Politics distracts physicians from taking care of their patients

I was thinking of giving politics a break for my next column, instead focusing on some interesting news in the medical world. But alas, politics has permeated all aspects of life, whether professional sports or the latest TV series. Few television shows don’t have a same-sex couple or transgendered individual. Sports news can’t avoid discussions of race, climate change or gun control. What about the medical world? Is that too overrun with politics? Several recent medical stories are worth a look. First is a study from Yale reported in The New York Times last fall. In many medical specialties, physicians share the political leanings of their colleagues. Most surgeons, anesthesiologists and in my world, ophthalmologists, are Republican, while most infectious-disease specialists, psychiatrists and pediatricians are Democrats. Higher-paid specialists tend to be Republicans. Continue reading ... Your patients are rating you online: How to respond. Manage your online reputation: A social media guide. Find out how.
Source: Kevin, M.D. - Medical Weblog - Category: General Medicine Authors: Tags: Policy Health reform Source Type: blogs