The hidden crisis within the health care crisis

My first year after completing surgical residency was exhilarating and exhausting an experience most physicians will recall as part of their training. The American medical culture has imagined that the nation’s doctors — no matter their workload — simply don’t reach physical or emotional exhaustion in their work. But they do, and as we debate the future of healthcare in our country, we need to address this problem and quickly get to solutions, helping ensure that the practitioners closest to tomorrow’s patients can always be at their absolute best. To define the problem, look at the three fundamental factors common to any American doctor’s routine: Always on. The medical occupation is one of very few where the professionals never work a shift or a predictable, set period — nor are they ever expected to. Once engaged in treating a patient, doctors work round-the-clock to ensure the patient receives quality care — often days straight in the most critical cases, snatching the 15-minute gurney naps many Americans know from medical procedurals on TV before plunging back into surgery. 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: Physician Hospital-Based Medicine Orthopedics Psychiatry Surgery Source Type: blogs