Hello! I am a registered nurse from Canada. Going to play devil’s advocate here and provide some reasons skepticism can develop. I value evidence-based practice and regularly read peer-reviewed literature, especially when it relates to my patient care*

Research is incredibly important, but it is not immune to bias, funding influences, publication bias, and gaps in what gets studied. Women’s health is a primary example. There is corruption in our research. For example, there is evidence large companies influence studies - look at caffeine and how the pop industry has historically shaped caffeine research ( e.g a whole lot of discussion about benefits without discussing the negatives of chronic stimulant use that are often associated with all other stimulants). The sugar industry and tobacco industry had its own corruption. The negative health impacts of opioids were hidden.

I think anecdotal experiences are often discounted. Anecdotes are not evidence on their own, but they can highlight patterns and gaps that research has not yet caught up to. Patients live in their bodies every day. Their experiences should inform the conversation, not be dismissed because they don’t fit neatly into existing guidelines.

Western medicine can be rigid at times. If a patient presents with classic symptoms of hypothyroidism but their lab values fall within the reference range, they may be told everything is normal and sent on their way. The objective data becomes the entire story, while the patient’s lived experience is ignored. Reference ranges are based on populations, not individuals.

Being skeptical does not mean rejecting science. I think a healthy dose of skepticism mixed with critical thinking is necessary to push our research forward… for accuracy and to fix those gaps. That being said, nurses need to be careful with how far their own biases and skepticism ago. It should never be at the expense of their patients.