Most doctors are not trained researchers, like others have said. A researcher in a different field could be better equipped to solve a certain medical problem than a doctor, given that they have access to the right information.

Here, one should also consider that the doctor typically has 15 to 30 minutes to listen to a patient and come up with a solution, whereas a persevering patient can spend hours upon hours searching for solutions, correlations or clues on the internet and in the scientific literature.