakers could better attend to patients' needs if the treatment extended beyond physical therapies. I know that patients will occasionally meet with a psychologist  to help them cope with their condition, but I wonder if there is a more integrative psychophysiological approach that would help the patient and also inform and improve the practice of medicine. (Then again, does this idea inherently assume that patients will have similar self-reports and thereby force qualitative data into a quantitative mold, rendering the whole point moot?)