I know what you mean about mistakes. I once counted that I was seeing about 20 doctors. (It's not as bad as it sounds, there were moves, job changes, and of course at my age, the older doctors retired and I had to get new ones.) One of my pet peeves is the accessibility of good doctors. It seems that you almost have to have a friend or relative to pull strings to get you a timely appointment. One other pet peeve is the inaccuracy of lab tests that we as laypersons don't have access to. I suffered from low thyroid and consequent misdiagnoses for three years because of inaccurate lab tests.I think there is a real need for another type of healthcare worker, a kind of physician's assistant who spends more time with a patient getting an accurate history and facilitating education. I've seen six neurologists and NOT ONE got a complete and accurate history! (I could have filled out a questionaire and done a better job.) I've seen nurse assistants to the heart surgeons who do patient couseling. The MS Society and drug companies conduct very good seminars. For awhile, my church had a parish nurse who conducted all kinds of education and training, especially for blood pressure. The new push in pharmacist training is for more patient education. So it is possible to get better care, I just don't know when the politicians and the public will demand it.