A doctor's job is to be honest about unrealistic optimism

When people are sick – really sick – they want to get better. And their doctors certainly want them to get better. Some doctors combine providing clinical care with a passion to do research in order to discover new ways to treat sick people. However, these clinical researchers often are required to do research to support their salary and get promoted. As such, researchers could find themselves with a conflict of interest with regard to any given patient. They desperately need patients to participate in their research studies, but a study may not be the best choice for any given person.