Knee replacement in the context of Chinese and European physician-patient perceptions and our national medical situation.

                                                                         I attended the Global Symposium on Artificial Knee Joint Replacement in Barcelona, Spain in 2008, with my German teacher Von Foster. Ten Chinese joint surgeons attended the symposium, and I was the Chinese representative who gave a lecture and presented some of the severely damaged knee replacement cases that I had done, which shocked the experts from all over the world. The Artificial Knee Replacement Surgery That Even “Foreigners” Were Shocked By” from the previous case presentation article).  After my presentation, my German teacher, Prof. Von Foster (a famous European joint surgeon, former director of the largest joint surgery hospital in Europe, ENDO Hospital in Germany, and chief expert in joint surgery) came up to me and said, “Dr. Qu, your case was very difficult and the surgery was very beautiful!” I wanted to pluck something more from my teacher, so I asked, “If it were you, how should these cases be done?” Foster said, “Your cases are too serious, and we don’t have them in our country.” I asked, “If you had a case like this, what experience would you have to tell me?” Foster hemmed and hawed, “If I had such a patient, I would have to be complained about!” I was a little surprised: “How come?” Mr. Foster patted me on the shoulder and laughed: “Ha, ha. If I had such a patient in Germany, in Europe, the patient and everyone would ask me why I didn’t treat her earlier and let the patient suffer so much, and would complain about my inaction as a doctor!” I was really stunned!  There are a large number of patients with knee problems in China, many of which are so severe that they are not treated. They suffer from pain for many years and cannot even take care of themselves, which has a serious impact on themselves and their families and society. However, many of them can recover their functions and return to a healthy life by undergoing surgery. However, due to the backwardness of medical propaganda, the imbalance of medical development, and the fear of surgery among Chinese people for thousands of years, many diseases that should be easily cured are delayed to the point of being incurable or untreatable! It is not until the knee joint has been severely damaged that the patient makes up his mind to have surgery. At this point, the surgeon is often faced with enormous difficulties and the efficacy of the surgery is greatly reduced, while the patient often has great expectations of the surgeon. As the disease becomes advanced, once the surgery is not effective, does not achieve the patient’s efficacy, or the surgery fails, the patient does not understand and often sends all the grievances on the doctor. As a result, many doctors will give up treating patients or over-treat them in order to protect themselves. This is the medical situation in China, a very embarrassing reality: a cruel reality that both doctors and patients are hurt.  I call for more efforts in medical science education, more medical development in marginal areas, and various media should strengthen the correct guidance of the doctor-patient relationship.