The public voice of doctors

One of the selfish reasons I love being a physician is the honor of being included in such a respectable group. Doctors are good people, smart people, dedicated people. These are my colleagues, my mates, my fraternity. This attachment to the honor of doctoring is why it pains me when we hurt ourselves with our words. When the public voice of doctors lacks grace or empathy or even a modicum of self-awareness, the profession, the group as a whole, is diminished. The digital age cuts both ways. On the one hand, its democracy gives regular doctors a voice, but on the other, it amplifies and makes permanent our missteps. A recent op-ed in the Wall Street Journal stirred me to think about the responsibility physicians incur when they reach out publicly. Dr. Daniel F. Craviotto Jr is an orthopedic surgeon who submitted an essay to the editors of the WSJ. His Declaration of Independence piece, which urged doctors to defy health-care mandates issued by bureaucrats not in the healing profession, addressed many of the challenges in US healthcare delivery. Craviotto brought attention to intrusions to the patient-doctor relationship, the awfulness that is modern-day electronic health records, and declining reimbursement for doctors. All important issues for sure. Yet, his essay, or perhaps one could call it a sophisticated rant, served to diminish the dignity of his colleagues, his fraternity, his team. Let me explain. It will take a few paragraphs. Malcolm Gladwell recently advised doct...
Source: Dr John M - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: blogs