I think there are a few things here. First, a lot of people go to the doctor for things that don't require a doctor at all. Your smashed fingernail is a perfect example - why would you even go to the doctor for that unless you really think your finger is fractured? Same with basic illnesses - waiting rooms are packed with people who have a basic cold and haven't even given it a week to resolve itself. This is really where telemedicine/remote doctors/whatever you want to call it should fill in the gap.
On the other hand, your ankle sprain example is a good one to use for a reason why doctors can be really important for basic things like PT. A rather large percentage of people straight up will not follow a basic PT regimen (let alone a diet/exercise change) to resolve a problem unless 1) a doctor tells them to, and 2) they are instructed on exactly what to do at regular on-site sessions. Ortho offices are packed with people who just want an MRI and some injections rather than having to actually do some work over the course of a few months to get better.
For people who are self-motivated and take care of their own health, doctors are rarely actually needed until you get to the point of needing specific tests and prescriptions. But for the other ~80ish percent of people, doctors are pretty much the only route to getting better.
Straighten out a paper clip, heat it with lighter or stove burner, melt a hole in the fingernail. A lot of runners with no medical training have done this.
Yeah so if I didn't know that, I would go to a doctor. It's exactly the kind of thing where a YouTube search could make the difference between needing a doctor or not.
You would be supprised what people can learn quickly to alieve their pain. I nearly passed out when it was explained to me by a family member who was a doctor, but within a few seconds the pain ironed my resolve. The relief was immediate, as was the tiny, if momentary, fountain of blood.
I wouldn't be surprised actually. I've done a lot of "home remedy" type stuff.
I know from first-hand experience that discussing it online is a space with a lot of pitfalls. It's difficult to gauge the level of background knowledge of your audience and challenging to provide enough warnings to make it safe and useful while not insulting anyone's intelligence when different people in the audience will have vastly different levels of background knowledge pertinent to the problem space.
Heating it should disinfect it. Growing up, my mother would sometimes heat a needle to disinfect it before using it to pierce and drain something, like a boil.
She wanted to be a doctor at one time and delivered babies in her teens. She was quite knowledgeable about medical stuff.
That doesn't answer it at all. Why do you need to go to the doctor for something that basic? Do you also go to the doctor when you get a blister?
A 30 second google search would tell you what to do if you didn't learn this as a child (is basic health stuff like this really not taught anymore?), and it doesn't require a doctor.
On the other hand, your ankle sprain example is a good one to use for a reason why doctors can be really important for basic things like PT. A rather large percentage of people straight up will not follow a basic PT regimen (let alone a diet/exercise change) to resolve a problem unless 1) a doctor tells them to, and 2) they are instructed on exactly what to do at regular on-site sessions. Ortho offices are packed with people who just want an MRI and some injections rather than having to actually do some work over the course of a few months to get better.
For people who are self-motivated and take care of their own health, doctors are rarely actually needed until you get to the point of needing specific tests and prescriptions. But for the other ~80ish percent of people, doctors are pretty much the only route to getting better.