Unfortunately, I an see way too many pilots out in the aviation industry as a whole that do not have a good handle on how to properly utilize an MEL. Some of the problems have to do with what happens or should happen after an item is MEL'ed.
Just because an item is MEL'ed, doesn't mean that you have to or should operate the aircraft. A lot goes into that decision. What is the problem? What is the experience level of the pilot? What is the weather conditions? What is the flight mission? Say the rotor brake is MEL'ed. Is it flyable? Yes. Do you really want to take it off shore to a rig when the winds at 30Kts with gusts to 45 knots? Probably not.
Next, how does the MEL'ed item effect possible emergency situations and procedures?
With the more and more advanced avionics making their way into the newer helicopters, what effect would an MEL'ed item have on other systems. For example the FMS could be tied into the Ground Proximity Warning systems and the TCAS.
When you operate under an MEL, some thought has to go into utilizing it properly and more important safely.